Tips for New Graduates Who Want to Be Their Own Boss 畢業(yè)生自主創(chuàng)業(yè)小貼士

杰茜卡·阿什克納齊　吳漪妮

Make the most of networking opportunities

Get to those networking events and talk， talk， talk. “There is value in every conversation you have， you never know where your next piece of work may come from. Changing the mindset to professionalism and saying， ‘I am a graphic designer rather than ‘I am a graduate is very important，” says Lydia Wakefield， education and training manager at the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed.

Know your worth

Its hard to persuade people to pay for your work if youre willing to give it away. “Value your worth from the beginning. A lot of people feel the pressure to work for nothing or charge a really low rate if theyve been studying. Clients are willing to pay for the quality of the work that you do，” says Wakefield.

Set up with the tools to get paid

Register for self-assessment1 and file those tax returns. “Make sure you have contracts and invoice templates in place，” says Wakefield. It doesnt hurt to get some advice from a professional， says Jeff Skinner， of the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School. “Find an accountant or someone doing something similar and ask them for commercial advice，” he says.

Manage expectations

Know the limits to your capabilities. “You can feel the need to say yes to every project. Have a self-awareness of how much work you can take on at any time and manage expectations，” says Wakefield.

Resilience

Wakefield highlights the importance of having a thick skin. “If you get a no， dont take it to heart. Keep going， you will find your next client，” she says， “ask for feedback， you can always use it for testimonial.” And， remember that youre not alone. “It really is emotional highs and lows for any entrepreneur in early stages. But youre in a network with other people on the same journey as you，” says Skinner.

充分利用社交機(jī)會(huì)

去參加社交活動(dòng)，不停與人交流。獨(dú)立職業(yè)人士與個(gè)體經(jīng)營(yíng)協(xié)會(huì)教育培訓(xùn)經(jīng)理莉迪婭·韋克菲爾德表示：“每段交流都有價(jià)值，你永遠(yuǎn)不知道下一個(gè)客戶可能從事什么行業(yè)，而且，轉(zhuǎn)變心態(tài)從專業(yè)角度自我介紹十分重要。例如，用‘我是平面設(shè)計(jì)師，來(lái)代替‘我剛畢業(yè)?！?/p>

了解自身價(jià)值

如果自己選擇了放棄，那就很難指望有人會(huì)給你報(bào)酬。韋克菲爾德說(shuō)：“從一開(kāi)始就要了解自身價(jià)值，剛起步時(shí)，許多人承受了無(wú)薪工作或低薪工作的壓力。可是，客戶是愿意為你的高質(zhì)量成果買單的。”

運(yùn)用記賬工具

注冊(cè)自我評(píng)稅報(bào)表并將納稅申報(bào)表存檔。“確保存有合同和發(fā)票模板?！表f克菲爾德表示。倫敦商學(xué)院創(chuàng)新與創(chuàng)業(yè)研究所的杰夫·斯金納認(rèn)為，從專業(yè)人士處獲取建議有益無(wú)害，“找個(gè)會(huì)計(jì)師或從事相關(guān)行業(yè)的人，向他們征求商務(wù)建議”。

量力而行

了解自己的能力極限?！澳慊蛟S覺(jué)得有必要接下各個(gè)項(xiàng)目，可是，要時(shí)刻保持清醒，把握自己的工作量上限，量力而行?！表f克菲爾德表示。

發(fā)揮韌性

韋克菲爾德強(qiáng)調(diào)了厚臉皮的重要性。“如果有人否定你，別往心里去，繼續(xù)前進(jìn)，總會(huì)受到賞識(shí)的。要尋求反饋，因?yàn)樗梢猿蔀槟阏J(rèn)真工作的證據(jù)?！闭?qǐng)記住，你并不是孤身一人。斯金納說(shuō)：“每個(gè)企業(yè)家在創(chuàng)業(yè)初期，都經(jīng)歷過(guò)情緒上的高低起伏。但是，在創(chuàng)業(yè)的世界還有人與你并肩同行?！?/p>

（譯者單位：天津外國(guó)語(yǔ)大學(xué)濱海外事學(xué)院）