這位CEO爲什麼認爲MBA一文不值

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.

我要給所有創業者們的第一條建議是：忘掉他們在商學院所學的那些知識。或者，乾脆不要讀商學院。爲什麼？因爲目前，商界正在經歷百年一遇的大變革，現有的所有規則都將被打破，其中包括MBA課程教授的所有知識。不相信嗎？我們不妨回顧一下商學專業的過去100年教學方式。商業的基本目標是創造一款拳頭產品，這是舉世公認的事實。然後你要銷售儘可能多的產品，最大程度分攤固定成本，爲獲得利潤而展開競爭。但在我看來，這種觀念一文不值。時代已經不同了。

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:

如果你現在創建一家新公司，你還會一部一部地銷售有形產品嗎？對此我深表懷疑。你可能會成立一家提供優質服務的在線公司，比如Instacart、BloomThat、Washio或PostMates等新的配送服務，而不是出售一些小產品。這是因爲商界正在從產品銷售向訂閱內容銷售轉變，而在“訂閱式經濟”中，公司要致力於創造經常性收入。因此，產品價格與利潤變得不再重要。關鍵是要爲客戶提供價值，吸引他們不會更換服務。而爲了有效實現這一目標，你必須做好五件事，並回答一個非常重要的問題：

Define subscriber metrics

確定訂閱用戶標準

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.

你必須估量年均和總合約價值、付款與下降、月度與年均經常性收入，並設法留住用戶。這是從基礎會計課程中學不到的。

Understand your consumer

瞭解你的消費者

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，人們期待能滿足其特殊需求的產品，希望獲得持續的價值和獨特的體驗。他們更感興趣的是結果，而不是方法。這是從市場營銷基礎課程中學不到的。

Personalize your service

個性化你的服務

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.

產品經濟是僵化的——產品無法進行個性化。產品無法瞭解你的行爲與偏好。產品無法持續升級以不斷完善，相反它們會被淘汰。這是在製造基礎課程中無法學到的。

Customize access

定製使用權

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，人們將所有權定義爲控制實物資產的減少。更多人選擇了使用權而不是所有權：拼車、流媒體服務和訂閱箱（譯註：一種市場營銷策略和產品銷售方式）等。這是在設計基礎課程中無法學到的。

Create a great experience

創造一流的體驗

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.

你必須創造可以學習和適應用戶行爲的服務。可以自動完善的服務。可以真正定製化的服務。沒有MBA課程會教授這樣的知識。

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.

最後的關鍵問題並非“我可以銷售什麼產品”，而是“我的客戶真正想要什麼，以及我如何通過直觀的服務而不是獨立的產品，來滿足客戶需求？”如果你能回答這個問題，就表明你已經找到了屬於自己的發展之路。