初創公司要不要跑會

????經營一家初創公司，最需要關注的不是錢，而是時間！無論你能籌到或賺到多少錢，時間總是不夠。不幸的是，最近我也犯了一個浪費時間的錯誤。

????我去倫敦參加了一個活動。我認識的很多人都提過，這個活動不錯，有機會他們還會去。我就隨大流了，自己并沒有想得很清楚。是的，在活動現場我確實見到了很多人，是一場很好的聚會。但說實在的，我根本沒必要去。這并不意味著我不應該參加任何活動，只是不是這個活動。倒也不是說這個活動不好。事實上，對于想從德國風投獲得融資的初創公司而言，這是很長時間以來最好的一次活動。如果想在一個地方見到整個德國風投界和一些英國風投人士，這也是一個絕佳的場合。

????這些東西是我需要的嗎？不是，我應當參加那些可以招到開發人員或創業愛好者的活動。既然我專注于金融垂直行業，任何與這個領域直接相關的活動都能幫助我更好地建立人脈網絡，贏得潛在客戶、合作伙伴或者員工。就算沒其他事情，我也可以了解一下行業動態，或者想想我要做的事情。我原本可以更明智地支配自己的時間。

????下次你決定是否要參加某一次活動前，不妨拿下面這些問題問問自己，想想自己究竟想把時間用在什么地方：

????1.我參加這次活動想達到什么目標？

????2.我想見的人真的會出席這次活動中嗎？

????3.我是在籌資、招聘、銷售、尋找合伙人嗎？

????4.我會遇到新的人，還是我已經認識參會的大多數人？

????5.我是僅僅參加一天的活動，還是全程參加？

????6.能不能在附近安排一些其他的會面？

????7.我能爭取到發言的機會嗎？這樣就不用支付參會費，還能贏得關注度。

????8.我可以讓我的合伙人或員工代替我參加嗎？

????9.參加這次活動，我會錯過其他哪些活動？

????10.我真的非去不可嗎？或者說，我只是為了離開辦公室，看看城里頭有些什么熱鬧（同時，我妻子或丈夫也想一起去看看）？

????附加問題：我把丈夫\妻子\女朋友\男朋友留在家里，出去見其他人，會危及我的婚姻或戀愛關系嗎？

????實事求是。如果第10個問題和附加問題擊中了你，不妨暫時拋開其他問題，重新考慮創業這個事情以及你們的關系。

????保羅?喬茲菲克目前在德國經營Liquid Labs孵化器，曾負責SAP旗下風投機構SAP Ventures的歐洲業務。這篇文章最初發布在他的個人博客上。

????譯者：楊智

????It is not money that you need to be most careful of when running a startup. It's time! No matter how much cash you are able to raise (or, how's-this-for-novel, earn) time is always working against you. Unfortunately, I recently made the mistake of wasting my own time.

????I went to London to attend an event. Many people whom I know had mentioned that it was good and that they would be there again. I let myself get caught up in the "trend" of everyone going. I didn't necessarily think things through to completion, though. Yes, I did see a ton of people and it was great catching up but if I am honest with myself, I didn't need to be there. This doesn't mean I should not have been at an event, just not this event. It also doesn't mean it was bad. In fact, it was the best event in a long time for startups which wanted to fundraise from German VC's. It was also a great event for people who wanted to see the whole German community plus some UK folks in one place.

????Was this what I needed? No, I should of been at an event where I could recruit developers or find folks looking to start companies. As I'm focused on the finance vertical, any event directly dealing with this space would of been better for contacts to potential customers, partners or employees. If nothing else, I could of learned something new about my industry or find an idea for something I want to build. My time would of been spent far more wisely.

????Here's some questions to ask yourself before booking that next event which can help you make up your mind about how to spend your time:

????1. What am I trying to achieve by attending this event?

????2. Will the people whom I want to meet really be at this event?

????3. Am I fundraising, recruiting, selling, looking for partners. etc.?

????4. Will I meet new people or do I already know most of the people attending?

????5. Can I go for a day or do I need to be there for the duration of the event?

????6. Is it possible to attach any adjacent meetings in the same geography?

????7. Can I get a speaker slot so as not to have to pay for attendance and gain visibility?

????8. Could I send my partner or an employee in my stead?

????9. What other events am I sacrificing by attending this one?

????10. Do I really have to go to this event or am I just going to get away from the office and see that wonderful city where it's taking place (and my wife or husband wanted to come along)?

????Bonus question: Am I endangering my relationship or marriage by leaving said husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend at home to see someone else while away?

????Be honest to yourself. If 10. and the bonus question threw you off, forget the other questions and rethink this whole startup thing as well as your relationships.

????Paul Jozefak runs the Liquid Labs incubator in Germany, and previously ran European activities for SAP Ventures. This post originally appeared on his blog.