The first piece of advice I would give anyone starting a new business is to forget everything they learned in business school. Or better yet, don’t go to business school. Why? Because right now we are going through a once-in-a-century transformation in business that is throwing out all the existing rules. And that includes everything that the MBA programs are currently teaching their students. Don’t believe me? Let’s look at how business has been taught for the past 100 years. It is a truth universally acknowledged that the fundamental goal of business is to create a hit product. You then sell as many units of that product, thereby spreading your fixed costs over as many units as you can, and you compete on margins. Well, in my opinionthat’s all worthless. Those days are gone.

我要给所有创业者们的第一条建议是：忘掉他们在商学院所学的那些知识。或者，干脆不要读商学院。为什么？因为目前，商界正在经历百年一遇的大变革，现有的所有规则都将被打破，其中包括MBA课程教授的所有知识。不相信吗？我们不妨回顾一下商学专业的过去100年教学方式。商业的基本目标是创造一款拳头产品，这是举世公认的事实。然后你要销售尽可能多的产品，最大程度分摊固定成本，为获得利润而展开竞争。但在我看来，这种观念一文不值。时代已经不同了。

If you’re starting a new business today, it’s highly doubtful that you’re selling a physical product on a per unit basis. You are probably launching something online in order to deliver great services, not sell widgets–think of all the new delivery services like Instacart, BloomThat, Washio, or PostMates. This is because the world is shifting from selling products to selling subscriptions, and in the “subscription economy,” companies are focused on generating recurring revenue. So it’s not about the price of the product and the margin. It’s about delivering value to customers, so they don’t want to switch services. But in order to manage this effectively, you’re going to have to do five things, and answer one very important question:
如果你现在创建一家新公司，你还会一部一部地销售有形产品吗？对此我深表怀疑。你可能会成立一家提供优质服务的在线公司，比如Instacart、BloomThat、Washio或PostMates等新的配送服务，而不是出售一些小产品。这是因为商界正在从产品销售向订阅内容销售转变，而在“订阅式经济”中，公司要致力于创造经常性收入。因此，产品价格与利润变得不再重要。关键是要为客户提供价值，吸引他们不会更换服务。而为了有效实现这一目标，你必须做好五件事，并回答一个非常重要的问题：
Define subscriber metrics
确定订阅用户标准
You’re going to have to think about measuring annual and total contract values, payments and declines, monthly and annual recurring revenue, and relationship retention. Stuff they don’t teach in Accounting 101.
你必须估量年均和总合约价值、付款与下降、月度与年均经常性收入，并设法留住用户。这是从基础会计课程中学不到的。
Understand your consumer
了解你的消费者
People now expect products to adapt to their specific needs. They expect ongoing value and unique experiences. And they’re not as interested in methods as they are outcomes. Stuff they don’t teach in Marketing 101.
如今，人们期待能满足其特殊需求的产品，希望获得持续的价值和独特的体验。他们更感兴趣的是结果，而不是方法。这是从市场营销基础课程中学不到的。
Personalize your service
个性化你的服务
The product economy is dead–products can’t be personalized. A product can’t learn your behaviors and preferences. A product can’t be constantly upgraded, so that it gets better—instead, it becomes obsolete. Stuff they don’t teach in Manufacturing 101.
产品经济是僵化的——产品无法进行个性化。产品无法了解你的行为与偏好。产品无法持续升级以不断完善，相反它们会被淘汰。这是在制造基础课程中无法学到的。
Customize access
定制使用权
People now define ownership as managing the decline of a physical asset. They’re opting for access over ownership: ride shares, streaming services, and subscription boxes. Stuff they don’t teach in Design 101.
如今，人们将所有权定义为控制实物资产的减少。更多人选择了使用权而不是所有权：拼车、流媒体服务和订阅箱（译注：一种市场营销策略和产品销售方式）等。这是在设计基础课程中无法学到的。
Create a great experience
创造一流的体验
You have to create services that can learn and adapt based on behavior. Services that can improve themselves autonomously. Services that can be truly customized. There’s no MBA class for that.
你必须创造可以学习和适应用户行为的服务。可以自动完善的服务。可以真正定制化的服务。没有MBA课程会教授这样的知识。
And finally, the key question isn’t “What product can I sell?” but rather “What do my customers really want, and how can I deliver that as an intuitive service, rather than a stand-alone product?” Answer that question and you’re on your way.
最后的关键问题并非“我可以销售什么产品”，而是“我的客户真正想要什么，以及我如何通过直观的服务而不是独立的产品，来满足客户需求？”如果你能回答这个问题，就表明你已经找到了属于自己的发展之路。