Business Tips from Albert Einstein愛因斯坦的營商秘訣

Although Albert Einstein wasn’t an entrepreneur， he was such an out-of-the-box1 thinker that his wisdom can also apply to business. Einstein’s quotes are particularly insightful on matters such as work-life balance， innovation and reframing failure. You can draw a line from each especially pertinent Einstein quote to the most successful strategies for growing your business. This article is for entrepreneurs seeking wisdom from a name often associated with genius and innovation.

雖然阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦不是企業家，但他是一位極富創造性的思想家，他的真知灼見同樣適用于商業領域。在如何平衡工作和生活、如何創新及如何看待失敗等問題上，愛因斯坦頗有見地，留下了很多名言警句。在愛因斯坦的每一條相關語錄中，你都有可能找到成功開展業務經營的策略。愛因斯坦的名字常意味著天才與創新——需要向智者問道的企業家，不妨看看這篇文章。

1. “If A is success in life， then A = x + y + z. Work is x， play is y and z is keeping your mouth shut.”

1.“如果一個人的成功是A，那么A = x + y + z。其中x是工作，y是休閑，z則是沉默。”

This simple equation may show exactly what it takes to be successful in life， but the same is true for business. Loads of hard work and determination are necessary to make any given venture a success， particularly in business. But a small business owner facing burnout can’t envision their company’s future as clearly， which is why “play” is necessary. And “keeping your mouth shut” means listening to other people and only airing your most important grievances.

這個等式很簡單，但也許能揭示一個人想要成功須具備哪些條件。這在商業領域中一樣奏效。任何一項事業要想成功，都需要大量的辛勤勞動和決心，商業領域中尤其如此。但一個面臨職業倦怠的小企業主無法看清公司的未來，這就是“休閑”重要的原因。“沉默”的意思則是傾聽他人的意見，而只表達你最重要的不滿。

For example， let’s say you’ve been working 60-hour weeks to grow your business. Maybe you feel stretched to your limit， and an employee’s imperfect presentation at your current meeting is pushing your buttons2. Reacting angrily won’t get you anywhere. Instead， recognize that maybe the presentation isn’t that bad—you’re just so overworked you’re unusually prone to ire. Take some time off （“play”）， come back later with a clearer head and you’ll likely address the issue more productively， such as by coaching the employee to improve their presentation skills.

例如，假設你為了拓展業務周周工作長達60個小時。你可能覺得自己已經達到了極限，此時，某位員工做會議匯報時一些不盡如人意的表現就會把你惹毛。但惱怒的反應無濟于事。相反，要承認這個匯報或許并沒那么糟糕，你是因為過度勞累才容易發火。給自己一點時間放松休息（“休閑”），然后再回來工作，這時你的頭腦會更加清晰，也能更為高效地解決問題，比如指導一下那位員工，幫他提升匯報技能。

2. “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

2. “不能用制造問題時的思路來解決問題。”

Simply put， this is another way to emphasize one of the most important （if overused） buzzwords in business： innovation. Thinking outside the box， no matter how cliché， is a necessary and effective way to fix problems and come up with new ideas.

簡單地說，這條忠告是在用另一種方式強調商業經營中一個極為重要（盡管是過度使用）的流行語：創新。雖是陳詞濫調，但跳出思維定式仍然是解決問題和提出新想法的一種必要且有效的方法。

Great entrepreneurs understand why innovation matters， just as Einstein did. They know the value of improving something that already exists to make it better and more appealing to their target customers. This requires a mix of finding gaps to close， seizing opportunities and taking risks. And no， innovation isn’t the same as creativity—the latter is the type of thinking that results in the former.

愛因斯坦懂得創新的價值，偉大的企業家們也如此。他們懂得改進已經存在的產品的價值，讓它變得更好，以增強對目標客戶的吸引力。這需要發現差距并加以填補，需要抓住機會和承擔各種風險。而且，需要強調的是，創新與創造力并非一回事，后者是成就前者的一種思維方式。

3. “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger， more complex， and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction.”

3.“任何聰明的傻瓜都能把事情搞得更大、更復雜，也更激烈。要扭轉方向，則需要些許的天賦和莫大的勇氣。”

More often than not， success in business requires taking a leap of faith or following the path less traveled. That， however， does not make the decision to do so any easier for entrepreneurs and businesses.

在商業運營中要想取得成功，往往需要放手一搏，不走尋常路。然而，對企業家和企業來說，做出這樣的決定并不容易。

Einstein’s wisdom here is as relevant to aspiring entrepreneurs as current ones. For example， let’s say you’re currently an employee and you’re ready to fly solo with a narrower， sharper solution for your field. Einstein’s quote encourages you to take a big career risk and step out on your own： Your way might not be as big or complex， but trying a solution with a narrower scope can help you develop a business niche that attracts new customers.

無論你已經身為企業家還是有志于此，愛因斯坦的這一灼見都適用。舉例來說，假設你目前還在給人打工，準備獨立創業，在自己的領域找到一個更加細化、針對性更強的方案。愛因斯坦的話鼓勵你在事業上勇于承擔巨大風險，獨立自強。你的方案也許沒那么大，也沒那么復雜，但是嘗試一個更細分領域的解決方案可以幫助你開拓一片獨特的業務天地，吸引一眾新客戶。

4. “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

4.“邏輯能讓你從A點推及B點，而想象力會把你帶到任何地方。”

Numbers and projections can only take you so far. A large part of making any business a success relies on your willingness to take chances and your ability to come up with new ideas before anyone else.

數字和預測的作用是有限的。要想把業務打理成功，很大程度上是看你愿不愿冒險，能否先人一步提出新想法。

Though this Einstein quote is meaningful， it’s also one that， given his lack of entrepreneurial experience， doesn’t fully consider the small business owner’s circumstances. Namely， this quote doesn’t mention the importance of testing your small business idea before fully committing to it. Einstein is right that imagination will take you a long way， but a far-fetched idea is no way forward if it doesn’t meet a need in the market.

盡管愛因斯坦這條語錄很有參考價值，但他畢竟缺乏創業經歷，因此并未充分考慮到小企業主的情況。換句話說，這條忠告沒有提及在完全付諸實施前驗證自己企業經營理念的重要性。想象力會幫你走得很遠，這一點愛因斯坦是對的。但如果一個想法好高騖遠，不能滿足市場需求，那也必定行之不遠。

5. “Learn from yesterday， live for today， hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

5. “反思過去，活在當下，憧憬未來。重要的是，任何時候都不要停止質疑。”

Once a business reaches a certain level of success， it’s easy for the company to become complacent. This is a good way for businesses to quickly be passed over by the competition. No matter how big and successful your business is， don’t stop considering ways to improve.

一個企業一旦取得一定的成績，就容易沾沾自喜。企業往往就是這樣被競爭對手迅速超越。因此，無論你的企業規模多么大、做得多成功，都不要停止考慮改進的方法。

This is where the four types of business growth strategies come into play. You can use any of the following strategies to remain competitive， no matter your company’s age or position within your industry.

以下是企業發展的四種經營策略。不管你的公司在行業中資歷如何、地位如何，為保持競爭力，都可采取以下策略中的一種或多種。

Market strategy. This strategy prioritizes encouraging your current customers to spend more money with you. It primarily involves raising your prices （but not so high that you send your customers elsewhere） and launching new marketing campaigns.

市場策略。這一策略是優先引導現有客戶更多地消費，主要包括適度提高價格（但不要過高，否則會造成客戶流失）和推出新的營銷活動。

Product development. Target your current customers through new products and services rather than higher prices or improved marketing.

產品開發。通過新產品和新服務來吸引當前客戶，不能僅僅依賴提高價位及加強營銷活動。

Market development. This strategy involves increasing your market share in new target markets. A great example is expanding your business to another state if you’re confident you would earn significant revenue there.

市場開發。這一策略包括在新的目標市場增加你的市場份額。舉個很好理解的例子，如果有信心在另一個州獲得可觀的營業收入，那就將業務擴展到那里。

Diversification. This strategy combines market and product development： You’ll expand your offerings while branching into new markets. This is perhaps the most aggressive and risky way to grow your business， but a risk-taker like Einstein would probably endorse it.

多元化。這一策略綜合了市場開發和產品開發，即在進軍新市場的同時擴大產品供給。這可能是業務拓展中最大膽、最高風險的一種方式，但假如你像愛因斯坦那樣敢于冒險，也許你會認同這種做法。

6. “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

6. “從未犯過錯的人也從未嘗試過新事物。”

Einstein’s quote about failure is among the most profound on the subject. It’s a succinct way of reframing failure as a stepping stone on your path toward success. Instead of kicking yourself when you mess up， figuring out how what you did wrong can inform your approach next time. That’s how you turn failure into success—and in Einstein’s guess-filled realm of theoretical physics， mistakes always line the path to insight.

愛因斯坦這條關于如何看待失敗的語錄，在類似話題的名人名言中是最意味深長的。這句話簡明扼要地將失敗重新定義為成功路上的墊腳石。當你搞砸一件事，不要自責，而要弄清楚自己做錯了什么，以便下次改進。這才是將失敗轉化為成功的做事方式。在愛因斯坦那個充滿猜測的理論物理學領域，錯誤總會出現在通往真知的道路上。

Albert Einstein wasn’t just a genius—he was an innovator and a force of imagination. You don’t need to be a genius to be a successful entrepreneur， but thinking outside the box like Einstein to give your customers the solutions they need will always serve you well.

阿爾伯特·愛因斯坦不僅僅是天才，還是一位充滿想象力的創新者。要成為成功的企業家，你不必是天才，只需要像愛因斯坦那樣不拘泥于常規，為客戶提供他們需要的解決方案，你就會永遠受益良多。

（譯者單位：北京教育考試院）