????本文為與《創業者》雜志的合作內容。下文最初發表于Entrepreneur.com網站。

????許多軟件公司創始人都有一個孩子一樣的夢想——他們想成為“獨角獸”。

????在企業界，“獨角獸”與在童話故事中一樣罕見。牛仔風投將“獨角獸公司”定義為：2003年以來在美國成立的軟件公司，公募或私募市場上的估值達到10億美元以上。

????我曾與三家“獨角獸公司”的領導者談論過他們的成功經歷，以及他們對其他初創公司的建議。希望躋身“獨角獸俱樂部”的創業者，以下是三大秘訣：

????尋找新的市場

????獨角獸是稀有的，要不斷尋找新的路線去探索。

????創新性閃存公司Pure Storage的CEO斯科特?迪茨恩正是利用這一策略，將公司打造成市值超十億美元的獨角獸公司。創建伊始，這家公司就致力于尋找一個龐大但服務不完善的市場。

????迪茨恩表示：“Pure瞄準了規模達1,000億美元的企業數據存儲市場，該市場的主導產品架構已有二十多年的歷史，客戶對傳統產品的滿意度遠低于平均水平。”

????接下來，公司找到了一個能夠改變市場游戲規則的破壞性因素。

????他說：“對于Pure而言，這個因素就是從機械磁盤存儲轉向固態閃存。”

????下一個步驟是創建一套成功秘訣，讓其他公司拼命復制。

????他建議：“接下來，確定一個能改變市場游戲規則的破壞因素，精心制作一份破壞處方，讓其他市場參與者拼命復制。”

????在線零售商Zulily的CEO達雷爾?卡文斯也認為，初創公司要想成為獨角獸公司，必須打破陳規，挑戰傳統觀念。

????他說道：“最初，有許多人認為我們要想成功，必須遵守電子商務領域的慣例。但我們并沒有理睬這些否定的意見。我們預感到，肯定有另外一種開展電子商務的方式，看到客戶的熱情之后，我們便全力投入其中。”

????Waze是全球最大的基于社區的交通與導航應用，該公司也是采用一種新方式來解決一個傳統問題，并由此躋身獨角獸俱樂部。

????Waze全球通信與創意戰略總監朱莉?安妮?莫斯勒表示：“Waze是傳統交通分析模式強有力的挑戰者，因為我們完全依靠來自社區的數據，而不是道路傳感器或街頭的攝像機。”

????建立與客戶的奇妙聯系

????要打造一家獨角獸公司，客戶必須掌握主動權，能夠推動關鍵決策和產品開發，來滿足他們的需求。

????迪茨恩表示：“最重要的是，你必須讓客戶滿意。客戶可以并且應該是你最強大的擁護者。他們理應會讓你知道自己為他們所提供的價值。”

????卡文斯表示，聽取客戶的意見是Zulily成功的重要因素。

????他說道：“我們沒有總體規劃，但對于我們能做什么，我們始終保持開放的心態，在看到客戶對我們提供的購物方式的反應后，我們會繼續按照他們的需求來完善我們的業務。”

????Waze從最開始便將客戶納入到產品當中。

????莫斯勒表示：“我們充分利用每次機會和產品，讓用戶對產品的成功擁有既得利益——并且使他們盡可能容易地向朋友們介紹我們，進而獲得更多宣傳。”

????讓投資者著迷

????獨角獸公司不僅滿足于找到投資者，他們還要找到合適的投資者。

????迪茨恩建議：“不要等到有資金需求的時候才去融資。這樣才能確保你有機會對投資者進行權衡，保證尋找到的投資者最適合公司的文化和長期愿景。你應該盡量避免那些一心只想將公司賣掉變現的投資者，而是要去尋找那些愿意進行長期投資的投資者。”

????創業者找到適合自己的投資者之后，必須重視投資者的需求，并借此讓他們參與到公司運營中來。

????他說道：“你必須非常善于對客戶解釋，為什么你的產品與公司是正確的、有投資保障的長期選擇。站在客戶的立場上進行考慮，盡量讓自己的解釋吸引到買家。”

????做好飛速增長的準備

????成為獨角獸公司的道路不會隨著融資完成而結束。創業者必須針對公司規模制定計劃，并及時了解一家快速增長的公司有哪些需求。

????迪茨恩說道：“從進入市場到現在，我們一直保持400%的平均年增長率。要成為龐大市場的領導者，你必須快速增長。”（財富中文網）

????譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

????This post is in partnership with Entrepreneur. This story originally appeared on Entrepreneur.com

????Many software entrepreneurs share a similar dream with little children — they want to be unicorns.

????The unicorns that exist in the dreams of companies are just as rare as those that exist in fairy tales. Cowboy Ventures defines unicorns as U.S.-based software companies founded since 2003 and valued at over $1 billion by public or private market investors.

????I spoke with leaders of three unicorns about their success and their advice for hopeful startups. Here are their tips on how to become a member of the magical and rare species:

????Find new pastures

????Unicorns are unique, and find new paths to explore.

????This was the strategy Scott Dietzen, CEO of Pure Storage, an innovative flash storage company, used to bring the company to unicorn status. The company began by finding a large, ill-served market.

????“In Pure’s case, we tackled the $100 billion enterprise data-storage market, in which the dominant product architectures are two decades old, and customer satisfaction with the legacy products is well below average,” Dietzen says.

????The company next identified a disrupting factor that changed the game for those already in the market.

????“For Pure, this was the transition from mechanical disk-based storage to solid-state flash memory,” he says.

????The next step is to create a recipe for success that others try to copy.

????Next, “identify a disruptor that changes the game on the market incumbents and craft a recipe for disruption that others will strive to copy,” he suggests.

????Darrell Cavens, CEO of Zulily, an online retailer that curates a new selection of products each day, agrees that to create a unicorn, startups must break from the pack and challenge traditional knowledge.

????“We ignored many of the naysayers who told us that we had to operate by the current conventions in ecommerce in order to be successful,” he says. “We had a hunch that there was another way that we could do ecommerce and when we saw customer passion we went all in with it.”

????Waze, the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app, also reached unicorn status by looking at an old problem in a new way.

????“Waze was a strong challenger of the traditional model of traffic analysis because we relied entirely on input from the community, not from road sensors or street cameras,” says Julie Anne Mossler, head of global communications and creative launch strategy at Waze.

????Create magical connections with customers

????To build a unicorn, the customer must hold the reins, driving major decisions and product development to meet their needs.

????“Most of all, you need hugely delighted customers,” Dietzen says. “Customers can and should be your strongest advocates. They should teach you about the value that you’ve delivered to them.”

????Listening to the customer was a major factor in the success of Zulily, Cavens says.

????“We didn’t have a master plan, but we had an open mind about what we could do and when we saw that our customer was responding to the type of shopping we were offering, we continued to build the business around what she wanted,” he says.

????Waze built their customers into the product from the start.

????“We optimized the opportunity and the product so that users have a vested interest in its success — and made it as easy as possible for them to spread the word to friends and recruit additional editors,” Mossler says.

????Enchant investors

????Unicorns don’t just find investors, but they find the right investors for the business.

????“Fundraise before you need the money,” Dietzen suggests. “That ensures you have the opportunity to weigh alternative investors to ensure the best fit in terms of culture and long-term aspirations. You should strive to avoid investors that will want to sell, and find the ones that are in it for the long haul.”

????Once entrepreneurs find investors that are a good match, they must focus on their needs to get them on board.

????“You also must be very, very good at explaining why your product and company are the right long-term, investment-protecting choice for those customers,” he says. “Put yourself into your customers shoes to best make the case that will appeal to your buyer.”

????Groom for growth

????The road to becoming a unicorn doesn’t end with funding. Entrepreneurs must plan for the scale of the business and keep up with the demands of a fast growing company.

????“We have been averaging 400 percent annual growth since we entered the market,” Dietzen says. “You need to grow fast in big markets if you want to lead.”