E7：本·弗朗西斯——英国增长最快公司的25岁CEO

谢谢。

Thank you.

我想先衷心感谢所有收听第六章的听众。

I just wanted to start with a big thank you to everybody that tuned into chapter six.

自从播客开播以来，我们已经连续五周打破纪录，第六章的收听量是第五章的两倍，是第四章的三倍。

We broke our records for the fifth week in a row since the podcast began, doubling chapter five and tripling chapter four.

我收到了大量温馨的留言、富有洞见的推文和反馈，这些真的彻底改变了我的看法。

And I received so many lovely messages and insightful tweets and feedback on that episode, which have really, really changed my perspective.

这是我第一次邀请一位首席执行官来参加播客。

It was the first time I'd invited a CEO onto the podcast.

这可以说是一次大胆的尝试。

So it was a bit of an experiment to say the least.

我当时不确定你们会不会喜欢，还是更希望我继续一个人自说自话。

I wasn't sure if you guys would like it or if you just wanted me to continue rambling on by myself.

但反馈远远超出了我的预期。

But the feedback has been tremendous.

所以我们肯定会再做一次，就在不久的将来。

And so it's definitely something we'll be doing again in the future, the very, very, very near future.

对第一次听节目的朋友，上周我们请来了Ahoyon的CEO马克，他跟我们分享了自己非常私人的经历。

And for those of you tuning in for the first time, last week, we had Mark, the CEO of Ahoyon to share his very, very personal diary with us.

他讲述了自己跌宕起伏的故事，让很多听众都感动落泪。

And he told us his incredible rollercoaster story, which moved many of you to tears, in fact.

节目播出后，我和马克聊了聊，他对大家的留言和鼓励非常感激，也深受触动。

And after speaking to Mark after the podcast had gone out, he's been incredibly appreciative and humbled by all of your kind words and comments he's received.

他让我代他向大家说一声谢谢。

And he asked me just to say thank you to all of you.

在那期节目中，我们谈到了他的团队离开他、另起炉灶的事，他说这是背后捅刀、彻底的背叛。

And in that podcast, we talked about his team leaving him to set up a new company, which he describes as backstabbing and betrayal.

有意思的是，节目播出后，那个团队主动联系了我。

And interestingly, after that podcast went out, that team contacted me.

他们觉得我虽然已经很公正了，但也想有机会说说他们的看法。

And they felt, although I had been fair, they also wanted to have a chance to have their say.

我认真考虑了很久。

And I thought long and hard about that.

我知道这个播客不是用来贬低人的。

And I know this podcast isn't meant to be a place to tear people down.

这也不是我的本意。

That's not my intention.

我不想变成杰瑞·斯普林格那样。

I don't want be Jerry Springer.

所以我觉得请他们上节目不太合适，但我这周会约他们喝杯咖啡，聊聊他们的故事，毕竟这么做才对。

So I don't think it makes sense to have them on the podcast, but I will have a meeting with them this week over coffee just to chat and get a better picture of their story because I think that's the right thing to do.

正如我在第六章提到的，这个月我已经见了两位CEO。

And as I mentioned in chapter six, I've met with two CEOs this month.

一位是我们在第六章请过的马克，另一位是本·弗朗西斯。

One of them was Mark, who we've had on in chapter six, and the other was Ben Francis.

本今年25岁，和我同龄，是Gymshark的CEO，这个健身品牌在全球很有名，你们很多人应该都听说过。

Ben is the 25 year old, same age as me, CEO of Gymshark, which is a tremendous global gym brand that many of you will have heard of.

2016年的营收是1300万美元，今年预计能到4000万左右。

Revenues in 2016 equaled 13,000,000 and projected revenues this year are somewhere near 40,000,000.

25岁，跟我一样大。

25 years old, my age.

因为我们的公司规模相近、年纪相仿，又都在同一个国家，我觉得特别有意思，可以看看他的创业路和我的有什么相似之处，又有哪些不同。

And because our companies are similar size and with similar age, we live in the same country, thought it would be fascinating to uncover the similarities, but also the differences between his journey and mine.

这么做，我知道不仅能让我学到很多，对你来说也大有裨益。

In doing so, I knew there would be tremendous amounts to learn for myself, but also for you.

所以今天这期节目，我先简单说说我在日记里记下的那些相似点。

So in today's podcast, I'm going to quickly look at some of the similarities which I've scribbled into my diary.

然后我会把过去两周的全部日记内容分享给你，因为自从我们上次聊完，已经过去两周了。

And then I'm going to share with you all of the diary entries I've had over the last two weeks, because it's been two weeks since we've spoken.

这些日记片段是我最看重的。

These diary entries are my favorite.

我相信你在这些内容里，也会有同样的收获。

And I think in terms of learnings, you'll feel that way too.

自从上次聊天以来，我学到了很多东西，日记本都快塞不下了。

I've learned so much since we last spoke, and my diary is bulging.

那段时间里，日记本简直要爆满了。

It's been absolutely bursting at the seams in that period.

我迫不及待想把这些心得分享给你。

I cannot wait to share these learnings with you.

好了，不多说了，这是第七章。

So without further ado, this is chapter seven.

我是史蒂文·巴特利特，这里是《CEO日记》节目。

I'm Steven Bartlett, and this is the diary of a CEO.

我希望没人正在听。

I hope nobody is listening.

但如果你确实在听，请替我保密。

But if you are, then please keep this to yourself.

本·弗朗西斯。

Ben Francis.

我和本之间最明显的一个区别就是，他特别紧张。

One of the most apparent and noticeable differences between myself and Ben was Ben was incredibly nervous.

他怕上镜头。

He was camera shy.

他性格内向。

He was introverted.

刚开始拍视频时，本让我停下来，开一下空调，因为他汗流浃背，根本没法集中注意力。

Upon starting shooting the video, Ben asked me to stop, turn on the air conditioning because he was sweating so much and he couldn't really focus.

这显然不是你对一个25岁CEO的预期。

And obviously, this is not what you'd expect from a 25 year old CEO.

大家总觉得CEO都外向、嗓门大、自信爆棚，但本完全不是这样。

The stereotype of a CEO is that they are extroverted, they are loud, they are super confident, and this wasn't the case for Ben.

这让我开始思考，仔细琢磨：既然我们在这方面如此不同，而我又觉得这特别重要，他怎么还能这么成功？

And so it made me kind of think a little bit and analyze as to how he could be so successful when me and him are so different in something that I consider to be so important.

答案其实很清楚。

And the answer was clear.

归根结底，这取决于你想要征服的行业。

And I guess it all comes down to the industry you're trying to win in.

科技领域的创业者，他们做的产品面向几十亿人，但从来不会真正见到这些人。

You know, tech entrepreneurs, they build products for billions and billions of people, and they never ever meet those people.

在我的行业——服务业，我只有五十个客户。

In my business, the service industry, I have 50 customers.

我和这些客户之间的交流和关系，都是面对面的。

And my conversations and relationships with those customers are person to person.

我通过演讲认识他们，然后逐步建立关系，花大量时间打磨自己的销售技巧和演讲能力，才能在这个领域取得成功。

I meet them from speaking on stage, I then develop relationships with them and spend all of my time having to hone my skills as a salesperson and as a speaker in order to succeed in my pursuit.

但本不用这样。

Ben doesn't.

本有一百万个客户。

Ben has a million customers.

本的客户从没见过他本人，他们接触的只是品牌。

Ben's customers never meet Ben, they meet the brand.

所以，为了让本成功，他的品牌沟通和整体品牌形象必须是全球顶尖的。

And so in order for Ben to win, his brand communication and the branding itself has to be the best in the world.

而这恰恰是本最擅长的地方。

And that's exactly where Ben's skills lie.

我的沟通能力需要体现在一对一的交流上，而他的则必须通过品牌来实现。

So my communication skills need to be person to person, but Ben's need to be through a brand.

而在这方面，他可以说是出类拔萃。

And that's where he's the very, very best.

本还展现了惊人的自我认知，甚至让我对他的一些自我觉察感到由衷佩服。

Ben also demonstrated an incredible amount of self awareness and to the point where I was honestly quite in awe of some of his self awareness.

其中一个能体现本自我认知深度的例子，是他最近决定辞去自己创立公司的CEO职位，转而担任更符合他优势的岗位。

One of the things I think demonstrates the level of Ben's self awareness is his recent decision to step down as CEO of the company he founded and move to a role which was more in keeping with his strengths.

有多少25岁的CEO能有这份谦逊和自知之明，做出这样的决定？

How many 25 year old CEOs would have the humility and the self awareness to do that?

他从CEO转任首席品牌官，正如他自己所说，他认为自己在运营、财务和人员管理方面并不是最出色的。

He moved from CEO to Chief Brand Officer because in his own words, he didn't think he was the best at operations, finance, and people management.

他希望把所有时间都花在自己擅长且最喜欢做的事情上。

And he wants to spend all of his time doing things he's good at and enjoys doing the most.

这就是本能赢的原因。

That's why Ben wins.

所以本现在的工作，就是专注在客户能看到和感受到的营销、品牌这些方面。

So Ben's job now is to focus on anything that the customer sees and experiences in terms of marketing and brand and these kinds of things.

所有创业者都该从中学到一课。

All entrepreneurs need to learn a lesson from that.

我也从中学到了一课。

I've learned a lesson from that.

最近，我为我的公司任命了总经理。

Recently, I appointed MDs for my companies.

这些人擅长运营、财务等关键领域，能力比我强。

And these are people that have better skills in key areas like operations and finance.

作为创业者，我们常常很难承认自己哪里不行，总觉得创业者就该无所不能。

And I often think as entrepreneurs, we find it hard to admit what we're bad at because we believe that an entrepreneur is good at everything.

事实并非如此。

It's not the case.

我有很多事情都做得很差，真的很多。

I am terrible at so many things, so many things.

早些年，我还能勉强应付那些不擅长的事。

And in the early days, I could kind of scrape past being bad at those things.

但公司越做越大，你就会意识到，把有限的时间花在不擅长的事情上，会造成多大的损害。

But as the company got bigger and bigger and bigger, you realize the damage you'll do, spending time, which is also very limited on things you're not good at.

而这种自我认知，让我愿意请来那些在这些方面比我强的人，哪怕这意味着放弃一些相当体面的头衔——正因如此，我非常敬重本。

And that self awareness to bring people in who are better than you at those things, even if it means getting rid of what's quite a prestigious title is why I respect Ben tremendously.

我们另一个很大的共同点，是在感情关系方面。

The next big similarity we had was in the relationship front.

本才25岁，但已经和女朋友交往快三年了。

Ben's 25 years old, he's been with his girlfriend for almost three years now.

当我跟本聊感情的事时，简直就像在跟自己对话。

And when I spoke to Ben about relationships, it was almost as if I was speaking to myself.

在这档播客里，我以前说过，和前女友在一起时，我明明坐在她旁边，她却觉得我心不在焉，像隔了十万八千里。

On this podcast, I've said before that when I was with my ex girlfriend, I could be sat in the room, but she would feel that I was a million miles away.

本也几乎是原话这么说的。

And Ben said that almost word for word.

我女朋友娜塔莉亚有时候会直接跟我说：你人在家，但心根本不在。

My girlfriend, Natalia, like, there's times where she will literally say to me, she's like, you're at home, but you're not actually at home.

你根本没在场。

Like, I'm not actually there.

就算出去吃饭、干点别的，我也完全不在状态。

Like, I will go out for food and whatever, and I'm I'm definitely not there.

我总是盯着手机，或者脑子里想着公司下一步该往哪儿走。

I'm permanently in my in my phone or in my head thinking about where we wanna go next.

所以最近一两个月，我最大的领悟就是：我得学会真正地放下，多陪陪身边重要的人。

So if in fact, that's one of the biggest lessons I've learned in actually the last, like, month or two is that I need to sort of learn better to switch off and spend time with my loved ones.

毕竟，谁也不知道他们能陪我们多久，我们的缘分又能持续多久。

Because obviously, you never know how long they're gonna, or how long they're gonna last and how long we're gonna last.

然后我问他一个非常简单的问题。

I then went on to ask him a very, very simple question.

你的感情生活这么成功。

You've made your relationship incredibly successful.

我要怎么选女朋友，才能像你一样在事业上取得同样的成就？

What do I need to look for in a girl in order for me to have the same success as an entrepreneur that you've had?

他是这么回答的。

And here's what he said.

要能跟上节奏，愿意接受变化。

Switched on understanding, open to change.

最重要的是愿意接受变化。

Biggest one is open to change.

比如，我和罗宾有时候完全不知道接下来会在哪儿，下一次旅行是什么时候，什么时候回家，会不会继续住现在的地方，诸如此类的事都没个准数。

Like like, there has been I mean, there's there's obviously points where I'll just, like, Robin or I have no idea where I'm gonna be in the country at that moment, where, you know, the next trip is, when what time I'm gonna be home, whether or not we're gonna be living where we live, all this sort of stuff.

不过我觉得自己挺幸运的，因为她跟我一样，但我觉得愿意接受变化、能理解对方，这一点特别关键。

But I think, again, I'm very fortunate because she's in the same sort of thing as me, but I think being open to change, understanding, and I think that's huge.

她得头脑清醒，愿意接受变化，还得懂道理。

She needs to be switched on, she needs to be open to change, and she needs to be understanding.

我完全同意。

And I couldn't agree more.

从我自己的角度看，我觉得本的意思是这样的。

From my own perspective, here's what I think Ben means.

第一点，是头脑清醒。

First point was switched on.

他说的‘头脑清醒’，我后来在更多对话中发现，意思是她得懂你做的事到底是怎么回事。

When he says switched on, what what I uncovered from further conversations was that she needs to understand the fundamentals of what it is you do.

因为那些难熬的日子，你回家想倾诉一下、聊一聊，如果她连基本原理都不懂，你根本没法深入讲，光解释你干什么就耗光了精力。

Because on those tough days where you come home and you wanna offload a little bit or discuss, If they don't understand the fundamentals, you're not going to get into the specifics because it just takes too long to explain what you do.

举个例子，比如我妈妈。

A great example would be my mom, let's say.

我妈妈根本不懂互联网是怎么回事，不会开电脑，也不知道社交媒体是什么。

My mom doesn't know what the Internet is, how it works, how to turn on a computer, what social media is.

所以我没法跟妈妈聊我工作中社交媒体的具体难题。

So I can't talk to my mom about the specific challenges within my job in social media.

索性就不说了。

So I just don't bother.

没那个时间，干脆不提这事儿。

I just don't have the conversation because I don't have that much time.

感情关系也是一样。

And it's the same for relationships.

他们得先理解基本的东西。

They have to understand the fundamentals.

接下来是关于愿意接受变化。

The next point is about being open to change.

当创业者真的特别不可预测。

Obviously being an entrepreneur is incredibly unpredictable.

除非你自己当了创业者，否则根本没法真正懂。

Like you'll never ever understand until you become an entrepreneur.

搞得你跟别人约好了，结果不知为啥，总是得改计划。

To the point where you make plans with somebody and then for whatever reason, you continually have to shift those plans.

改到二十号，说好二十号见面。

You shift those plans to a new day, the twentieth, we're going to meet on the twentieth.

可到了二十号，又出状况了。

And then on the twentieth, something happens.

只好再改，一次次放别人鸽子，最后让人觉得你靠不住。

You have to shift the plans again, and you continue to let people down and become unreliable.

对恋人来说，这种行为很容易被当成不在乎或者不尊重。

And often for a romantic partner this can be seen as a lack of care or disrespect.

这正是我遇到的问题。

And that's the problem I have.

我和上一任伴侣就经常这样，我老改计划，她觉得我是不重视她，其实我不是那个意思。

I've had it with my last my last partner where sometimes the way that I was was hard to understand because my switching of plans would appear to be a lack of care, let's say.

最后一点是关于理解。

And the last point was about understanding.

幸运的是，本的女朋友也在这个行业，她能理解。

Fortunately for Ben, his girlfriend is in the industry and she gets it.

所以我要劝你们，如果你们决定走上创业这条路，一定要找一个懂你生活的人，因为如果对方完全不懂，我敢保证，你们一定会爆发严重的矛盾。

And so I implore you to try and find somebody who understands the world you live in, if you're going on this journey to be an entrepreneur, because if they don't understand it, I promise you, you're going to have tremendous conflicts.

接下来我想谈一谈创业者的日常生活。

The next point I wanted to touch on was the life of an entrepreneur.

本作为创业者，说这事儿特别孤单。

And Ben, as an entrepreneur referred to it as being incredibly lonely.

他说，这是你这辈子经历过的最孤独的事。

He said it was the most lonely thing you'll ever do in your life.

他说，根本没人真正经历过这一切。

And he said, there's no one that's been through it all.

所以没人能真正懂你的感受。

So no one will ever really understand.

这话真的深深打动了我，你简直无法想象。

And it just resonated again, like, you you wouldn't believe.

最孤独的时刻，我们在这档播客里聊过很多次，但我真的很难向别人说清楚。

The loneliest point is something we've touched on a lot on this podcast, and it's hard for me to explain that to anybody.

我找不到合适的词来形容那种感觉。

I I can't find the words to describe it.

让我再试着解释一次。

Let me take another shot at it.

我来告诉你这是一种什么样的体验。

Here's here's here's what it feels like.

你永远在线，一刻不停。

You are on 247.

全天候，247。

247.

每一天都是如此。

Every day.

不管是周六晚上还是周日夜晚，随便哪天，你都停不下来。

Sunday night, Saturday night, you name it, you're on.

所有这些问题、困难、想法和机会，都只在你脑子里打转。

And all of those problems and all of the issues and challenges and thoughts and opportunities swirl in your head alone.

你不能随便跟人唠叨，不然别人会觉得你疯了。

And you can't just yap her and talk out loud, or else you'll be a crazy person.

但它们就在那儿，这些念头一刻不停地在你脑子里盘旋。

But they're there, and those thoughts are swirling around 247.

你几乎是在跟自己内心对话，试图解决所有这些难题。

And you're almost having internal conversations with yourself to resolve all of these issues.

所以很多时候，你明明跟别人坐在一起，却感觉像隔着百万英里，因为你真正在处理的是一大堆问题。

And that's why often, you know, you can be in the room with somebody else and feel a million miles away, is because you are actually a million miles away solving a bunch of problems.

这种孤独感，真的让我俩特别有共鸣。

So that loneliness is something that really resonated and was a similarity for both of us.

接下来是关于抗拒和韧性的话题，抱歉。

The next thing was about resistance and resilience, sorry.

本经历了不少巨大的挑战，所有创业者都会遇到这些。

So Ben had undergone some tremendous challenges as all entrepreneurs have and undergo.

正因如此，他变得异常坚韧。

And because of that, he'd become incredibly resilient.

在采访前，他一位最亲近的同事告诉我，本有一种不可思议的能力，无论遇到多大的好事还是坏事，都能保持平静。

One of his closest colleagues before the interview had told me that Ben has this unbelievable ability to stay right in the middle, despite great things or terrible things.

他总是镇定自若。

He's just composed.

我注意到，所有我认识的创业者都有这样一个共同点：最出色的创业者和领导者，无论面对困境还是成就，都能保持内心的平衡。

And this is a trend I've noticed with all of the entrepreneurs I've ever met, is that the greatest entrepreneurs, the greatest leaders have this remarkable ability to stay right in the middle despite hardship or reward.

最后，关于这一点，他提到，以一种很特别的方式，他其实享受那些负面情绪。

And lastly, on this point, he referred to the fact that he actually, in a weird, weird way, enjoyed the negativity.

他享受那些挑战。

He enjoyed the challenges.

这一点我在第四章也提到过，艰难的时光让人变得极其坚韧，简直像上了瘾，你必须经历这些磨难，才能感受到自己还活着。

And this is something that I shared in my my chapter four, I believe, was that because those tough times make you so resilient, almost like a bit of a drug, you require tough times to make you feel something.

因为你变得越来越冷峻，也越来越坚韧，对很多事情都渐渐麻木了。

And it's because you become colder and more sort of resilient and more numb to everything.

同样地，我觉得我已经对挑战和艰难时刻上瘾了，因为作为CEO或领导者，如今只有在这些时候，我才能真正感受到些什么。

And in the same way, I think I've become almost addicted to challenges and tough times because they're the only times as a CEO or a leader that I really, really feel something these days.

让本成为成功创业者的原因有很多，但如果非要我挑出唯一一点让他与众不同的，那就是他的用心程度。

There are so many things that make Ben a successful entrepreneur, But if I had to put my finger on just one thing that differentiates him from his competition, it's his level of care.

我真的非常在意。

I really care.

比如说，我经常会在Instagram上收到私信，这不可避免，毕竟我们现在每天要发几万单。

Again, like, if I get a DM on my on my Instagram, which I will, know, inevitably, we we shipping thousands and thousands of orders a day now.

总会有哪里出问题，有人会给我发消息说：我遇到问题了。

Inevitably, something will go wrong somewhere, and someone will message me saying, I've got an issue.

这真的让我很难受。

That really hurts me.

我会彻底炸毛。

I go absolutely mental.

我第一件事就是冲去客户体验部门，问：我们该怎么赶紧解决这个问题？

And first thing I'm doing is I'm running up to customer experience and saying, how the hell can we fix this?

你说，咱们怎么才能把它做得更好？

You know, how can we make this better?

因为对我来说，线上问题就在于，屏幕上全是数字。

Because to me, and again, the problem with online is it's all numbers on the screen.

很容易就被这些数字带偏了。

It's very easy to get lost in those numbers.

很容易就忘了，每一个数字背后，都是一个活生生的人。

It's very easy to become desensitized to the fact that each one of those numbers is a human being somewhere in the world.

所以我觉得，确保每个人都有绝佳的体验，真的特别重要。

So to me, it's really important to make sure that everyone has a brilliant experience.

你知道吗？

Do know what?

就算没人买一件Gymshark的产品，我也想办Gymshark的活动，让这些人能来，受到鼓舞，找到动力，哪怕只是有一点点，也能让生活变得更好。

Even if the the other thing I'll say to everyone is even if no one ever buys a Gymshark product, I wanna put on Gymshark events so that these people can go and be inspired and motivated and, you know, in some way, hopefully improve their lives.

所以就算没人买Gymshark的产品，那也不是世界末日，因为我希望人们能被我们的所作所为正面地影响到，哪怕只是一点点。

So if no one ever buys a Gymshark product, to that's not the end of the world because I want people to be inspired and sort of be affected positively by what we do in some way.

这种用心源于他发自内心地热爱自己所做的事情，这在很多创业者身上都很常见。

And that level of care stems from him absolutely loving what he does, of course, like it does for many entrepreneurs.

但对我来说，他这种细致入微的投入，正是没人能超越本的原因。

But his level of care and attention to detail for me is the one reason why you will not beat Ben.

你超越不了本。

You won't beat Ben.

在本所做的事情上，你赢不了他。

Not at what Ben does.

你根本不可能赢过本。

You can't beat Ben.

因为这种真实感，时间久了，会彻底改变他的事业。

Because of that authenticity over time will completely change his business.

我来给你举个特别好懂的例子，说明我的意思。

And here's, I want to give you a very sort of understandable example of what I mean.

很多年前的黑色星期五，本的网站崩溃了。

So on Black Friday, many, many years ago, Ben's website failed.

他让客户失望了，成千上万想下单的人全都遭了罪。

He failed his customers and thousands and thousands of people who tried to order got messed around.

大多数CEO可能会发个声明道个歉什么的，但本却亲手写了成千上万封信，每一封都亲笔签名，寄给那些受影响的客户。

And most CEOs would, I don't know, put out a press release and apologize or whatever, but Ben writ thousands of hand signed, handwritten letters to those customers that had been messed around.

他真的在个人层面上深受打击。

And he was genuinely devastated on a personal level.

他常说，一天中最糟糕、最糟糕、最糟糕的事，就是有客户给他发私信，说遇到了问题。

He refers to the fact that the worst, worst, worst possible thing that can happen to him in a day is that customer will DM him or message him saying that they've had a problem.

他会直接冲到投诉部门或者客服团队，亲自去解决这些问题。

He'll find himself running up to the complaints department or the customer care team to try and resolve that issue himself.

大多数人看到的只是数字。

Most people will see those numbers as numbers.

但本看到的，是活生生的人。

Ben sees those numbers as people.

因为他极度重视客户体验，也极度在乎产品，久而久之，你能想象这种用心会积累成多大的力量。

And because he cares so much about the customer experience and cares so much about the product, over time, you can imagine how that level of care compounds.

就在那个黑色星期五，他亲手写那些信，可能根本没对生意的业绩产生什么影响。

On that day on Black Friday, of course, him writing those handwritten letters probably didn't move the bottom line for his business, probably didn't meet make a big impact.

但五年下来，如果在每一个业务环节——从内部团队到品牌、营销——都保持这种用心，一定能彻底改变任何一家公司。

But over five years, that level of care on every touch point within the business, from the internal teams to the brand, the marketing will transform anybody's business.

这种对细节的重视和真诚的关怀，能让你走向成功。

That attention to detail and care can make you a success.

最不可思议的是，这一切都源于你真正热爱自己所做的事情。

And the crazy thing is, it all stems from really loving what you do.

所以，关键是要确保你的初衷是正确的。

So the the key, I guess, is to make sure that your motives are correct.

你要确保每天早上醒来，做你做的事，不是为了发财，不是为了赚大钱，而是因为你真的打心底里喜欢它。

Make sure you're waking up in the morning and doing what you do, not because you're trying to get rich or because you're trying to make a shitload of money, but because you absolutely love it.

正是这份热爱，带来了用心，带来了卓越的事业，最终让你有一天能改变整个世界。

And it's that love that results in care, that results in great businesses, that means you take over the world someday.

明白了。

Okay.

那我现在要打开我的日记了。

So now I'm gonna open my diary.

已经两周没跟你们分享日记了，里面攒了不少内容。

And it's been two weeks since I've shared my diary with you, so there's a lot of things in there.

我特别想跟你们说说这些，因为不吐不快，憋在心里像压了块石头，等说出来、听到你们的反馈，我才觉得轻松。

And I'm super excited to share this stuff with you because it kind of weighs on me like a burden until I get it all out there into the universe and get your feedback.

其实跟你们分享日记里这些私密、深层的想法，对我而言就像一种疗愈。

So this is kind of therapy for me, sharing the deep, dark sort of personal elements of my diary with you.

好了，不多说了，咱们直接打开日记吧。

So without further ado, let's open my diary.

今天日记第一条写的是：温水煮青蛙。

Okay, so the first thing I've got written in my diary today is frog in a pan.

我习惯用要点式记录，这样更容易记住当时的想法。

And I just tend to do bullet points because that's a way for me to remember the thought.

但我清楚自己为什么写下这句话。

But I know exactly why I wrote this.

我最近在全国巡讲，三十天内已经去了九所大学。

I've been doing this tour around the country and I've spoke at nine universities in the last thirty days.

有一次在某所大学演讲时，巡讲团队的一位工作人员跟我讲了个比喻：如果慢慢加热水，青蛙就不会从锅里跳出来。

And when I spoke at one of the universities, someone who's a staff member of the tour said to me this analogy about how a frog won't jump out of a frying pan if you gradually increase the heat.

这事儿真够离谱的。

And it's crazy.

据我所知，这事儿确实是真事。

And it's a true story from what I can tell.

但就算不是真事，这个比喻本身也一样重要。

But even if it's not, the analogy is just as important nonetheless.

传说要是把青蛙直接扔进沸水里，它会立刻跳出来。

The story goes that if you place a frog in a frying pan of boiling water, the frog will instantly jump out.

但如果你把青蛙放进冷水里，然后慢慢加热，它就不会动。

But if you place a frog in cold water and gradually increase the heat, it won't move.

它会一直待着，不断适应水温的变化，直到最后体温太高，肌肉瘫痪，活活被煮死。

It stays put continually adapting and adjusting its sensitivity to the water until finally it succumbs to the temperature becomes unable to move its muscles break down and it dies.

我听到这个说法时，突然意识到，这简直完美地形容了我们大多数人生活中的真实状况。

And when I was told this, I realized that this is the perfect analogy for exactly what happens in most of our lives too.

年轻的时候，我们心里清清楚楚地知道自己想过什么样的生活，但后来生活来了，我们就像被扔进了一锅冷水，温度一点一点地升高。

When we're young, we have a clear picture of how we want our lives to look and then life happens and we're dropped into this cold pan of water and the heat gradually increases.

随着温度上升，我们慢慢放下了理想，留在有毒的关系里，忍受着讨厌的工作，最后甚至忘了自己是谁，也忘了当初为自己定下的标准。

And as it does, we let go of our ambitions, we stay in toxic relationships, we tolerate jobs we hate and end up forgetting who we are and the standards we set for ourselves.

这种变化太缓慢了，等你反应过来的时候，已经来不及了。

The heat is so gradual that you don't see it happening before it's too late.

温度让你容忍别人对你的态度越来越差，却始终不肯离开那口锅。

The heat is allowing the way someone treats you to get worse and worse without jumping out of the pan.

对我而言，这种温度就是别人负面的情绪，一点点蚕食你的自信、自尊和梦想。

The heat to me is letting other people's negativity slowly erode away at your confidence, your self worth and your ambitions.

你留在讨厌的工作里，不是因为别无选择，而是因为周围缺乏自信的氛围，让你不断降低标准，最后居然觉得这日子还能凑合——可你心里清楚，你根本不快乐，也毫无成就感。

The heat is staying in that job you hate because the lack of self belief around you has made you lower your standards to the point where you're now comfortable in this job you hate, but you're totally unhappy and unfulfilled.

如果有人在第一次约会时就对你进行情感或身体上的虐待，你肯定会当场甩他一巴掌，转身就走。

You know, if someone emotionally or physically abused you on a first date, you would slap them in the face and walk out the room.

你早就该跳出来了。

You would jump out the pan.

对吧？

Right?

但如果你在一段关系里三年了，眼看着自己的底线被一点点消磨，最后却接受了同样的虐待。

But if, you know, three years into a relationship after months and years of having your standards slowly eroded away, you find yourself accepting that same abuse.

你想想，如果有人一上来就打你脸，你肯定立马报警，这说明了家暴的本质——如果你继续降低标准，迟早会像那只青蛙一样被煮熟。

And it dawns on, you know, if someone punched you in the face and explains domestic abuse, it explains why people stay in these relationships, you will die like that frog in a pan if you continue to compromise your standard.

事实上，生活中能得到更多的人，都是那些敢于争取的人。

The truth is the only ones in life that get more are those that demand it.

只有那些坚守底线的人，才能跳出锅里。

It's only those that protect their standards that get out the pan.

所以如果感觉情况越来越糟，现在就是该跳出来的时候了，再晚就来不及了。

So if things are getting hotter, then now is the time to jump out the pan because soon it'll be too late.

那个青蛙的比喻，真的深深触动了我。

And that frog analogy really, really moved me.

所以我很高兴能跟人分享这些。

So I'm I'm glad I got to share that with someone.

这在我们生活的方方面面都适用，讲的就是人如何慢慢接受更低的标准。

And it's applicable in all areas of our lives, and it just speaks to the idea of gradually succumbing to a lower standard.

这是我们每个人都必须守护的东西。

And it's something we've all got to protect.

我日记里下一条写的是：找到终点之后，接下来该做什么？

The next point I've written in my diary just says searching for an end, what comes next?

我写这个是因为，在我之前的播客里，比如前三期，我谈的是自己如何意识到这一点。

And the reason why I've written this is because in my previous podcasts, I think in the first three, let's say, I discussed the journey of realizing that personally, now I have enough financial freedoms to do whatever I want.

然后我开始思考，有了钱之后，它到底意味着什么，又会如何改变我的生活。

And, you know, trying to come to terms with what it then meant to have money and what money would do for me in my life.

其中让我特别纠结的一点是，我认识了一些亿万富翁。

And one of the things that really sort of, like, I struggled with was I met billionaires.

我身边就有亿万富翁。

I know billionaires.

我认识的那些亿万富翁，我觉得他们有点不正常，说来奇怪。我想到两个具体的人。

And the billionaires I've met, I almost think they're a little bit sick in a strange way because I so there's these two billionaires I'm thinking of.

其中一个身家大概三百亿美元。

One of them has about 3,000,000,000.

另一个大概十五亿美元。

One of them has 1,500,000,000.

我坐在那儿想，你每天盯着自己的收入数字，几乎上瘾了，可这些数字到底给你带来了什么？

And I I sat there thinking, you know, you're sat here looking at your your revenues every day, and you're almost addicted to these these figures and these numbers, but what is it doing for you?

到了这一步，钱再多，生活也不会有什么实质改变了吧？

Like, surely more money doesn't make a difference at this point in your life.

那你还拼命想赚更多，到底是为了什么？

And so why do you care about making more?

我之所以这么想，是因为我不希望自己变成那种为了赚钱而赚钱、被金钱绑架的人。

And the reason why I have these thoughts is because I don't wanna become somebody who gets obsessed with making more money for the sake of making more money.

对我来说，那简直就是地狱。

That for me is fucking hell.

这对我来说就是地狱。

It's my definition of hell.

我一直搞不懂这些亿万富翁是怎么想的。

And I never understood it with these billionaires.

直到我换了个角度去理解他们这么做的原因，我才明白史蒂夫接下来会怎样。

And only in reframing why they're doing what they're doing have I understood the answer to what happens next for Steve?

那接下来会发生什么？

What's the next thing?

因为我看着那些亿万富翁时，误以为他们的快乐或满足感是个终点。

Because when I looked at those billionaires, I was making the incorrect assumption that their fun or their fulfillment was a destination.

觉得赚到十亿就应该停下来庆祝、放松了。

That 1,000,000,000 should be the moment when they stop and party and relax.

但实际上，对那些亿万富翁来说，重点根本不在结果，而在过程本身。

Whereas really, for those billionaires, it's all about the process.

有位亿万富翁我本来不想点名，算了，还是说了吧——胡特集团的创始人。

And there's a certain billionaire who I won't name, fuck it, I'll name him, The the billionaire who founded the Hutt Group.

我跟他聊过，问他为什么这么做，怎么保持动力，还有我之前提到的那位亿万富翁，他们都是为了竞争，为了享受过程。

And when I speak to him about why he does what he does or, you know, how he continues to motivate himself, him and the other billionaire I referenced, they both do it for the competition and for the fun of it.

他们的满足感其实就在过程中。

Their fulfillment is actually in the process.

在于创造一些东西。

It's in building something.

在于不断前进。

It's in the progression.

在于这段旅程本身。

It's in the journey.

而不是抵达某个终点。

It's not in a destination.

他们早就到了你认为该下车的地方，可却一直留在车上继续前行。

They've reached the destination you'd expect them to jump off the train and they've carried on on the train.

他们的快乐全来自不断成长，而这永远没有尽头。

All of their fun comes from growing something, and that's never ending.

所以当我思考下一步该做什么时，这个问题根本没必要问自己。

So when I think about what comes next, it's not a viable question to ask myself.

根本不会有下一步。

There won't be anything next.

现在就是一切，永远都是现在。

It's now, and it will always be now.

重点在于这段旅程。

It's the journey.

我日记里下一条记录写的是：被人听见和被人忽视之间的区别。

The next point in my diary just says the difference between being heard and being invisible.

我写这个的原因是，过去几周里，我登台演讲的次数比以往任何时候都多。

And the reason why I've written this is because over the last couple of weeks, I've been speaking on more stages than ever before.

正因为如此，我的表达越来越娴熟，经验也积累得更多了。

And because of that, I've got better and better at honing my craft and I've had more experience, I guess.

我学到的最重要的一点，真的迫不及待想告诉你，因为我觉得这能彻底改变你的生活：如果你想被人听见，就别再包装你的观点，别因为怕别人怎么想而弱化自己的想法。

And the one thing I've learned, which I just really, really could not wait to share with you, because I really think this can transform your life, is if you want to be heard, stop fluffing your opinion, stop diluting it because you care what other people might think.

这真的极其重要。

And that is unbelievably important.

你必须表达出你的想法、观点和信念，哪怕知道会引来公众的批评。

You have to deliver your thoughts, your opinion, and your beliefs, regardless of potential public scrutiny.

在舞台上、论坛上、讨论中，每当我坦率说出真实想法，哪怕知道很多人会讨厌我、会生气，

And on stage, on panels and in discussions, when I have told the audience exactly what I think, despite the fact I know that many of them will hate me, so many of them will be pissed off.

但恰恰是这些话，最能打动人，传播得最远。

It's cut through and it's traveled further than anything else.

这就是为什么像加里·维纳查克这样的人能成功——因为他从不拐弯抹角，想到什么就说什么。

And this is why you've got people like Gary Vaynerchuk winning because Gary Vaynerchuk says it how he sees it.

我们生活在一个人人都讲究政治正确的世界。

We live in a world where everybody is politically correct.

大家都只说些模棱两可、安全无害的话。

They're all giving fluffy, safe answers to things.

真正能脱颖而出、走得长远的，只有那些敢说真话的人。

So it's only those that say it how it is that cut through and go the distance.

过去几周，我决定彻底改变，以后不管怎样都要直说我的想法。

And so I've had a bit of a change over the last couple of weeks where I've decided now to start saying exactly what I think regardless.

这周我做了一个小实验，你们中一些人应该在我的推特上看到了。

And I carried out a bit of an experiment this week that some of you guys and girls would have seen on my Twitter.

我发了一条推文，说印刷媒体已经死了，广播正在衰落，电视更是病入膏肓。

I did a tweet and it said, print is dead, radio is dying and TV is very, very sick.

发这条推文之前，我坐在电脑前二十分钟，反复读着这句话，琢磨着说这话的后果，想到大多数关注我的人都是媒体行业的。

And before I did that tweet, I sat on my computer for about twenty minutes reading it, thinking about the consequences of saying that, thinking about the fact that most people that follow me are in the media world.

我有不少客户在印刷和电视行业工作。

I've got clients in the media world that are in print and TV.

我也有朋友在印刷和电视行业，他们把一生都献给了这些领域。

I've got friends that are in print and TV, and they've dedicated their whole lives to it.

我想到，发完这条推文后，会有多少人不再喜欢我，会引发多大的反弹。

I thought about how many people are not going to like me after I tweet this and the potential backlash of that tweet.

但后来我明白了，我不该根据这些顾虑来做决定。

And then I realized that I shouldn't be making my decisions on that basis.

我得坚持自己的立场，哪怕这不讨好别人，不迎合主流，也不会让我多交朋友。

I have to stand for something, even if it's not politically, you know, socially expedient or politically correct or it's not gonna help me win any more friends.

于是我发了那条推文，收获了五百个喜欢，几百次转发，还招来了一大堆骂声。

And so I tweeted it, and it got 500 favorites and hundreds of retweets, and it got a shitload of abuse.

简直是铺天盖地的攻击。

Tremendous amounts of abuse.

有个人专门做了一张图，标题是‘为什么史蒂夫·巴洛错了’，还用一堆数据来跟我较真。

One guy literally made a picture titled the reason why Steve Barlow is wrong, and he tried to hammer me on the point with data.

整个过程真的彻底让我醒悟了。

And it really, really, really, really opened my eyes, the whole process.

它让我明白，我所有推文中互动最多的，恰恰是我最真心认同的那一句。

What it taught me is that my most engaged tweet ever was the one that I actually believed in the most.

那条推文最直白，最不在乎别人怎么看。

It was the one that had the least fluff, the the least care about what people would think.

当然，那是个笼统的说法，但我懂社交媒体，尤其是我的推特动态——毕竟我算是个意见领袖。

Of course, it was a general statement, but I understand social media, specifically my Twitter feed because I'm a thought leader per se.

不管我说什么，总有人想挑错、想证明我错了。

Whatever I say anyway, people are gonna try and falsify and prove wrong.

所以我保持概括性。

So I kept it general.

我知道这会引发争议，但还是发了推文。

I knew it would be controversial, and I tweeted it.

就因为这条推文出自真心，它的影响大得惊人。

And the impact of that one tweet, because it was something I believed in, has been tremendous.

全球最大的品牌之一主动要求和我见面。

One of the biggest brands in the world asked to meet with me.

他们坦诚相待，花了成千上万英镑，只为用六十分钟向我提问。

They full disclosure, they paid thousands and thousands of pounds to meet with me, to ask me questions for sixty minutes.

见面第一件事，他们就提到了那条推文。

And the first thing they said in that meeting was that tweet.

正是这条推文，真正打动了他们。

That was the thing that had cut through to them.

正因为这样，我坐在房间里，有人付我成千上万英镑，就为了和我聊聊天。

And because of that, I was in a room being paid thousands and thousands of pounds to social chain.

但我自己没拿这笔钱。

I didn't take the money myself.

就是因为这个原因。

Because of that.

而正是这条推文，让最多的人听到了我的想法，传得最远。

And because of that, that was the tweet that reached the most people that got my ideas out there the furthest.

我还成功地把那些和我想法一致的人更紧密地凝聚在了身边。

And I've managed to galvanize those people that also agree with me closer to me.

不过，代价是，我让一些人离我远去了。

Although the, I guess the cost was I pushed some people away.

我现在明白了，想让所有人都喜欢你，其实就是想让自己在这个世界上毫无存在感。

What I've come to learn is that the pursuit of being liked by everyone is also the pursuit of being totally invisible to the world.

我的意思是，如果你想被人忽视，就得做出一些特定的选择。

And what I mean by that is, if you want to be invisible, you have to carry out a certain amount of actions.

那些正是让人喜欢所需要的举动。

Those are the same actions it requires to being liked.

如果你想被人喜欢，就得做某些特定的事。

If you want to be liked, you have to carry out certain actions.

你得做个讨好所有人的人。

You have to be a people pleaser.

你得什么也不说，什么也不做。

You have to say or do nothing.

而这些也正是让人被忽视的相同做法。

And those are the same actions it takes to be invisible.

只有那些被听见的人，只有站在台前的人，只有拥有最大平台的人，才根本不在乎是否被人喜欢。

Only those that are heard, only those that are on stage and only those that have the biggest platform are those that don't give a fuck about being liked.

他们并不把被人喜欢当作关键指标。

They don't have it as a KPI.

他们的关键指标是表达观点，坚持自己的信念。

They have delivering their opinion and staying true to their convictions as their KPI.

那就是你的加里·维纳查克。

That's your Gary Vaynerchuk.

那就是你的皮尔斯·摩根。

That's your Pierce Morgan.

喜欢不喜欢她，那就是你的凯蒂·霍普金斯。

Like her or not, that's your Katie Hopkins.

喜欢不喜欢他，那就是你的唐纳德·特朗普。

Like him or not, that's your Donald Trump.

所以我现在的新做法就是，不管怎样都直说我的想法，哪怕每次我发帖讨论这些话题，都会有三十个人真想对我动手。

And so my new approach is just to say what I think despite the fact that every time I tweet or post on these topics, there will be 30 people who will literally physically want to hurt you.

我日记里的下一点，我很快带过一下，这点我特别自豪，就是关于投资的幻觉。

Next point in my diary, moving through this fairly quickly, which I'm very proud of, is investment, about investment delusion.

太多创业者一生都想融资，我觉得这跟流行文化有关，投资现在成了大家追捧的东西。

So many entrepreneurs aspire to raise investment in their lives and I think because of popular culture, investment has become something that people celebrate.

其实我妈妈教过我，当你向别人借钱的时候，你应该感到不安，因为你终究得还回去。

And really my mum taught me that when you borrow money from someone, you should be nervous because you've got to pay them back.