It is just as well entrepreneurs don’t listen to advice – because a lot of it is bad. I have received some very poor guidance over the years from various sources (who shall remain nameless), and I itemise here my greatest (or worst) hits. The dispensers of advice know who they are.

企业家不听从建议倒也是件好事，因为很多建议都很烂。这些年来，我从各色人等处（我还是不指名道姓了）收到过不少非常糟糕的建议，我在这里列出我认为最了不起（也可以说最糟糕）的建议。建议的提供者可自行对号入座。

● Don’t leave the day job: if I had remained as an employee I would have always felt disappointed. The dangers of becoming your own boss are exaggerated – especially in an era when no job is safe. Fortunately I took the plunge anyhow, and despite plenty of mishaps, have never seriously regretted the decision. As Jack Welch said: “Control your own destiny, or someone else will.”

●不要放弃全职工作：如果我一直给人打工，那么我永远会感到失望。人们夸大了自己当老板的危险——特别是在一个没有任何工作是铁饭碗的时代。幸运的是，我冒险做出了尝试，尽管意外很多，但我从未真正对这一决定感到遗憾。正如杰克•韦尔奇(Jack Welch)所言：“控制自己的命运，否则就会被别人控制。”

● Never borrow money: you are unlikely to succeed in a serious way with your own enterprise unless you obtain bank debt of one sort or another. But I was told that taking on overdrafts and even mortgages was akin to committing a mortal sin. Of course you can choose to stay small, or try to raise equity and dilute your shareholding, or perhaps fund growth slowly through retained profits. But if you are ambitious and restless, then I suggest you become acquainted with various bankers, and when the project is right – ask them for cash.

●永远不要借钱：除非你能获得某种形式的银行贷款，否则你不太可能让自己的企业真正成功。但有人告诉我，透支乃至抵押贷款都无异于犯下不可饶恕的大罪。当然，你可以选择维持小本买卖，或者设法增发股票和稀释你的股权，或者通过留存利润慢慢为增长融资。但如果你志向远大且无法停歇，那么我建议你结识各式各样的银行家，在项目合适时，问他们要钱吧。

●Don’t enter the restaurant trade, because everyone goes bust: certain industries have a reputation as a graveyard for owners and investors. Partly as a consequence, they can offer rich pickings. There will always be idlers, fools and amateurs at work in every profession, and if you are prepared to work hard and apply yourself, then there can be overlooked rewards. I have certainly found that to be the case in the hospitality sector.

●不要进入餐饮行业，因为所有人都会破产：某些行业以所有者和投资者的坟墓而闻名。在一定程度上，正由于这个原因，这些行业也孕育着巨大的商机。每个行业都会出现闲人、蠢人和外行，如果你有意愿努力工作，就能收获一些被忽视的回报。没错，我发现餐饮行业就是如此。

●You can trust people: unfortunately, when it comes to large sums of money, or cash in coins and notes, then you must adopt a cautious attitude. I received a frightful shock in my mid-20s, when I suffered my first case of bare faced lies about substantial amounts of money, from someone who should have known better.

●你可以相信别人：不幸的是，一旦涉及到大笔资金或真金白银时，你就必须慎之又慎。我曾在25岁左右遭遇了一次可怕的打击，当时我平生第一次被**谎言骗走了大笔金钱——这个人显然比我更了解不该相信人这一点。

● Profit is all that matters: these are unwise words on many counts. Firstly, cash is much more important than accounting profit, since the former is truth whereas the latter can be fiction. Secondly, profit – especially, short-term, temporary profits – can be much less significant than market share, or revenue growth, or net assets, or liquidity, or many other measures of business success. I find that individuals who adopt this creed tend to enjoy mediocre business careers.

●利润为王：从很多方面讲，这种言论并不明智。首先，现金远比会计利润更重要，因为前者是事实，而后者可能并不真实。其次，利润——尤其是短期临时利润——的重要性可能远远比不过市场份额、收入增长、净资产、流动性或者其它很多衡量企业是否成功的指标。我发现，遵循这一信条的个人往往事业都很平庸。

● It’s an ex-growth industry: I have heard this about so many activities that I could scream. In some cases the sector concerned is unquestionably mature – but it can still offer huge opportunities. In other circumstances growth has only just begun. I was told the tile business had reached saturation ten years ago – yet it has continued its relentless expansion to this day.

●这已经是一个夕阳产业：这样的话我听到过很多次，简直让我忍无可忍。在一些情况下，相关行业无疑已经成熟——但仍能提供巨大机遇。还有些时候，增长只是刚刚开始。10年前就有人告诉我，瓷砖行业已达到饱和，然而，时至今日该行业仍在持续扩张。

●Follow your passion: this recommendation is repeated everywhere – but it can get you into truckloads of trouble. For me, when it came to bookshops, my emotions blinded me to the obvious pitfalls. I failed to acknowledge that the trade is in swift and terminal decline. I prefer a business which you enjoy, but where you can remain disciplined and rational, and hence avoid getting carried away. Keep your passions for holidays.

●跟着激情走：所有领域都在重复这条建议，但它可能让你陷入无穷的麻烦。对我而言，在开书店这个问题上，我的激情曾让我对显而易见的陷阱熟视无睹。我没有意识到，这个行业正日薄西山，迅速衰落。我更喜欢的行业是，你在享受的同时，仍可以保持纪律性和理性，因此不会迷失自我。把你的激情留在假期吧。

●Don’t worry about your competitors:every great chief executive I’ve ever partnered has been obsessed by his or her rivals. These bosses study their rivals’ every move – product ranges, pricing, marketing techniques, new hires – you name it. I have always been deeply suspicious of any entrepreneur who is arrogant enough to claim that their operation is unique, and that the competitors are therefore irrelevant.

●不要担心你的竞争者：我合作过的每一位伟大的首席执行官都一直受到竞争对手的困扰。这些老板会研究竞争对手的每一项举措：产品种类、定价、营销策略、新招聘的员工——凡是你能想到的都要研究。有些企业家极其傲慢，声称自己的业务独一无二，因此竞争者不值一提，我对这种人向来深表怀疑。

● Don’t work with partners: I prefer to share the journey, rather than pursue the chase alone. A combination of skills, and the fun of doing it with companions, improves the odds and makes business more pleasurable.

●不要与人合作：我更喜欢与人分享这段旅程，而不是一个人逐猎。能力的结合以及与同伴一起做事的乐趣，会增强优势，并让工作变得更愉快。

● Now you have enough: unfortunately this observation lacks insight; the entrepreneurial personality is never satisfied, because fulfilment comes from participation, rather than reaching a fixed destination. Entrepreneurship is not a job, nor even a calling – but a hunger.

●要懂得知足：不幸的是，这种看法缺乏洞见；创业精神永远不会满足，因为满足感来自参与这个过程，而不是实现某个固定的目标。创业不是一份工作，甚至不是一种职业——而是一种渴望。

译者/梁艳裳