创业成功人士访谈录 第107期:我们不需要花哨的外观(3)

 　　How did you not suffer the fate of many businesses that make unsuccessful changes, then never recover their initial momentum¹ and eventually shut down?

　　很多企业因为不成功的改变无法恢复最初的动力，最终导致关门，你是如何从那场危机中生存下来的？

　　Why did Craigslist survive that tumultuous period of experimentation²?

　　为什么Craigslist 能从那段混乱的时期存活下来。

　　Well, when I’m committed to something, I’m committed.

　　嗯，当我承诺了某件事的时候，我就会全力以赴。

　　Then at the end of 1998，some people approached me and helped get me out of denial about what was going on

　　1998年底，一些人找到我，帮助我打消顾虑，告诉我该做什么。

　　and then I made Craigslist into a real company in the beginning of 1999.

　　于是1999年初我把Craigslist 变成一个真正的公司，

　　I did a mediocre³ job at best，because I’m not very good at it in terms of the business end of the operation.

　　我顶多就是做到不好不坏，因为我不懂经营，

　　I had the first ideas about it, but most of what we do is based on what people in the community suggest.

　　只是有个想法，但不知该怎么实现，那时我们只是根据社区用户的建议去做。

　　Fortunately, in 2000 I hired a guy named Jim Buckmaster.

　　幸运的是， 在2000年我雇到一个叫吉姆巴克马斯特的人

　　He’s turned out to be a natural manager and he does a great job with it.

　　他是个天生的经理人，把事情做得非常好。

　　Is it crazy to say that it's an accident that you created this site?

　　可以这样说吗，你是意外地创建了这个网站？

　　In a way, this site is a happy accident.

　　某种意义上，这个网站是个可喜的意外。

　　We built critical mass and made things happen just by doing what feels right.

　　在关键时刻，我们只是根据感觉去做，

　　That statement reflects the first five years of running it.

　　你的说法对Craigslist前5年来说是对的，

　　Then, when Jim took over, he made it operate much more smoothly⁴.

　　但自从吉姆接管经营，他把整个公司运作得很顺利，

　　We’re on a very firm footing right now.

　　我们现在有非常坚实的根基。

　　Tell me more about that footing. How does the company make money?

　　能不能告诉我们那根基是什么？ 你们怎么赚钱？

　　The idea is that we’re a community service.

　　这个概念是，我们是一种社区服务。

　　Almost 100% of the site is free, but we do charge for job postings in 11 cities.

　　网站几乎是100％免费的，但我们在11个城市对招聘广告收费，

　　We charge for brokered⁵ apartment listings in New York.

　　我们也对纽约的房屋中介广告收费。

　　Why only in New York? I mean, in Seattle, San Francisco and other places, you’d make money.

　　为什么只是纽约？我的意思是，在西雅图，旧金山或其他城市，你照样可以赚钱。

1 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

2 experimentation   

n.实验，试验，实验法

参考例句：

• Many people object to experimentation on animals.许多人反对用动物做实验。
• Study and analysis are likely to be far cheaper than experimentation.研究和分析的费用可能要比实验少得多。

3 mediocre   

adj.平常的，普通的

参考例句：

• The student tried hard,but his work is mediocre. 该生学习刻苦，但学业平庸。
• Only lazybones and mediocre persons could hanker after the days of messing together.只有懒汉庸才才会留恋那大锅饭的年代。

4 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

5 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白