评论
打印
I sold a business called Giraffe, the popular, family-friendly restaurant chain, last week. Letting go is often a bittersweet experience and in this case especially so, since I had been chairman and co-owner for nine years and seen the company expand 10-fold during my involvement.
最近，我卖掉了一家公司——颇受欢迎、适合家庭就餐的长颈鹿(Giraffe)连锁餐厅。放手经常是一件苦乐参半的事情，卖掉长颈鹿餐厅尤其如此，因为我曾经担任该公司董事长兼共同所有人9年时间。在我任职期间，我亲眼目睹公司的规模扩大了10倍。
Moreover, it was a fabulous journey. We created hundreds of jobs, paid plenty in tax, enjoyed the ride and gave untold thousands of diners a lot of pleasure.
更重要的是，这是一段辉煌的旅程。我们创造了数百个就业岗位、上缴了大量税款、享受了这段旅程，并给无数食客带来了很多快乐。
It is undeniably always wonderful to get a big cheque, and according to certain criteria that is the point of it all – to bank a profit.
不可否认，获得一张大额支票永远是一件美好的事情，根据某些标准，赚钱就是一切。
But as one serial entrepreneur once told me, after the first time you receive a decent slug of money, the thrill fades. Indeed, many business owners suffer seller’s remorse. I certainly have.
但正如一位连续创业的企业家曾告诉我的那样，在你第一次收到数目可观的金钱之后，那种兴奋感就消退了。实际上，很多企业主在出售企业后会感到后悔。我当然也有这种感觉。
After I sold my PizzaExpress shares and stepped down from its board to take on other restaurant projects, I felt a kind of bereavement.
出售自己手中所持PizzaExpress的股份后，我从该公司董事会退下来，转而投入其他餐饮项目。我当时有一种丧亲之痛。
Still today I have mixed views on the rare occasions when I eat in one: a touch of pride combined with a little regret that I am no longer part of a classic institution – and many fond memories of what was, for me at any rate, a life-changing venture.
直到现在，当我偶尔到卖掉的一家餐馆就餐时，我的心里五味杂陈：一种骄傲感油然而生，同时还伴有一丝遗憾，因为我不再是这家经典机构的一部分了；不管怎样，对我而言，跟它在一起的很多美好回忆已改变了我的生活。
After all, if you scratch the surface, most entrepreneurs are no good at spending money even when they make piles of it. More often than not, they will admit that the defining moment of their career was not cashing out but actually building a successful enterprise – assembling a winning team, serving customers well, besting the competition and gaining the admiration of their peers. These are the activities of a founder.
毕竟，如果你透过表面，多数企业家在花钱方面毫不擅长，即便在他们赚得盆满钵满之际。他们通常会承认，他们事业的决定性时刻不是赚钱，实际上是创建一家成功企业——组建一个决胜团队，为客户提供完善服务，赢得竞争以及获得同行的赞许。这些都是企业创始人所做的事。
By contrast, leaving is a farewell, a reminder than nothing lasts for ever, that with each departure a piece of us is gone for good.
相比之下，离开是一种告别，它提醒我们天下没有不散的筵席，每一次离开就像是我们身体的某一部分永远地消失了。
The other emotion I feel when selling a great business is fear. I am always afraid that I will never find another asset to replace it, another interesting undertaking that will engage me.
当卖掉一家优秀企业时，我的另一种心情是担忧。我总害怕自己将永远找不到另一项资产来代替它，再也找不到另一个让我参与其中的有趣项目了。
