搞垮公司的10种做法
　　A recent New York Times blog and a business book published last year cover the same territory: the many ways you can kill off your business. The former is written from the perspective of the entrepreneur; the latter takes a corporate manager's viewpoint.
　　《纽约时报》(New York Times)近期的一篇博客文章谈到一个话题：让生意破产的N种方法。去年出版的一本商业书籍也曾谈到相同的话题。前者的论述是从企业主的角度出发，后者则是从公司管理者的视角出发。

　　Entrepreneur Jay Goltz's blog post – “Eleven easy ways to destroy your company” – includes warnings against such things as not carrying enough insurance or hiring the wrong accountant.
　　在博客文章《毁掉你公司的十一种简单方法》中，企业主杰伊•戈尔茨(Jay Goltz)警告读者要防范一系列问题，例如没有购买足够的保险，以及聘用错误的会计师。

　　The book, The Ten Commandments for Business Failure, is by Donald Keough, former president of Coca-Cola. It identifies errors such as ceasing to take risks, isolating yourself, being inflexible and loving bureaucracy.
　　可口可乐(Coca-Cola)前总裁唐纳德•基奥(Donald Keough)所著的《可乐教父的成败十诫》(The Ten Commandments for Business Failure)一书，则指出了多种经营错误，例如不再冒险、自我封闭、缺乏变通和热衷于官僚作风。

　　Both are full of sound advice and I was inspired to draft my own version of “How to murder your company in 10 easy steps”.
　　两者均给出了大量合理的建议。我由此受到启发，决定自己来写一篇《搞垮你公司的轻松十步》。

　　1. Take on too much debt. Companies usually go bust because they owe the bank too much. If you have no borrowings, you can survive a lot. We have lived through an era where it made sense to borrow and buy if you could; now everything has changed, and certain lenders are taking no prisoners. If there are problems looming, move early to raise capital. If you leave it too late, there may be nothing left to save.
　　1、过度举债。公司陷入破产境地，往往是因为欠银行的钱太多。如果没有债务，你的公司可以生存得更久。我们曾经历过这样一个时代：只要你能够借到钱，借钱消费就是合理之举。如今，一切都已改变，某些银行对借款人已不再宽容。如果你的公司危机隐现，那么请尽早筹集资金。假如你行动得太晚，局面或许就将无可挽回。

　　2. Choose the wrong business partner. Plenty of companies hit the wall thanks to disputes between owners. It happens even between siblings. If you go into business with someone, be cautious before taking the plunge and have a proper subscription agreement – and keep communicating, even if you disagree.
　　2、选错商业伙伴。许多公司之所以止步不前，是因为公司所有者之间发生了争执，甚至连同胞手足合伙开的公司也是如此。如果你要与别人合伙做生意，那么在下决心入股前要保持谨慎，并要签署严格的认购协议；此外，即使你有不同观点，也一定要保持沟通。

　　3. Become overdependent on one customer. Most small non-consumer businesses have just a few clients. If they lose a big one, they are likely to fall into sharp loss. The answer is to diversify if you can, and try your best to be an irreplaceable supplier so that you can never be dumped.
　　3、过于依赖某一客户。大多数小型非消费类公司都只有几家客户。如果失去一位大客户，它们就很可能陷入大幅亏损。解决之道是，尽可能进行多元化经营，尽力把自己打造成不可替代的供应商，使客户永远不会弃你而去。

　　4. Get ill. Many small businesses sink because the founder gets sick or injured, and therefore can't work. So take exercise, eat sensibly, drink in moderation, stop smoking, buy insurance and try to plan management cover in the event of an accident or other enforced absence.
　　4、生病。许多小公司之所以倒闭，是因为其创始人生病或受伤，因而无法继续工作。所以，请锻炼身体、合理饮食、适度饮酒、停止吸烟并购买保险；你还需努力安排好代管公司的人选，以应对意外事故或其它自己必须抽身的情况。

　　5. Make a mess of a major IT project. I have seen companies hit the rocks because they spent fortunes on computer systems that did not function properly. I'm not suggesting you never invest in technology, but make sure you take expert advice, and embark on such a move only when the time is right.
　　5、搞砸一个大型IT项目。我发现许多公司遭遇困境的原因，是它们在计算机系统上花了大笔钱，但这些系统却不能正常运转。我并不是在建议你永远不要在技术方面投资，我是在建议你一定要听取专家意见，并且只在时机成熟时再着手做这种事情。

　　6. Get into a price war. Companies frequently undertake suicidal contests with rivals in a desperate attempt to seize market share. This tends to be a zero-sum game that benefits customers only, and leaves the operator with the least cash broke. I prefer to sell on quality or other differentials. Discounting is a dangerous pursuit.
　　6、陷入价格战。一些公司在拼命抢占市场份额时，常常与对手展开自杀性争夺。这往往是一种零和游戏，受益的只有客户，经营者则会资金散尽。我宁愿选择品质销售或其它差异化销售路线。打折是一种危险的诉求。

　　7. Sign a burdensome property lease. I have witnessed many professional services companies go under because they signed a long-term lease on too much office space at the wrong rent – and then revenues collapsed. It must be the main reason for accountancy, law and architecture firms having to dissolve. Now would be a great time to start such a business if you can generate the orders.
　　7、签署难以负担的房产租约。我目睹了许多专业服务公司的倒闭，原因是它们签署了一份长期租约，租用了过多的办公空间，支付了价格离谱的房租——而公司收入随后出现了大幅下降。这肯定是会计师、律师和建筑师事务所倒闭的主要原因。如果你能够拉到业务，那么现在倒是创建此类公司的绝佳时机。

　　8. Forget your customers. I am constantly surprised at how often one experiences poor service, especially in competitive fields. Almost everything is a repeat business, and if you are treated badly by someone, you don't purchase from them again – and you tell your friends not to go there too.
　　8、忽略客户。我时常感到惊讶的是，人们如此频繁地遭遇糟糕的服务，特别是在竞争激烈的领域。各行各业几乎都是在做回头客生意，如果一家公司给你的体验很糟糕，那么你是不会再从那里买东西的，而且你会告诉朋友们也不要光顾。

　　9. Never evolve. Successful companies can fall into the trap of saying “If it ain't broke, don't fix it” to every innovation that comes along. They grow complacent and allow newcomers to eat their lunch. Long-term winners are always improving, questioning, adapting. No commercial formula lasts for ever.
　　9、固步自封。成功的公司可能会落入一个陷阱，对社会出现的每项创新都持“如果老一套还未失效，就不要去改进”的态度。它们变得自满起来，听任新进者蚕食自己的午餐。长期的赢家总是在不断改进、不断质疑和不断适应。没有任何一种商业模式能够永远有效。

　　10. Don't bother investing. Certain proprietors strip their business of every penny of cash, starving them of capital. But every undertaking requires maintenance and refreshment – otherwise the facilities grow tired and inefficient, and new product development evaporates. If you dividend everything out, you will eventually discover that you own a wasting asset.
　　10、懒得投资。某些企业主榨干了自己公司的每一分现金，使得企业资金极度匮乏。然而，每家公司都需要维护和更新设备——否则，设备会变得老化而低效，新产品开发也将成为泡影。如果你把每一分利润都当作股息派发，那么你最终会发现，你所拥有的是一件递耗资产。

　　And, in case you're wondering: yes, over the years I've backed companies guilty of all these mistakes. Let's hope I've learned some lessons.
　　如果你在想，为什么我会有如此感受：没错，多年来我曾参股过犯有上述所有错误的公司。但愿我已经从中汲取了一些教训。
　　
　　译者/汪洋