為什么企業家都是差勁的天使投資人
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????今天我凄慘地意識到，我永遠不會成為一個杰出的天使投資人了。原因很簡單：我喜歡我聽到的每個點子。 ????顯然這并不是因為我的投資交易流特別出眾。按常理說來，我的交易流本應該是勝敗參半的。事實上，我和天使投資界的聯系并不特別緊密，而且我現在還在努力控制花在天使投資上的時間，將之限制在每周一天。因此按理說，我命中最好交易的比率應該比50%還要低得多。 ????這也不是因為我不會說“不”。相反我總是這樣做。問問我的孩子們就知道了。 ????我之所以喜歡每個點子，是由于我是個樂觀主義者。一般的樂觀主義者會把一個半空的杯子說成是半滿的，但我并不是一般的樂觀主義者，我是極度的樂觀主義者。我會堅持另外訂購一柜子的杯子，防止水滿得裝不下。 ????在過去作為企業家的日子里，這種樂觀精神是一個重要的工具。我總是相信我們會成功的。哪怕每個人都說我的點子是荒唐的，哪怕我們幾乎已經沒有錢了，哪怕所有的指標都亂成一團糟，我仍然相信我總會有辦法的。我總是信心十足地相信事情總會解決的。 ????不過這也正是問題所在。我發現其他每個企業家的點子中也都有這個特點。由于我有足夠的經驗，我甚至能看出他們的點子在推理上有哪些瑕疵，在執行上有哪些漏洞。不過等我有時間靠在椅子上思索一會兒，我就會說“等等——也許還是有辦法的。”然后我會馬上在白板上勾勒出一個可行的解決方案，然后我就會和那些企業家們一樣高興。 ????到目前為止，我幸運得讓人難以置信。而且我做的每一筆投資似乎都非常堅實。到目前為止，我還沒有被套牢過。其中有幾筆投資甚至看起來非常有前景。 ????或許可以說，由于我的運營企業的經驗，因此比起大多數人只是“可行”的點子，我的點子往往要棋高一籌。又或許可以說，我作為企業家的經驗，可能會幫我在投資的時候鑒別出和我類似的樂觀企業家。 ????不管怎樣，我都不會停止這樣做。因為這是件樂趣十足的事。我還能說什么呢？我就是有信心，相信事情總是能解決得很好。 ????我把我的支票簿放哪了？ ????本文作者馬克?蘭多夫是一位經驗豐富的硅谷企業家、高科技公司高管和初創公司顧問。他也是在線電影和電視流媒體服務Netflix的共同創始人，并且擔任了該公司首任CEO。 ????譯者：樸成奎 ? |
????I came to the sad realization today that I was never going to be a great angel investor. And for a simple reason: I like every idea I hear. ????Obviously it's not that my deal flow is so spectacular – the law of averages suggests that I should be getting an equal mix of hits and misses. In fact, since I'm not particularly well connected in the angel investing world -- and am still trying to limit the time I spend doing it to a single day a week -- I should be getting a considerably worse share of the best deals. ????And no, I'm not incapable of saying "No." I do that all the time. Ask my kids. ????The simple reason I like every idea is that I'm an optimist. Not just a run-of-the-mill optimist who sees the glass as half full; I'm an over-the-top optimist. The guy who insists on ordering a whole case of extra glasses to handle the overflow. ????In my past life as an entrepreneur, this optimism was a critical tool. I just always believed we would succeed. Even when everyone else said my ideas were ridiculous. Even when we were almost out of money. Even when the metrics were all upside down. I always have confidence that I'll figure something out. I just have that confidence that things are going to work out fine. ????But that's the problem. I also see that in every other entrepreneur's idea. It's even more pathetic because I have enough experience to clearly see the flaws in their reasoning and the gaps in their execution. But then I have that moment where I lean back on the chair, stair into space for second, and say "wait a minute — you know, there just might be a way here." And pretty soon I'm up at the whiteboard sketching out a possible path to daylight and I'm just as excited as they are. ????So far I've been incredibly lucky, and every investment that I've made has turned out to actually be pretty solid. No craters yet. And even a couple that look really promising. ????Perhaps one could make the case that because of my operating experience I actually have a better idea than most what constitutes a "doable" idea. Or that my experience as an entrepreneur somehow helps me recognize a fellow optimist when I see one. ????Either way, I'm not going to stop doing it. Too much fun. And what can I say? I just have that confidence that things are going to work out fine. ????Now where did I leave my checkbook? ????Marc Randolph is a veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneur, high tech executive and startup consultant. Most recently Marc was co-founder of the online movie and television streaming service Netflix, serving as their first CEO. |
