就如何創辦一家公司而言,史蒂夫·喬布斯給我們的啟發恐怕比其他任何人都要多,而我有幸在蘋果公司Macintosh部門為他工作過一段時間。
在那幾年工作期間,以及隨后20年對他的觀察,我學到了關于創業公司最重要的五件事情。
1. 人們不會告訴你他們需要什么
人們可以告訴你他們想要什么,無非就是希望現有產品變得更好、更快、更便宜。例如,在20世紀80年代,蘋果的消費者想要更好、更快、更便宜的蘋果二代電腦。但沒有人說他們需要Macintosh。真正成功的企業家能創造出人們沒有明確表達出需求的產品。
2. 專家沒法告訴你要做什么
專家擅于告訴你現在出了什么問題。但他們沒法告訴你怎么解決問題,像消費者一樣,他們也不能告訴你如何超越當下市場領先的品牌。
3. 要在新的層面展開行動
19世紀30年代,冰塊工廠淘汰了冰塊采集器。19世紀50年代,冰箱公司淘汰了冰塊工廠。改善現有狀況當然有回報,不過真正的創新和企業家精神在于你進入新的層面,創建新的趨勢。
4. 設計很重要
不是每個人都看重設計,但好的設計能打動足夠多的人,從而讓一家創業公司獲得成功。單純的性能優良已經不夠了。你的產品或服務現在需要用一種優雅而令人愉悅的方式來完成它們的使命。史蒂夫·喬布斯和蘋果已經把人們的期望值永久性地拔高了。
5. 價值和價格不是一回事
價格只是清單上印著的數字。而價值則是一個產品的成本和它帶給消費者的福利的總和。有時候,價格更高的產品的價值也更高,因為它降低了培訓等成本,產生了更好的效果。不要關注價格,要把心思放在提供和傳遞價值上。
還有另一件事:史蒂夫·喬布斯告訴我,有些事情需要先相信才能實現。懷疑論者總是認為眼見為實。但如果你想成為一名企業家,就必須相信你的理念。這就是為什么史蒂夫·喬布斯改變了世界,而大多數人都在等待世界改變。(財富中文網)
本文最初發表在Entrepreneur網站上。 譯者:嚴匡正 審校:任文科 |
No one could have taught you more about starting a company than Steve Jobs, and I had the privilege and honor of working for him in the Macintosh division of Apple.
Over the course of several years, and then watching him for another two decades, these are the five most important things that I learned about startups from him.
1. People cannot tell you what they need.
They can tell you what they want, and it’s usually along the lines of a better, faster and cheaper status quo. For example, in the 1980s, Apple’s customers wanted a better, faster and cheaper Apple II. No one asked for a Macintosh. Truly successful entrepreneurs create what people cannot articulate.
2. Experts cannot tell you what to do.
Experts are good at telling you what’s wrong with the current state of the art. They cannot tell you how to fix what’s wrong, nor, like customers, tell you how to leapfrog the current leaders.
3. The action is on the next curve.
In the 1830s, ice harvesters were wiped out by ice factories. In the 1850s, ice factories were wiped out by refrigerator companies. Duking it out on the current curve can work, but true innovation and entrepreneurship occurs when you get to the next curve or create a new one.
4. Design counts.
It might not matter to everyone, but design matters to enough people to make a startup successful. Simple functionality isn’t enough anymore. Now your product or service has to do the job in an elegant and pleasing way. Steve Jobs and Apple have raised people’s expectations forever.
5. Value is not the same thing as price.
Price is a number printed on a list. Value is the totality of the costs and benefits of a product. Something with a higher price can have a better value because it reduces costs, such as training, and produces better results. Don’t focus on price — focus on providing and communicating value.
One more thing: Steve Jobs taught me that some things need to be believed to be seen. Skeptics refuse to believe in something until they see it. If you want to be an entrepreneur, you have to believe in your idea. This is why Steve Jobs changed the world while most people waited for the world to change.
This piece was originally published on Entrepreneur. |