How to Start a Business Before Age 25 25岁前创业要诀

晋旭生

By the age of 24， Richard Zelson already knew the ins and outs1 of running his own business. In 2013， the young entrepreneur launched MyStream， a mobile device app that allows users to listen to music simultaneously with the people around them.

We asked Zelson for his top tips for starting a business under the age of 25.

1. Choose the right jobs out of school.

While Zelson wanted an investment banking job， the one he landed instead—at a small real estate firm—helped set up his career for success， because it gave him a necessary foundation for an eventual journey into entrepreneurship.

“This turned out to be one of the best opportunities of my life，” Zelson said. “I was able to learn the ins and outs of running a small business， and that hands-on experience directly helped me turn my idea into a functioning product and ongoing business.”

2. Make sure everyones interests align.

As an economics major， Zelson said it was critical for him to create a team environment with an open communication structure where everyones interests were aligned.

“This way， everyone can work on their own tasks in a parallel path with the same end goal in mind—to support the success of the company，” he said.

3. Realize that being a part of something is better than being all of nothing.

Zelson said its important to be prepared to take an offer that is less than ideal in order to at least get the ball rolling2， because “the experience you can gain ... for any future ideas that you may have” is worthwhile. “There is a lot to learn about running a business that you cannot know until you try.”

4. Do your due diligence3 on the business idea.

Zelson believes it is critical for young entrepreneurs to know everything there is to know about their product and the industry before going to investors.

“You need to have thought of every possible question that may be asked， and have a good answer for each. This goes for both the business idea and the people involved.”

5. Surround yourself with people who are good at what they do.

It is necessary to assemble a team that has strengths in areas where you may struggle. Zelson said the success of a company hinges on the abilities and professionalism of the team as a whole.

“At the end of the day， you are only as good as the people you work with. If you create a weak team， then you will have a weak product， but if you have a great team， then your potential is unlimited.”

Beyond these fundamentals， here are some additional tips for young entrepreneurs.

6. Trust your instincts.

Possibly the most important—and hardest—component of great success for young entrepreneurs is a great idea. Keeping an eye out for and recognizing that brilliant innovation when it comes along is key. One of the most successful teen impresarios4， Nick DAloisio， created and sold an app to Yahoo that Yahoo just wanted to own， not use. Yahoo wanted Summly5 for its algorithm6， and DAloisio only had to tag along7 for 18 months—not bad for the then-17-year-old， who netted over $10 million.

One of the most famous young entrepreneurs is Mark Zuckerberg， but many people dont know that well before his time at Harvard， he invented a messaging system for his fathers dental office called Zucknet. His biography outlines his early programming work as a Harvard freshman. Even while engaged in academic work， he created two computer programs and then a third project that led up to Facebook （he dropped out of college after his sophomore year to work on the Facebook launch full time）.

Like Zuckerberg， many young entrepreneurs are motivated by more than money. They may be pursuing a vision to make the world a better place through their work or philanthropy. A report by Fidelity Charitable indicated that giving by households headed by entrepreneurs is more than four times that of non-entrepreneurs.

7. Put in the hard work.

On the other hand， some young people seem to succeed through hard work and perseverance more than inspiration. According to a story about kidpreneurs on Investopedia， “Cameron Johnson got his start at the age of 9， making invitations for his parents holiday party. Two years later， Johnson had made thousands of dollars selling cards through his company he called Cheers and Tears. At age 12， he paid $100 for his sisters 30 Beanie Babies and sold them on eBay for 10 times what he paid. He then purchased the dolls directly from the manufacturer and made a $50，000 profit in less than a year. He used that money to start an internet business that brought in $3，000 per month in advertising revenue. By the time he was 15， he had formed other businesses with total revenues of $300，000 to $400，000 per month.”

For entrepreneurs of any age， an important tip is to take risks， believe in yourself， be flexible， and go for broke. The founder of Mos Bows8 gives this advice： “Figure out what you like doing， then find out how you can make money doing it， then just let your passion drive your business.” Sounds like great advice， especially coming from then-9-year-old Moziah， a Memphis-based kidpreneur who has not only made a deal on Shark Tank9 but continues to sell his product on Shopify10 as well.               ■

24岁时，理查德·泽尔森就已经对经营自己企业的诀窍了如指掌。2013年，这位年轻的创业者发布了一款移动设备应用程序MyStream，让使用者可以和周围的人共享音乐。

我们请教了泽尔森不到25岁就创办企业的要诀。

1. 选择合适的校外工作。

泽尔森本想找一份投资银行的工作，却只在一家小型房地产公司谋到一个职位。不过这份工作为他最终进入企业界打下了必要的基础，助他迈向事业成功。

“这是我人生中最好的机遇之一。”泽尔森说。“我得以学习经营一家小企业的方方面面。这种实践经验直接帮我把自己的创意转变成了有用的产品和不断发展的业务。”

2. 确保所有人的利益一致。

泽尔森修读经济学专业，他认为关键是要创建一个具有开放交流机制的团队环境，让大家的利益保持一致。

“这样的话，每个人都各负其责，各司其职，为心中共同的终极目标——公司事业的成功而助力。”他说。

3. 树立“有总比没有好”的意识。

泽尔森说，重要的是要准备接受一份不够理想的工作，至少开始做点什么，因为“你能从中获得的经验……对任何将来可能会有的创意”都是有价值的。“关于企业经营有很多需要学的，不试着做就无法了解。”

4. 全方位了解商业创意。

泽尔森认为年轻的创业者在面见投资者前，须尽可能充分地了解自己的产品和行业，这一点至关重要。

“每一个可能会被问及的问题你都要考虑到，并对每个问题都做好充分准备。无论对商业创意还是工作团队，都要做好答问预案。”

5. 团队成员要精通各自业务。

有必要组建一支能弥补你自身短处的团队。泽尔森认为，一个公司的成功与否取决于团队的整体能力和专业水平。

“说到底，团队实力决定了企业的潜力。如果你组建的团队弱，那你的产品竞争力就弱;但如果你的团队强大，那你将拥有无限潜力。”

除了这几个要点，这里还有一些建议送给年轻的创业者。

6. 相信自己的直觉。

对年轻的创业者而言，要取得巨大成功，最重要也最难的，或许就是有个好创意。时刻留意并及时识别绝妙的新想法是关键一步。尼克·达洛伊西奥是最成功的少年创业者之一，他开发出一款应用程序并出售给雅虎。对于这款应用，雅虎只是看中了所有权，并没想投入使用。雅虎想要的是Summly背后的算法，而达洛伊西奥只需在雅虎工作一年半——这对当时17岁的达洛伊西奥来说也算不错，他净赚了一千多万美元。

马克·扎克伯格是最知名的年轻企业家之一，但很多人不知道的是早在赴哈佛求学之前，他就为父亲的牙科诊所开发了一套消息传送系统Zucknet。他的传记中概述了他在哈佛读一年级时做的早期编程工作。即便当时忙于学业，他依然开发了两款计算机程序，接着开发的第三个项目后来发展成了脸书（二年级后他从哈佛辍学，全力投入脸书的开发）。

同扎克伯格一样，许多年轻创业者的创业动机都不仅仅限于金钱。他们或许在追求一种理想，想要通过自己的工作或慈善事业让世界变得更美好。富达慈善基金会的一份报告显示，企业家家庭的捐赠是非企业家家庭的四倍多。

7. 付出艰辛努力。

另一方面，有些年轻人则似乎更多是依靠勤奋和坚守而非灵感获得成功。投资百科网上一篇有关创业少年的报道写道：“卡梅伦·约翰逊9岁开始创业，为父母的假日聚会制作请柬。两年后，约翰逊通过自己的公司出售贺卡赚得了数千美元，公司名为Cheers and Tears（欢呼与泪水）。12岁时，他花100美元买下妹妹的30个豆豆娃，然后在易贝上以买入价的10倍卖出。随后，他直接从制造商那里购得玩偶娃娃，在不到一年的时间里获得5万美元利润。他用这笔收入创立了一家互联网企业，每月带来的广告收入达3000美元。到15岁时，他已另外成立了多家公司，这些公司的月收入总计三四十万美元。”

对任何年龄的企业家而言，重要的是要勇于冒险、相信自己、灵活变通、全力以赴。莫氏领结的创始人给出的建议是：“搞清楚你喜欢做什么，然后弄明白怎样通过做自己喜欢的事来赚钱，然后就让你的热情来驱动你的事业吧。”这个建议听起来很不错，尤其这建议来自当时只有9岁的少年创业者莫西亚，他的公司设在孟菲斯。莫西亚不仅在真人秀节目《创智赢家》上达成了一笔交易，而且还将继续在电商平台Shopify上售卖自己的产品。                                           □

（譯者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）

1 ins and outs底细;来龙去脉。

2 get the ball rolling启动;着手干。  3 due diligence（为保证自身、他人或财产安全而采取的）审慎行为;（与某公司有业务往来之前对其本身以及其财务状况进行的）必要核计，必要了解。

4 impresario〈意〉（歌剧团、乐团等的）演出主办人;经理。  5一款新闻阅读应用软件。    6 algorithm算法。   7 tag along〈非正式〉跟随。

8由时尚界天才少年莫西亚·布里奇斯（Moziah Bridges）创立的领结品牌。  9美国ABC电视台的一个发明真人秀节目，节目上发明创业者展示其发明，说服嘉宾，获取投资赞助。  10一站式电商服务平台，为电商卖家提供搭建网店的技术和模板，管理全渠道的营销、售卖、支付、物流等服务。