朋友靠不住——细数我创业路上的种种艰难

“透视企业家”是一个在线社区，美国创业圈最有思想也最具影响力的大咖会在此及时回答有关创业和职场的问题。今天的问题是“关于创业生活，最大的误解是什么？”回答者是创意广告公司创始人埃德•米岑（Ed Mitzen）。

创业开公司肯定是有不少福利的。你可以自己当老板，还能打造出对自己有意义的产品，也有望吸引到消费者和客户。如果进展一帆风顺当然好，但如果事情不顺，独挑千斤重担会让你不堪其负。下面是一些我创业期间学到的血泪教训：

创业公司倒闭不会因为不赚钱，多是因为没有现金周转。

创业期间毫无疑问现金为王。一定要为业务进展缓慢时期以及预期外的成本留足资金。如果没钱付账单，给员工发工资，压力是最大的。我试过。那段时间过得非常痛苦，我都没精力去想怎么发展公司。

我们刚创立Fingerpaint没多久，最大的客户遇到意料之外的问题突然撤回资金。我们决定不裁员，希望能增加员工的忠诚度，也激励大家齐心协力寻找新客户。当时离拖欠债务公司倒闭只有两个星期，还好挺了过来。由于压力巨大，我有三个月没法睡好觉，健康也出现问题。幸运的是，业务迅速好转，我们在悬崖边及时刹住了车，但刚创业我就上了这么惨烈的一节现金周转教育课，这辈子都忘不了。

如果你还幻想能像给别人打工时一样放假休假，醒醒吧。

创业没有假期。每天连轴转才有机会活下来。过去九年，每个感恩节的早晨我都在办公室，因为对我来说，感恩节不过是个普通的周四。当然我每个感恩节都会跟家人团聚，但头几年我都是匆忙赶回家，脑子里全在想创业的事。

在我每次参与创业的公司里，至少头三年别想真正地休假放松。刚起步时真得没日没夜地工作。邮件、短信、语音邮件和电话会议是假期的日常。几年前我们有机会争取麦当劳业务。是的，真是麦当劳。竞标期间我就在休假，结果假期中间我抽了两天开会，努力想谈下业务。最后我们落选了（就差一点），但如果再让我选一次，我还是会放弃几天休假。创业期间，即便休息期间也随时保持“不计一切代价争取”的态度是推动业务发展的关键。

很多人相信朋友和过去工作中认识的人在创业期间能帮上忙。基本上没戏。

这句话看起来好像在指责很多人都是冷血动物。我并不是这个意思。一般来说如果你告诉朋友在创业，最常见的反应是“真好啊！我好羡慕你，其实我也想尝试的，”然后都会来一句“要是有能帮忙的，尽管找我。”

然而实际上，大部分人都没法帮你发展业务。要么是权限不够大没法拍板下单，要么就是有别的朋友已经搭上线，一时之间不好更换。这不是说他们很坏，只是别人没法像你预期一样帮你而已。

一定要小心，公司发展别太依赖朋友和家人。人家自己的工作生活中也都有各种麻烦事，没有义务帮你发展公司。精神上他们肯定会支持你，但只要走上创业之路就注定孤身前行。多向朋友和家人寻求精神支持和鼓励可以，但别指望别人能在更具体的业务层面帮到你。（财富中文网）

译者：Pessy

审稿：夏林

The Entrepreneur Insiders network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in America’s startup scene contribute answers to timely questions about entrepreneurship and careers. Today’s answer to the question “What are some of the biggest misconceptions about startup life?" is written by Ed Mitzen, founder of Fingerpaint Marketing.

Being a startup entrepreneur definitely has its perks. You’re your own boss and you get to build something that’s truly meaningful to you and hopefully the consumers or clients you’re trying to attract. It’s great when things are going good, but the weight of responsibility and accountability can be too much bear when things turn south and it’s all on you. So here’s three harsh lessons I learned thus far:

Businesses don't fail because they aren't profitable. They fail because they run out of cash.

Cash is absolutely king when it comes to starting a business. You have to plan for slow times and unforeseen costs. There is nothing more stressful than not having enough cash coming in to pay your bills and staff. I’ve been there. It’s agonizing and can take your energy away from growing your company.

When we were starting Fingerpaint, there was a period early on when we had our largest client pull back their spend due to unforeseen issues. We made the decision to not layoff staff in hopes it would instill loyalty and galvanize everyone to find new clients. While it did that, we were literally two weeks away from defaulting on our financial obligations and closing the company. There was a period of about three months when I didn’t sleep and had health issues due to the crushing pressure. Fortunately, business turned around just in time and we pulled ourselves out of the abyss, but the lessons I learned in the beginning related to cash flow will never be forgotten.

If you think you will be able to take vacations and holidays like you did when you worked for someone else, forget it.

There are no days off in start-up life. You will be working around the clock just to survive. I’ve been in our office on Thanksgiving morning every year for the past 9 years, because to me, that morning is just another Thursday. While I’ve never missed a Thanksgiving celebration with my family, early on it was a struggle to “be present” when I was constantly thinking about surviving as an entrepreneur.

With all the companies I have helped to start, it was at least three years in before I could truly relax on vacation. Early on, you are always on. Emails, texts, voicemails and conference calls are a vacation reality. Several years ago we had an opportunity to earn some work at McDonald’s. Yes, that McDonald’s. The pitch was during my vacation, so I took two days in the middle of my vacation to make the meeting to try and win the business. We didn't get the work (we came close), but if I had to do it again, I still would have made the decision to leave my vacation for a few days. That type of “do what it takes” attitude while you are taking a break is imperative for keeping your business alive in the start-up days.

Many people assume that their friends and past business contacts will be lined up to help with their start-ups. That’s rarely the case.

This headline may give an impression that people are heartless jerks. That’s not my point here. When you tell your connections that you are starting your own company, the typical response is “Good for you! I’m so jealous. I wish I could do that,” shortly followed by “Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”

The reality is, most people aren’t in a position to be helpful in growing your business. Either they don't have the final say into a buying decision, or they have other close connections that already have their business, which they aren't willing to disrupt. It doesn't mean they are bad people. They just can’t help in ways you were hoping they could.

Be careful not to over rely on friends and family to help grow your business. They have their own challenges in their work life and it isn’t their job to help grow your company. While they will be with you in spirit, it can be a lonely road in the beginning when you start your business. Lean on friends and family for emotional support and encouragement, but don't expect to have them help in a tangible financial way.