雙語故事:賣掉企業的悲喜 The joy, sadness and fear of selling up

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，我賣掉了一家公司——頗受歡迎、適合家庭就餐的長頸鹿(Giraffe)連鎖餐廳。放手經常是一件苦樂參半的事情，賣掉長頸鹿餐廳尤其如此，因爲我曾經擔任該公司董事長兼共同所有人9年時間。在我任職期間，我親眼目睹公司的規模擴大了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，這是一段輝煌的旅程。我們創造了數百個就業崗位、上繳了大量稅款、享受了這段旅程，並給無數食客帶來了很多快樂。

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.

不可否認，獲得一張大額支票永遠是一件美好的事情，根據某些標準，賺錢就是一切。

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.

但正如一位連續創業的企業家曾告訴我的那樣，在你第一次收到數目可觀的金錢之後，那種興奮感就消退了。實際上，很多企業主在出售企業後會感到後悔。我當然也有這種感覺。

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的股份後，我從該公司董事會退下來，轉而投入其他餐飲項目。我當時有一種喪親之痛。

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.

直到現在，當我偶爾到賣掉的一家餐館就餐時，我的心裏五味雜陳：一種驕傲感油然而生，同時還伴有一絲遺憾，因爲我不再是這家經典機構的一部分了；不管怎樣，對我而言，跟它在一起的很多美好回憶已改變了我的生活。

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.

畢竟，如果你透過表面，多數企業家在花錢方面毫不擅長，即便在他們賺得盆滿鉢滿之際。他們通常會承認，他們事業的決定性時刻不是賺錢，實際上是創建一家成功企業——組建一個決勝團隊，爲客戶提供完善服務，贏得競爭以及獲得同行的讚許。這些都是企業創始人所做的事。

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，離開是一種告別，它提醒我們天下沒有不散的筵席，每一次離開就像是我們身體的某一部分永遠地消失了。

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.

當賣掉一家優秀企業時，我的另一種心情是擔憂。我總害怕自己將永遠找不到另一項資產來代替它，再也找不到另一個讓我參與其中的有趣項目了。

The world is full of second-rate businesses, and becoming a partner in a really good one is hard to do. It is easy to fool oneself into thinking a new proposition is high-quality. But such opportunities are rare – most situations are inferior, while growth is difficult and profits elusive.
二流企業到處都是，成爲一家真正優秀的企業的合夥人絕非易事。我們很容易欺騙自己，以爲新投資企業是也是好企業。但這樣的機會少之又少，多數情況下遇到的都比較差，增長乏力，利潤不穩定。
Giraffe was a particularly gratifying adventure because I worked alongside highly professional partners, the founders Russel and Juliette Joffe, who made it fun as well as lucrative. Of course, not everything we did together was perfect, but mostly it succeeded – and I felt lucky to be a part of it.
長頸鹿餐廳是一家尤其讓人愉悅的企業，因爲與我合作的都是非常專業的合夥人，創始人羅塞爾•約夫和朱麗葉特•約夫夫婦讓這家餐廳變得既有趣，又頗具盈利能力。當然，並非我們一起所做的一切都完美無缺，但它大體上是成功的，我很幸運成爲了其中的一部分。
My partners were constantly challenging and sometimes demanding – but these are necessary traits if you want to construct a real business from scratch. That is why the company of entrepreneurs is so invigorating: they do not simply accept the world as it is but see potential – and proceed to act by making that vision tangible.
我的合夥人一直很有挑戰性，有時有點苛求，但如果你想要白手起家、創建一家真正的企業，那麼這些都是必要的素質。這就是與企業家合作是如此鼓舞人心的原因：他們不接受事情本來的樣子，而是看到了潛在可能性，繼而行動起來、讓夢想成真。
A highlight of my years at Giraffe was the annual staff awards – the so-called Goscars. A couple of years ago, the MC read out a marvellous letter from a customer who regularly brought her disabled son to our Hampstead branch. The writer explained that Giraffe was the only restaurant her son ever went to because the staff always recognised him by name and treated him like a VIP. I felt privileged to be part of the Giraffe family when I heard that story.
我在長頸鹿餐廳的幾年裏，最精彩的部分是每年的員工頒獎，即所謂的長頸鹿奧斯卡(Goscar)。幾年前，頒獎禮主持人讀了一封精彩的顧客來信，這位顧客經常帶她的殘疾兒子到我們的漢普斯特德分店吃飯。她解釋道，長頸鹿餐廳是唯一一家她兒子去過的餐廳，因爲那裏的員工不但總能叫出他的名字，而且把他當成VIP來接待。當聽到這個故事時，我爲自己曾是長頸鹿家族的一員而感到榮幸。
The sale process had its moments of drama, as is normally the case. Emotions are apt to run high when the numbers are big and individuals have invested so many years of their lives in a venture that is about to change hands.
出售過程通常有着戲劇性的時刻。當收購價開得很高，而且已把生命中的很多年奉獻給了一家即將轉手的企業的時候，人們往往會情緒激動。
Part of me didn’t really want to depart but I realised the offer price was attractive and that it was the right step in the evolution of the business.
有時，我確實不想說再見，但我知道，出價很吸引人，這是企業發展過程中正確的一步。
The company has been bought by Tesco, the huge UK-based retailer. I hope it treats its acquisition well and preserves the culture. It must try to retain the hundreds of decent employees who make it innovative and exciting. Luckily, the founders are staying on board.
長頸鹿餐廳已被英國零售巨擘樂購(Tesco)收購。我希望樂購能好好待它，並保持這種文化。樂購必須努力留住數百名優秀員工，他們讓長頸鹿餐廳變成一個富於創新、令人興奮的企業。幸運的是，該公司創始人仍在董事會任職。
Meanwhile, I am going back to the drawing board, resuming an endless search for the next big thing. If I find another opportunity like Giraffe, I shall be fortunate indeed.
與此同時，我將回到我的畫板前，重新開始無休止地尋找下一個寶貝。如果還能物色到一個像長頸鹿餐廳那樣的機會，那麼我的運氣真是太好了。