Don't Talk to Corp Dev
January 2015 Corporate Development, aka corp dev, is the group within companies that buys other companies.
2015 年 1 月 企业发展部，又名企业开发部，是公司内部收购其他公司的团体。
If you're talking to someone from corp dev, that's why, whether you realize it yet or not.
如果您正在与公司开发人员交谈，这就是原因，无论您是否意识到。
It's usually a mistake to talk to corp dev unless (a) you want to sell your company right now and (b) you're sufficiently likely to get an offer at an acceptable price.
与公司开发人员交谈通常是错误的，除非（a）您现在想出售您的公司并且（b）您有足够的可能以可接受的价格获得报价。
In practice that means startups should only talk to corp dev when they're either doing really well
在实践中，这意味着初创公司只有在做得非常好的时候才应该与公司开发人员交谈
or really badly.
或者真的很糟糕。
If you're doing really badly, meaning the company is about to die, you may as well talk to them, because you have nothing to lose.
如果你做得很糟糕，意味着公司快要倒闭了，你不妨和他们谈谈，因为你没有什么可失去的。
And if you're doing really well, you can safely talk to them, because you both know the price will have to be high, and if they show the slightest sign of wasting your time, you'll be confident enough to tell them to get lost.
如果你做得很好，你可以放心地和他们交谈，因为你们都知道价格一定会很高，如果他们表现出丝毫浪费你时间的迹象，你就会有足够的信心让他们滚开。
The danger is to companies in the middle.
危险在于中间的公司。
Particularly to young
尤其是对于年轻人来说
companies that are growing fast, but haven't been doing it for long enough to have grown big yet.
这些公司发展迅速，但发展时间还不够长，还没有发展壮大。
It's usually a mistake for a promising company less than a year old even to talk to corp dev.
对于一家成立不到一年的有前途的公司来说，即使与公司开发人员交谈通常也是错误的。
But it's a mistake founders constantly make.
但这是创始人经常犯的错误。
When someone from corp dev wants to meet, the founders tell themselves they should at least find out what they want.
当公司开发人员想要见面时，创始人告诉自己，他们至少应该弄清楚他们想要什么。
Besides, they don't want to offend Big Company by refusing to meet.
再说了，他们也不想因为拒绝见面而得罪大公司。
Well, I'll tell you what they want.
好吧，我会告诉你他们想要什么。
They want to talk about buying you.
他们想谈论购买你。
That's what the title "corp dev" means.
这就是“corp dev”这个标题的意思。
So before agreeing to meet with someone from corp dev, ask yourselves, "Do we want to sell the company right now?" And if the answer is no, tell them "Sorry, but we're focusing on growing the company." They won't be offended.
因此，在同意与公司开发人员会面之前，问问自己：“我们现在想卖掉公司吗？”如果答案是否定的，请告诉他们“抱歉，但我们专注于发展公司。”他们不会被冒犯。
And certainly the founders of Big Company won't be offended.
当然，大公司的创始人也不会被冒犯。
If anything they'll think more highly of you.
如果有的话，他们会对你评价更高。
You'll
你会
remind them of themselves.
让他们想起自己。
They didn't sell either; that's why they're in a position now to buy other companies.
他们也不卖；这就是为什么他们现在有能力收购其他公司。
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