How I became an entrepreneur at 66 | Paul Tasner

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 易帆 余

I'd like to take you back about seven years in my life.

我想帶各位回到約七年前的人生點。

Friday afternoon,

星期五下午，

a few days before Christmas 2009,

2009 年，在聖誕節的前幾天，

I was the director of operations

我是舊金山一間

at a consumer products company in San Francisco,

消費者產品公司的營運主任，

and I was called into a meeting that was already in progress.

我被召喚去參與一個會議， 會議已經在進行中。

That meeting turned out to be my exit interview.

結果，那個會議是我的辭退面談。

I was fired, along with several others.

我跟其他幾個人被開除了。

I was 64 years old at the time.

那時我 64 歲。

It wasn't completely unexpected.

我也不是完全沒預期到。

I signed a stack of papers,

我簽了一疊文件，

gathered my personal effects,

收拾我的私人物品，

and left to join my wife

離開公司，去和我老婆會合，

who was waiting for me at a nearby restaurant,

她在附近的餐廳等我，

completely unaware.

她完全不知道此事。

Fast-forward several hours,

把時間快轉七小時，

we both got really silly drunk.

我們兩個都醉到腦筋不清楚了。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So, 40 plus years of continuous employment

所以，連續四十多年的職涯，

for a variety of companies, large and small,

做過大大小小的各種公司，

was over.

結束了。

I had a good a network, a good reputation --

我有好人脈、好名聲──

I thought I'd be just fine.

原本以為我不會有事的。

I was an engineer in manufacturing and packaging,

我曾是製造和包裝的工程師，

I had a good background.

有不錯的學經歷背景。

Retirement was, like for so many people,

和許多人一樣，對我來說，

simply not an option for me,

退休根本不在我的選項中。

so I turned to consulting for the next couple of years

所以接下來幾年，我轉任顧問，

without any passion whatsoever.

沒有任何的熱情。

And then an idea began to take root,

接著，一個點子開始生根，

born from my concern for our environment.

源自於我對於我們周圍環境的關心。

I wanted to build my own business,

我想建造我自己的事業，

designing and manufacturing biodegradable packaging from waste --

用廢物來設計製造 生物能分解的包裝──

paper, agricultural, even textile waste --

用的是紙、農業、甚至紡織廢物──

replacing the toxic, disposable plastic packaging

取代有毒且用完就丟的塑膠包裝，

to which we've all become addicted.

我們都太習慣用這類包裝了。

This is called clean technology,

這叫做乾淨科技，

and it felt really meaningful to me.

我覺得對我而言很有意義。

A venture that could help to reduce the billions of pounds

這個企業能協助減少每年被丟棄的

of single-use plastic packaging dumped each year,

數十萬磅的單次使用塑膠包裝，

and polluting our land, our rivers and our oceans,

這些包裝在污染我們的 大地、河流、海洋，

and left for future generations to resolve --

且把問題丟給我們 未來的世代去解決──

our grandchildren,

我們的孫子孫女，

my grandchildren.

我的孫子孫女。

And so now at the age of 66,

所以，我 66 歲時，

with 40 years of experience,

帶著 40 年的經驗，

I became an entrepreneur for the very first time.

我變成了初次創業的企業家。

(Cheers)

（歡呼）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Thank you.

謝謝。

But there's more.

但還不只如此。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Lots of issues to deal with:

有很多事要處理：

manufacturing, outsourcing, job creation,

製造、發包、工作分配、

patents, partnerships, funding --

商標、合夥關係、資金──

these are all typical issues for a start-up,

這些都是新公司的典型議題，

but hardly typical for me.

但對我來說毫不典型。

And a word about funding.

簡單談談資金。

I live and work in San Francisco,

我在舊金山定居和工作。

and if you're looking for funding,

如果你要找資金，

you are typically going to compete with some very young people

通常你得和一些來自高科技產業

非常年輕的人競爭，

from the high-tech industry,

and it can be very discouraging and intimidating.

過程相當令人害怕和沮喪。

I have shoes older than most of these people.

我有年歲比他們長的鞋子。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I do.

是真的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But five years later,

但，五年後，

I'm thrilled and proud to share with you

我很興奮也很榮幸能和各位分享，

that our revenues have doubled every year,

我們的營收每年倍增，

we have no debt,

我們沒有債務，

we have several marquee clients,

我們有幾個名稱響亮的客戶，

our patent was issued,

我們的專利已經被核發下來，

I have a wonderful partner

我有個很棒的合作夥伴，

who's been with me right from the beginning,

他從一開始就跟我一起打拼，

and we've won more than 20 awards for the work that we've done.

我們的努力已經贏得了 超過二十個獎項。

But best of all,

但，最棒的是，

we've made a small dent --

我們做出了小小的貢獻──

a very small dent --

在全球塑膠污染危機的年代，

in the worldwide plastic pollution crisis.

我們做出了小小的貢獻。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

And I am doing the most rewarding and meaningful work of my life right now.

此時做的是我人生中 最有益也最有意義的工作。

I can tell you there's lots of resources available to entrepreneurs of all ages,

我可以告訴各位，現在有很多資源 可以讓各年齡層的創業家取用，

but what I really yearned for five years ago

但我五年前就很渴望

was to find other first-time entrepreneurs

想找其他和我同年齡的初次創業者

who were my age.

I wanted to connect with them.

我想和他們連結。

I had no role models, absolutely none.

當時我沒有學習的榜樣，完全沒有。

That 20-something app developer from Silicon Valley

來自矽谷的二十多歲應用程式開發者

was not my role model.

不是我的榜樣。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I'm sure he was very clever --

我確知他很聰明──

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I want to do something about that,

我希望能為社會做點什麼，

我希望我們都能為社會做點貢獻。

and I want all of us to do something about that.

I want us to start talking more

我更想跟大家談談

about people who don't become entrepreneurs until they are seniors.

那些直到年紀大了才創業的人。

Talking about these bold men and women who are checking in

談談我們這些大膽的男女長者，

在同儕退休的年齡 投入創業領域的這群人；

when their peers, in essence, are checking out.

And then connecting all these people across industries, across regions,

以及如何連結所有這些人，

跨產業、跨地區和跨國家，

across countries --

building a community.

並建立起一個社群。

You know, the Small Business Administration tells us

聯邦小企業管理局告訴我們，

that 64 percent of new jobs created in the private sector in the USA

64% 美國私人企業的新工作，

來自我們這種小型私人企業公司。

are thanks to small businesses like mine.

And who's to say that we'll stay forever small?

而且，誰說我們會永遠都很小？

We have an interesting culture

我們有個很有趣的文化，

that really expects when you reach a certain age,

大部分人認為當你達到某個年齡時，

you're going to be golfing, or playing checkers,

就只會打高爾夫球、玩西洋棋、

或隨時得幫忙照顧孫子孫女。

or babysitting the grandkids all of the time.

And I adore my grandchildren --

雖然我很喜歡我的孫子孫女──

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

and I'm also passionate

但我也很熱衷

about doing something meaningful in the global marketplace.

想要在全球市場上做些有意義的事。

And I'm going to have lots of company.

不久的將來，有很多人會跟我一樣。

The Census Bureau says that by 2050,

人口普查局說，到 2050 年，

there will be 84 million seniors in this country.

我國將會有 8400 萬名老年人。

That's an amazing number.

那是個很驚人的數字。

That's almost twice as many as we have today.

幾乎是現今的兩倍。

Can you imagine how many first-time entrepreneurs there will be

你們能想像 8400 萬人當中

among 84 million people?

會有多少人首次創業嗎？

And they'll all have four decades of experience.

且他們都有四十年的經驗。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So when I say, "Let's start talking more about these wonderful entrepreneurs,"

所以，當我說「多聊聊 這些優質的創業家」時，

I mean, let's talk about their ventures,

意思是，我們來談談他們的創投，

just as we do the ventures of their much younger counterparts.

如同我們談論那些遠比他們 年輕許多的創業家的創投。

The older entrepreneurs in this country have a 70 percent success rate

我國的年長創業家

開創新企業的成功率是 70% 。

starting new ventures.

70 percent success rate.

70% 的成功率。

We're like the Golden State Warriors of entrepreneurs --

我們就像創業家中的金州勇士隊──

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

And that number plummets to 28 percent for younger entrepreneurs.

而年輕創業家的成功率落到 28%。

This is according to a UK-based group called CMI.

數據的來源是英國一個 名為 CMI 的團體。

Aren't the accomplishments of a 70-year-old entrepreneur

七十歲創業家的成就

every bit as meaningful,

難道不是和三十歲創業家的成就

every bit as newsworthy,

as the accomplishments of a 30-year-old entrepreneur?

一樣有意義，

一樣值得報導嗎？

Of course they are.

當然是。

That's why I'd like to make the phrase "70 over 70" just as --

那就是為什麼我想要讓 「70 位 70 歲以上菁英」這個詞──

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

just as commonplace as the phrase "30 under 30."

和「30 位 30 歲以下菁英」 一樣普遍。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Cheers)

（歡呼）

(Applause)

（掌聲）