我的第一次约会失败了
A number of years ago, I was working full-time as a designer and received a lot of requests to design sites on the side. At the time, I knew very little about business ownership, but always felt an entrepreneurial pull and it seemed like a good idea to start a web design company. Needless to say, I learned quite a few things from my initial venture, and thought I’d share a few of them with you.
几年前，我以专职设计师的身份工作，收到了很多关于在侧面设计场地的要求。 当时，我对企业所有权知之甚少，但始终感到自己有企业家精神，因此创办一家网页设计公司似乎是个好主意。 不用说，我从最初的创业中学到了很多东西，并想与您分享其中的一些东西。
Lesson #1: All marketing isn’t created equal.
教训＃1：并非所有营销都是平等的。
I can’t even tell you how much money I wasted on ineffective marketing. From a massive mailing to local companies that I never qualified, to a decal on my car, to flyers that sat stacked on my desk for two years, I had my marketing focus all wrong. Not to say any of those things won’t work, but they certainly didn’t work for me, at least in the way I was executing them. I thought that by doing something, I was doing the right thing, but all I was doing was wasting time and money by floundering around with no idea of what to do next.
我什至不能告诉你我在无效的营销上浪费了多少钱。 从大量邮寄给我从未有过资格的本地公司，到汽车贴花，再到在桌子上堆放了两年的传单，我的营销重点都错了。 更不用说所有这些都行不通了，但是它们肯定对我不起作用，至少在我执行它们的方式上。 我以为通过做某件事，我做的是对的事情，但是我所做的只是浪费时间和金钱，不知下一步该怎么做。
The lesson is not to market your services for the sake of marketing or because an idea sounds good. You need to be focused and intentional in all marketing activities. This is accomplished by defining your business and your goals, and then researching until you uncover the most effective way to market to your target audience. There is a right technique for every business, regardless of marketing budget. Take the time to figure out the right way from the beginning.
该课程的目的不是为了营销目的而营销您的服务，也不是因为一个主意听起来不错。 您需要在所有营销活动中集中精力和专心。 这是通过定义您的业务和目标，然后进行研究直至发现最有效的向目标受众进行营销的方式来实现的。 无论营销预算如何，每种业务都有正确的技术。 花时间从一开始就找出正确的方法。
Lesson #2: Systems are necessary.
第2课：系统是必需的。
After being scattered, disorganized and stressed with the administration of my business, I learned that you need systems; you need processes; you need standards. Having a set way things are done in your business — from billing, to data management, to your work process — is necessary because it enhances productivity and allows you to take on more. Plus, if you ever want to work with subcontractors, hire employees or otherwise expand personnel, you need documented systems for everything that make your business move.
在分散，混乱和对我的业务管理感到压力之后，我了解到您需要系统。 您需要流程； 您需要标准。 必须有一套确定的方法来完成业务-从计费，数据管理到工作流程-因为它可以提高生产率并让您承担更多责任。 另外，如果您想与分包商合作，雇用员工或以其他方式扩充人员，则需要使所有使企业运转的文件记录系统。
Lesson #3: Don’t let financial pressure derail you.
第3课：不要让财务压力使您脱轨。
Shortly after starting my business, I was laid off from my job (an Internet startup who joined the ranks of failed dotcoms). Then 9/11 happened. I was plunged into full-time business ownership in a matter of weeks. I found myself starting to worry about money, and I took a series of part-time jobs. This was the exact opposite of what I should have done, which was to take my fear of financial shortcoming and turn it into the fight to make my business succeed. I lost precious time at part-time jobs that were completely unrelated to my goals and should have spent that time working on my business.
开办公司后不久，我被解雇了(一家互联网创业公司，他加入了失败的互联网公司的行列)。 然后9/11发生了。 我在短短几周内陷入了全职企业所有权的困境。 我发现自己开始担心钱，于是我做了一系列兼职工作。 这与我应该做的恰好相反，那就是我担心财务上的不足，并将其变成使我的业务成功的斗争。 我在兼职工作中失去了与我的目标完全无关的宝贵时间，应该把这些时间花在工作上。
Financial pressure is tough to deal with when you’re self-employed, but if you’re serious about being successful as an entrepreneur, you can’t let that push you off course. Whether for you that means taking another job, cutting your rates or taking on work that doesn’t support your business goals, it’s a vicious cycle that can hinder your success.
个体经营者很难应对财务压力，但是如果您真的想成为一名成功的企业家，那么您就不能让自己走上正轨。 对于您而言，这意味着要换一份工作，降低工资率还是从事不符合您的业务目标的工作，这是一个恶性循环，可能会阻碍您的成功。
Lesson #4: Be honest with yourself.
第四课：对自己诚实。
In my struggle with my first business, I learned some valuable things about my passions, my skills and my dreams. What I realized was that I wasn’t satisfied with design alone, and my desire to support small businesses in other ways lead me to change my business model. The most successful entrepreneurs regularly check-in to make sure they are staying true to themselves and their business goals as they change over time.
在从事第一笔生意的过程中，我学到了一些有关自己的激情，技能和梦想的宝贵知识。 我意识到自己对设计并不满意，而以其他方式支持小型企业的愿望使我改变了商业模式。 最成功的企业家会定期检查，以确保他们随着时间的推移而对自己和业务目标保持真实。
Over the years, I’ve collected a number of resources that have helped me with various aspects of business. Here are some that you might find useful, too:
多年来，我收集了许多资源，这些资源对我的业务各个方面都有帮助。 这里也有一些有用的东西：
Image credit: Sanja Gjenero
图片来源： Sanja Gjenero
翻译自: https://www.sitepoint.com/lessons-learned-why-my-first-business-failed/
我的第一次约会失败了
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