Business Partners: A Help or a Hindrance? 生意伙伴：是助力还是阻力？
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- 创建于 2010年10月04日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2012年8月02日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：286
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Businesses with multiple owners are more likely to survive, but are they worth the potential problems? 数人合伙的企业存活的机率比较高，但真的值得为此而承受合伙做生意所可能带来的问题吗？
The business partnership between celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito and financier Jeffrey Chodorow ultimately turned into one high-profile, public food fight. The duo opened Manhattan restaurant Rocco’s on 22nd Street in happy times, but feuded on full display in lawsuits and on a television reality show.
名厨罗可．狄斯比利多与金融家杰弗利．乔多洛合伙开店，后来却闹得不可开交，而且搞到人尽皆知（译注：food fight原指大家互相乱丢食物混战，作者在此玩food的文字游戏，因该店为餐厅）。他们两人一起在曼哈顿第二十二街成立了罗可餐厅，结果却闹翻了，不但互相提告，也在真人实境的电视节目上彼此攻讦。
The legal beefs in 2004 included disagreements about company ownership and financial mismanagement. Tabloid newspapers gleefully picked up on the discord and frequently ran cheeky headlines such as “Reality Bite $” and “Tempers Boil at Restaurant.”
二００四年的法律争讼包括了两人对公司所有权的认知歧异，以及财务管理不当的指控。八卦小报见猎心喜而追踪报导这场争端，并且一再以头条标题大肆调侃两人，例如「张口互咬钱」及「怒火沸腾的餐厅」（译注：reality bites原指真相有时会伤人，或现实世界令人失望、不悦等，而tempers boil则指怒火上升）。
Few entrepreneurs face such public scrutiny, but partnership problems around in the small-business world, with counterparts often squaring off over seemingly everything from financial and advertising expenditures to how much to pay for office furniture. Yet a simple fact about business partnerships makes them extremely enticing: Businesses with multiple owners are more likely to survive longer than sole proprietorships, said economist Brian Headd.
很少有企业家会这样被公开以放大镜检视，但合伙问题在小企业里其实层出不穷，合伙人经常为了各种事物争执不休，举凡资金筹措、广告支出，乃至办公室家具的采购价格，都可能引发争吵。然而，合伙做生意却因为一项简单的事实而令人着迷不已：数人合伙的企业通常比单一老板的独资企业存活的时间更长，经济学家布莱恩．黑德如此表示。
True believers 忠实信徒
Barry Nalebuff, a Yale School of Management professor who co-found beverage company Honest Tea with former student Seth Goldman, is a believer. He says his partnership helped propel Honest Tea from $250,000 in sales in 1998 to $13.5 million by 2006.
耶鲁大学管理学院教授拜瑞．奈尔巴夫和他以前教过的学生赛斯．高曼共同创立了诚实茶饮料公司，而奈尔巴夫就是合伙企业的忠实信徒。他表示，两人的合伙关系促使诚实茶的营收从一九九八年的二十五万美元上扬到二００六年的一千三百五十万美元。
“In business, the chance that you can find one person who can have all the skills needed – especially for a start-up – is almost zero.”
「在商场上，要找到一个能够齐集各种必要技能于一身的人──尤其对新创公司而言──机率几乎是零。」
With a company comrade, there is always someone to brainstorm with, to share work duties and, of course, to help carry the financial burden.
如果有一个共同创立公司的伙伴，就可以随时互相脑力激荡、分担工作，当然也就有人可以分摊财务重担。
“If you’ve got more than one owner, it means at least two people have pooled their capital to build this business,” says Roy Dunbar, CEO of technology company Network Solutions. “And if you have more capital, you have deeper pockets to weather storms.”
「公司的老板如果不只一人，就表示至少有两人集资创办这家企业，」科技公司网络解决方案执行长罗伊．邓巴说：「资金愈多，就拥有更雄厚的财力能够撑过难关。」
单词发音
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hindrance [ˋhɪndrəns] n. 妨碍，障碍
financier [͵fɪnənˋsɪɚ] n. 财政家; 金融家
feud [fjud] n. 长期争斗；争吵
full display 充分发挥的
disagreement [͵dɪsəˋgrimənt] n. 意见不一
mismanagement [mɪsˋmænɪdʒmənt] n. 管理不善；处置失当
gleefully [ˋglifəlɪ] adv. 极快乐地，欢欣地
pick up on【美】【口】了解到; 注意到 to notice something
discord [ˋdɪskɔrd] n. 不和，争吵；不一致
cheeky [ˋtʃikɪ] adj. 〔尤指对师长〕厚脸皮的; 不敬的; 放肆的
reality bite 残酷的现实 The reality of the everyday world is not what we think or imagine it to be.(Human nature is changeful and frivolous, and human greed seems to have no limit.)
boil [bɔɪl] v. 使激动，使发怒
counterpart [ˋkaʊntɚ͵pɑrt] n. 与另一方面地位职务相当的人[物]
enticing [ɪnˋtaɪsɪŋ] adj. 有吸引力的; 迷人的; 有诱惑力的
proprietorship [prəˋpraɪətɚ͵ʃɪp] n. 所有权; 独资企业
sole proprietorship 独资企业 a business entity that is owned and operated by only one person
comrade [ˋkɑmræd] n. 伙伴; 同事; 战友 a friend or trusted companion that one has shared difficult experiences with
deep pocket【俚】财富；财源; 财力雄厚 having a lot of money
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An agreement is a must 协议是必要条件
No matter what type of partnership is forged – brothers, cousins, college roommates – entrepreneurial experts offer up one steadfast piece of advice: create an agreement that details the ownership structure, financing and division of duties.
不论合伙人是任何关系，无论是兄弟、表亲或大学室友，企业专家都提出一项一致不变的忠告：拟定一项协议，详细规定所有权结构、资金筹措以及职务分工。
Despite the importance of having a clear road map, many new partners overlook that step. Even with a unified vision and partnership agreement, conflict is still likely.
虽然拟定一套明确的准则非常重要，但许多初次合伙的生意伙伴却都忽略了这一点。即便拥有一致的愿景与合伙协议，冲突还是有可能发生。
“If you think about the phases of a relationship, there’s going to be a honeymoon phase – and that’s something to be enjoyed,” says Katherine Crowley, a psychotherapist who runs workplace-issues consultancy K Squared Enterprises with business partner Kathi Elster. “But the second phase is something called ‘conflict and negotiation.’ That’s where you work out your differences and find the common ground upon which you run the company.”
「想想人际关系当中的各个阶段。一开始一定会有个蜜月期──那是个令人乐在其中的阶段，」心理治疗师凯瑟琳．克罗利说。她和生意伙伴凯蒂．艾斯特共同经营职场问题顾问公司K平方公司。不过，第二个阶段则是称为『冲突与协商』。必须在这个阶段化解彼此的意见分歧，找出经营公司的共同基础。」
Work and romance 工作与爱情
William Holzhauer and Tammy Rimes, who are married and co-own Hacienda de las Rosas Winery in San Diego, are working to capitalize on each person’s strengths and interests. Holzhauer manages wine production, while Rimes handles more of the event planning.
威廉．霍绍尔和谭米．莱姆斯是夫妻，也共同经营圣地亚哥的玫瑰农场。他们尽量善用彼此的长处与兴趣；霍绍尔负责葡萄酒生产事宜，莱姆斯则负责活动企划。
But they also contend with an issue that many business partners don’t face: how to balance work and romance.
不过，他们还必须面对大多数生意伙伴不会遇到的一项问题：那就是如何在工作与爱情之间取得平衡。
“Being married partners, we will have specific business meetings where we just talk about business,” Rimes says. To keep things even, they have outings, such as a movie and dinner date night, when shop talk is forbidden. On those nights, “We’re under [an] agreement where we don’t talk about the business.”
「身为夫妻又是生意伙伴，我们会举行特定的工作会议，只谈生意上的事情，」莱姆斯说。为了求取平衡，他们也会出外游玩，例如一起看场电影或是相约吃顿晚餐，这时就绝口不谈公事。在晚间约会的期间，「我们彼此协议，绝对不谈公事。」
With the demands of running a winery and a retail store, Rimes’ second job as a consultant, and raising three children, the two are stretched.
他们经营一座酿酒厂和一家零售商店，莱姆斯又另外兼职顾问工作，而且还必须养育三个孩子，因此夫妇两人都承受了极大的压力。
While they’re still figuring out some work/home life balance issues, one priority exists: keeping the marriage healthy. “We made a conscious decision that the marriage is more important than the partnership to us,” she says.
他们虽然仍在思考着平衡工作与家庭生活之道，但有一个优先重点是：一定要保持婚姻的健全。「我们明确认定，对我们来说，婚姻比合伙生意来得重要，」她说。
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offer up 贡献 present as an act of worship
steadfast [ˋstɛd͵fæst] adj. 坚定的，不动摇的
consultancy [kənˋsʌltənsɪ] n. 咨询公司，顾问服务公司
work out 解决
outing [ˋaʊtɪŋ] n. 远足；郊游；短途旅游
shop talk 在工作地点外谈论本行之事(引申为谈公事) talk about your business that only others in the same business can understand
stretch [strɛtʃ] v. 耗尽，竭尽
conscious [ˋkɑnʃəs] adj. (决定、行动等)有意的，刻意的
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Relatively speaking 相对而言
Just as spousal collaboration has its challenges, so does a partnership between family, longtime friends and acquaintances.
正如夫妇合伙经营生意有其必须面临的困难，家人、老友及熟人合伙也各自有其问题。
Kai and Charles Huang, who shared bunk beds as children and later went on to launch the billion-dollar-generating video game hit Guitar Hero, brought their own family dynamics into their business. The two often argued as children and had no problem doing the same in the workplace.
黄忠凯与黄忠彦从小睡在同一张床的上下铺，后来共同推出了赚进十亿美元的热门电动玩具《吉他英雄》。他们把自己在家里互动的方式带入了共同创办的企业当中。这对兄弟俩从小就经常斗嘴，在职场上也还是丝毫不改。
“We get into disagreements, and sometimes we’ll just start yelling at each other,” Kai says. “We’re totally comfortable with that.”
「我们也会意见不同，有时候就开始互相叫嚷，」黄忠凯说：「我们对这种情形早已习以为常。」
What they didn’t realize initially was that some of their employees weren’t as at ease. “We had one employee tell us many years later that every time we argued that it was like Mommy and Daddy arguing.”
但他们一开始却没有意识到一点，也就是有些员工并不像他们一样能够那么平心看待这样的状况。「有个员工在多年以后对我们说，每次我们一争执起来，他们就觉得像是看着爸妈吵架一样。」
Even though they’ve spent decades bickering they’ve also formed a strong bond – which helps them be better business partners, Charles says.
尽管他们数十年来不断吵吵闹闹，却也培养了深厚的手足之情，让他们得以成为更好的事业伙伴，黄忠彦说。
“We walked into the business knowing how each other thinks and what the other is likely to do,” he says. “We trust each other.”
「我们当初走上这一行，就深深明白彼此的想法以及彼此的作风，」他说：「我们彼此信任。」
Adjusting for unexpected events 调整适应意外状况
Unexpected life turns also tax business agreements. Candace Sandy and Dawn Marie Daniels of New York City, friends since high school, informally outlined the goals and division of duties for their book-publishing venture. But once a few tough, personal troubles surfaced, they struggled.
出乎意外的人生转折也会对合伙协议造成压力。纽约市的甘笛丝．珊蒂与桃恩．马莉．丹尼尔斯自高中以来就是好友，后来合资开设一家出版公司；她们原本随兴拟定了企业目标以及彼此的职务分工，但随着艰困的个人问题陆续浮现之后，她们的合伙关系也面临挑战。
When they were ramping up the business, Daniels’ mother had to undergo ovarian cancer treatments.
就在她们准备扩大企业规模的时候，丹尼尔斯的母亲却因卵巢癌而准备接受治疗。
“We did have an understanding [of partnership duties], but when tragedy strikes, you kind of have to start switching roles,” Sandy says.
「我们对于职务分工原本是有默契的，可是面临了这样的悲剧，也只好转换角色了，」珊蒂说。
Getting through those tough times is a rite of passage for business owners, says K Squared’s Elster.
遇到这种艰难的时刻，对于企业合伙人而言就像是经历一场洗礼一样，K平方的艾斯特说。
“When things are good, it’s exciting and easy,” she says. “But hardship is the great test of a partnership. How you work it through [shows] the strength or weakness of the partnership.”
「事情顺利的时候，合伙创业当然很令人兴奋，彼此如鱼得水，」她说：「但难关是合伙关系的最大考验，彼此如何克服难关，即可从中看出这项合伙关系的优势与弱点。」
−by Laura Petrecca
单词发音
More Information
spousal [ˋspaʊz!] adj. 结婚的
disagreement [͵dɪsəˋgrimənt] n. 意见不一
at ease 安逸，自由自在；自然 free from pain, trouble, or anxiety
bickering [ˋbɪkərɪŋ] n. 争吵
walk into〔意外地〕撞着〔某物〕; 出乎意料陷入某境地(尤指因不慎) to meet with unwittingly
outline [ˋaʊt͵laɪn] v. 画出……的轮廓，画……的略图
ramp up [动词短语] 加强，加大 bolster or strengthen
单词发音
Vocabulary Focus
beef [bif] n.【美】【俚】抱怨，牢骚 a complaint
scrutiny [ˋskrutnɪ] n. 详细的检查；仔细的观察 the careful and detailed examination of something in order to get information about it
square off 摆好打斗的架势; 准备迎战 to prepare to fight, compete or argue with someone; to oppose someone directly
pool [pul] v.（为共同目的）合出（资金，物资，想法等）to collect something such as money or resources in order for it to be used by several different people or groups; to accumulate in a body part
road map 准则；指示；说明 a plan for achieving something
capitalize on 利用… to use a situation in order to achieve something good for oneself
contend with 对付 to have to deal with a difficult or unpleasant situation
relatively speaking 相对来说，相比较而言 said when judging one thing in comparison with other things
tax [tæks] v. 使 .. 负重担；使..受压力 to be difficult for someone
rite of passage 人生大事及其庆祝仪式 a particular event that represents the beginning of an important, new stage of life
Guitar Hero