3 rules to help you build a successful business | The Way We Work, a TED series

Transcriber:

Running a business means being a constant problem solver.

譯者: Zhichen Liu 審譯者: Helen Chang

經營一個企業意味著不斷解決問題。

Every day it's something new,

每一天都有新的事物，

whether it's product development,

無論是產品開發、

distribution, creating content or, I don't know,

經銷、新的內容或者...

deciding what to do during a pandemic.

決定在疫情期間要做什麼。

The trick isn’t always knowing all the answers

難的不是知道所有答案，

but becoming adept at figuring them out.

而是善於弄清它們。

[The Way We Work]

[我們的工作方式]

My entrepreneurial spirit

我的創業想法

comes from growing up in Latino neighborhoods in LA

來自於成長時的洛杉磯拉丁裔鄰居，

and being surrounded by so many people who are immigrants.

被許多移民者包圍。

It takes heart and ingenuity to move to a new country

移民一個新的國家需要心智和聪明才智

and rebuild your life.

然後重塑你的生活。

I grew up seeing firsthand

我是親眼所見的

so many examples of people getting creative with limited resources,

許多人利用有限的資源來揮發創意，

whether it was the pupusa lady outside, rain or shine,

無論 pupusa lady 外面，或晴或雨。

or my dad, who started as a field worker and now owns his own restaurant.

我父親最初是一名考察者 但現在擁有自己的餐廳。

In 2017, I left my corporate job

在2017，我辭去了公司的工作，

and used my entire life savings to launch Rizos Curls.

然後用畢生的積蓄 啟動了Rizos Curls。

Helping people embrace their natural hair texture

幫助人們擁抱他們的自然髮質，

has been my personal passion since I was a teenager.

從我是青少年時 就一直是我的個人愛好。

Learning to love my hair in its natural state

學習愛護我的自然髮質

was the first step to learning to love myself.

是我學會如何愛自己的第一步。

Today, I'm running a self-funded,

現在，我在經營一家自籌基金，

multimillion dollar business that has been profitable since day one.

數百萬美金的業務， 從第一天就開始盈利。

Growing up where I'm from,

在我出生的地方長大，

building a successful business felt unattainable.

建立成功的企業，覺得遙不可及。

But turns out that entrepreneurial spirit was there all along.

但事實證明，創業精神一直存在。

Here are my top three principles that guide me in doing business.

這是我的三大原則 指導我做生意。

One: Get personal with your customers.

一：與你的客戶建立私人關係。

With every transaction, your customer is giving you power,

每筆交易，你的客戶都在給你力量，

so don't take that power for granted.

所以不要認為這種力量是理所當然的。

I feel so immersed with our customers

我對我們的客戶感到如此沉浸，

because I see them in my family, my tias,

因為我在我的家人、 我的阿姨中看到他們，

my cousins, my parents and even in myself.

我的兄弟姐妹、父母，甚至我自己。

And that means nobody, not even the haircare giants,

這意味著沒有人，即使是護髮巨頭，

can speak to them like I can.

可以像我一樣和他們說話。

We get to know our customers on a personal level

在個人層面，我們了解我們的客戶，

because we take the time to really listen.

因為我們花時間真正傾聽。

Building that kind of relationship creates an authentic,

建立這種關係， 與客戶之間創造一個真實的、

reciprocal understanding between brand and customers.

相互理解的品牌。

Two: Don't be afraid to break the rules.

二：不要害怕打破規則。

As a Latina-owned, self-funded small business,

作為拉丁裔擁有的、自籌資金的小公司

I'm constantly entering spaces

我不斷地進入市場，

where my business is the first of its kind.

我的生意是同類產品中的首創。

This year, we launched Rizos Curls into a mainstream retailer

今年，我們把 Rizos Curls 交由主流零售商銷售，

where we became the first Latina-owned curly hair care brand

我們成為第一個 拉丁裔的捲髮護理品牌，

to be carried in their stores.

在他們商店出售的第一個。

It was a big deal for us.

這對我們來說意義重大。

Traditional business wisdom says

傳統商業智慧說

that we should have invested a lot of marketing dollars

我們應該投資大量資金

on that type of launch,

做那樣的營銷，

but instead I showed up on a horse,

但相反，我找到了一匹黑馬，

with a mariachi and recorded TikToks.

帶著墨西哥mariachi樂隊 並錄製了 TikTok。

I spent less than a 1,000 dollars on that launch.

我花了不到1000美金在營銷。

So my point is, don't be afraid to try things differently.

所以，我的觀點是 不要害怕嘗試不同的事情。

Don't expect the same rules to apply to your small business

不要期望用與 500 強公司 相同的規則

as they do to Fortune 500 companies.

用在你的小企業上。

Embrace what makes you you, and make it a part of your strategy

採納讓你成為你自己的東西 並使其成為你戰略的一部分，

rather than following the same old playbook that's out there

而不是遵循相同的舊劇本

for everyone to see.

給大家看。

Three: Make your intuition your BFF.

三：讓你的直覺成為你的好朋友。

Running a business is noisy and demanding.

經營企業是嘈雜和苛刻的。

There's retailers, customers, your team, your finances,

有零售商、顧客、你的團隊、財務，

and things happening in the world beyond your control.

和世界上超出你控制發生的事情。

How do you make big and important decisions with all of that?

你如何做所有大且重要的決定？

Yes, facts and data matter, but at the end of the day,

是的，事實和數據很重要， 但到頭來，

you've got to trust your gut.

你必須相信你的直覺。

Your intuition is your best friend.

你的直覺是你最好的朋友。

OK, here's what I do.

是，這就是我要做的。

I have daily check-ins with myself,

我每天都自我檢查，

and I have a checklist that I go through after every big meeting

在每次大型会议之后 我会完成一个检查清单，

where I ask myself questions like, "Am I uneasy? Am I excited?

問自己這樣的問題： 「我是否緊張？我是否興奮？

How do they make me really feel?"

他們給我的真正感受為何？」

It's a thing that can't be explained through numbers or logic.

這是無法通過數字或邏輯解釋的事情。

But when I go through my list of questions,

但是當我檢討我的問題清單，

I'm able to quiet the noise and tune into that voice inside me

我可以從噪音中安靜下來 並轉入我內心的聲音，

that helps me stay true to myself and my mission.

這有助於對我自己 和我的使命保持清醒。

It's important to know who you are and who you are not.

知道你是誰和你不是誰很重要，

That means knowing when to say no.

這表示知道什麼時候說不。

For me, that's meant turning down outside capital.

對我來說，這意味著拒絕外部資本。

Yeah, that extra cash flow would have been amazing,

是的，額外的現金流會很驚人，

but investors would want to maximize profits and in turn,

但投資者希望最大化利潤，接著

compromise a community and culture aspects of what we stand for.

妥協一個社區和我們所代表的文化。

And for me, that's non-negotiable.

對我來說，這是沒有商量餘地的。

At the end of the day, you have to be grateful.

到頭來，你必須心存感激。

No one has to work for you, and no one has to be your customer.

沒有人需要為你工作， 沒有人必須成為你的客戶。

People have choices,

人有選擇，

so remember to appreciate every employee effort

所以記得感謝每一位員工的努力

and every sale.

和每一筆成交。