BEC阅读：成功小企业主的六大特征

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　　At last count, there were 29.6 million businesses in the U.S.--and 99.9% of them can be filed under "small." But small is significant. Small businesses (with 500 or fewer employees) have generated 64% of new jobs in the past 15 years and are responsible for 50% of the GDP and 44% of the country's private payroll.

　　Now a study by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, comparing key traits of small-business owners, provides an insider's view of what qualities set the success-oriented ones apart from their less ambitious peers.

　　"The Guardian Life Index: What Matters Most to America's Small Business Owners," surveyed more than 1,100 small businesses. Those that projected an annual growth of 10% between 2008 and 2009 and/or intended to expand their business between 2009 and 2010 were identified as "success-oriented." Nearly half the businesses fell into this study group.

　　Six Signs Of A Doomed Entrepreneur

　　"We wondered if the people who said that they were going to be successful held different ideas and passions to be more important than business owners simply looking to maintain their businesses in coming years," says Mark Wolf, director of the research institute.

　　Six personality traits emerged. "It really emphasizes that there isn't simply one type of entrepreneurial person," says Patricia Greene, Ph.D., the special academic advisor to the institute and a cofounder of the Diana Project, a multi-university research series on women and business ownership. "These are behaviors, but more importantly, they are behaviors that can be learned."

　　Collaborative

　　Success-oriented small-business owners understand how to delegate effectively to others within their business, as well as how to build strong personal relationships with their management team, employees, consultants, vendors and customers.

　　Collaboration, in the context of this survey, is not only about building the team from within--"giving employees reason to feel better about being a part of the team," says Wolf--but also developing connections outside of the operation. "It's all about networks," says Greene, "because through networking a small-business owner can create opportunities for others and to be able to rely on others to create opportunities for her."

　　Self-Fulfilled

　　Success-oriented small-business owners are more desirous of "doing something for a living that I love to do"; "being able to decide how much money I make"; and "being able to have the satisfaction of creating something of value."

　　Wolf and Greene agree that the takeaway is that entrepreneurism is personal, and that the feeling of being personally fulfilled and in control of one's own career can help drive an individual toward success.

　　Future-Focused

　　Planning for both the short- and long-term future are key traits that characterize success-oriented small-business owners. They are more focused on cash flow and more likely to have "a well-thought-out plan to run our business for years into the future" as well as "a well-thought-out plan to run our business day-to-day."

　　"For entrepreneurs, it's just as important to have long-term vision as it is to have short-term goals," says Greene. "The success-oriented respondents tended to have more directed visions of success."

　　Curious

　　Success-oriented small-business owners are more open to learning how others run their businesses. They actively seek best-practice insights regarding management, business innovation and prospecting, as well as finding, motivating and retaining employees.

　　"We had a number of questions on the interest in learning," says Wolf. For small-business owners, the study shows curiosity isn't just about learning from the trenches, it's about looking for answers outside of yourself and your business.

　　Tech-Savvy

　　Technology is a key point of leverage for success-oriented small-business owners. They more intensely value their companies' websites and are significantly more likely to "rely a great deal on technology to help make our business more effective and more efficient."

　　Wolf notes that the "tech-savvy" dimension doesn't mean blindly going the way of any new technology that comes along. "It's being aware of new technology, and then making choices based on what technology fits within the company's industry and mission," he says. Sometimes the best technology decision is not high-tech at all--think Rich Miller's highly sought "Capitol Fax" newsletter.

　　Action-Oriented

　　Success-oriented small-business owners are more committed to "taking the business to the next level"; "differentiating ourselves from our competitors"; and "having something to sell when I'm ready to retire." They also see adversity as a "kick in the rear to help move you forward." Not surprisingly, they are less concerned than other small-business owners about the overall state of the economy.

　　"When you hear these traits or see them, they make such perfect sense for the small-business owner who is passionate about what they are doing," says Greene. "These successful people are lifelong learners, and the most valuable point of the six dimensions is that they can all be learned."

　　"The Guardian Life Index: What Matters Most to America's Small Business Owners" was conducted by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, a subsidiary of the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.

　　大致译文：

　　小企业是指员工总数少于500人的企业。美国有2960万个小企业，占企业总数的99%。但在过去15年间，他们创造了美国66%的新岗位，GDP 的50%和全国薪资总额的44%。

　　成功的小企业主是否有着不同于常人的特质?有关机构对1100家成功的的小企业进行了调查。结果显示， 企业主的六大个性特征决定了小企业的成功。

　　合作

　　成功的小企业主懂得如何有效地在企业 内部授权，与管理层、咨询机构、供应商和客户建立强大的个人关系。不论在公司内部还是外部，建立人脉都是发展的基础，同时也为他人提供机会，使彼此互相依 赖，创造新的商机。

　　自我实现

　　成功的小企业主更倾向于“做自己喜欢做的事情”，“自己 决定要赚多少钱”，“从创造价值中获得满足。”说到底，企业家精神是私人的事情，个人实现的感觉和对自我职业生涯的掌控，能够帮助个人迈向成功。

　　着眼于未来

　　成功的小企业主对短期和长期的未来都有规划，他们更关注资金流，既有长期发展的年 度整体规划，也有详实的每日计划。把愿景化为切实的行动，才能获得成功的回报。

　　好奇

　　成 功的小企业主通常愿意借鉴同行的成功经验。他们主动追踪管理、创新、行业前景的最新发展成果，也注重发现、激励和保留员工。不仅在工作中学习，也从自身和 业务之外获得灵感。

　　科技的敏锐性

　　科技是小企业成功的主要因素。他们花力气制作公司的 网站，依靠科技使业务效果更好，效率更高。对科技的敏感性并不意味着盲目地运用最先进科技，而是按照自身的业务特点和发展需要，有选择地使用科技产品。有 时候，最好的科技决定未必需要最新的高科技的支持。

　　以行动为导向

　　成功的小企业主更多 地致力于将业务提升到新的阶段，重视产品的差异化，希望在退休时仍有产品可供销售。他们视竞争对手为发展动力，而鲜少关系整个宏观经济局势。 他们对工作充满热情，终生学习是最重要的成功因素。