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如今，全世界都在談論蘋果公司（Apple）剛推出的iPhone6和蘋果手表（Apple Watch），人們很難相信，這家價值數萬億美元的科技巨頭曾經也只是一家很小的初創電腦公司。
對于許多創業者們而言，蘋果、Facebook或Twitter的發展軌跡，證明消費者市場才是創業的藍海。
但這一點并非始終都是正確的。如果放棄與公司做生意（與消費者市場相反）的潛力，創業者們將錯失大量有利可圖的好機遇。
作為芝加哥創業服務組織1871的董事會成員，筆者接觸過許多初創企業，因此很清楚B2C（企業對消費者）公司可以從B2B（企業對企業）初創公司學到什么，包括人力資源管理公司Fieldglass、在線企業硬件交易平臺MarkITx和會議與活動在線交易市場Eved。
B2B領域有巨大的潛力；通過將新技術整合到傳統業務當中，創業者們可以顯著提高效率，開發新市場，解決長期存在的問題，在某些情況下，甚至會顛覆整個行業。事實上，越來越多的B2B初創公司正在經歷快速增長，同時獲取了令人艷羨的利潤。
以Fieldglass為例。這家芝加哥軟件公司最初規模很小，如今已成為全世界最大的供應商管理系統（VMS）提供商。據報道，該公司在今年五月被SAP公司以超過10億美元的價格收購，這是近幾年規模最大的私人科技公司交易。
再比如企業IT硬件在線交易平臺MarkITx，公司成立僅8個月，市值便已經達到1,200萬美元。筆者從公司聯合創始人弗蘭克o姆斯卡萊羅那里了解到，公司今年的收入同比增長了300%。
要創建下一家偉大的初創公司，創業者們應該從B2B公司學會以下六條經驗：
明智地確定第一批客戶
許多B2B公司往往會圍繞最初客戶來設計產品與服務，因此通過戰略方法吸引第一批客戶就變得至關重要。Eved成立之初，公司創始人兼CEO塔利亞o彌賽亞追逐的目標是戴爾（Dell）等大公司。后來，她設計了Eved平臺和在線市場，以解決這些客戶的需求，使客戶可以直觀了解會議和活動的總開支。而這為吸引其他大公司奠定了基礎，幫助她將客戶增加到5,000多家公司。
客戶的長期價值至關重要
一般而言，B2B公司的銷售周期比B2C公司更長。但大多數B2B客戶都是長期客戶，最終，B2B公司可以從客戶獲取更多價值。1999年，賈伊o謝卡瓦特成立Fieldglass，他花了超過一年時間才找到第一批客戶，其中包括威瑞森（Verizon）、美國國際集團（AIG）、葛蘭素史克（GlaxoSmithKline）和強生（Johnson &Johnson）。但他一直緊緊抓住這批客戶，現在這些客戶每年在合同雇工方面的開支都達到數十億美元。到目前為止，Fieldglass的客戶保持率超過99%。
要獲得穩定的收入，應該抓住能夠產生經常性收入的機會。
將最有可能重復使用公司產品或服務的客戶放在首位。
姆斯卡萊羅深知，金融公司將是其在線交易平臺的理想供應商，因為金融公司會在IT方面進行大量投入，并且經常要清理庫存，為最新技術騰出空間。MarkITx的第一家客戶是芝加哥商業交易所（Chicago MercantileExchange），從2013年8月以來已進行了22次交易。
開發有粘性的服務或產品
要與客戶保持長期關系，必須創建天生具有“粘性”的產品與服務，并且為同一家公司客戶包含多個層級的整合服務。MarkITx的儀表板可以通過應用程序接口（API）連接到客戶公司，為客戶提供其資產的實時市場價值數據，以及更新IT基礎設施的最佳時間。結果，這些公司會經常查看儀表板，而且在需要出售資產的時候，會更傾向于使用MarkITx。通過投身客戶遇到的實際困難當中，Fieldglass可以提前為客戶打造整合性服務。例如，公司會密切關注勞動法的變化（謝卡瓦特估計，僅在歐洲，每月便會有25-30處變化），并確保其軟件能及時反映這些變化。因此，為了解決問題，客戶對Fieldglass變得越來越依賴。
從眼前尋找商機
思考一下你的公司目前面臨的問題，或者你會如何解決行業內的問題。商機無處不在——或許這些機遇沒有那么令人興奮，但卻非常可靠且有利可圖。謝卡瓦特在產生創建Fieldglass的想法之前，曾做過合同程序開發員，為一家技術供應商工作，并為買方和客戶提供咨詢，后來他發現了管理合同雇工所面臨的挑戰。對行業內情的了解，也使他創建的公司輕松打敗了其他5家競爭對手（這些公司都已破產）。
清楚何時采取下一步行動
思考一下，你現在的工作能否變成更大的事業。2010年，Eved進軍國際市場之前，還是一家本土服務公司，公司規模在4年內增長到1,000萬美元，并入選Inc. 500強（Inc. 500）排行榜。但彌賽亞清楚，海外有更多機會。于是，她出售了Eved的服務部門，保留了研發部，將其重新打造成一家全球性公司，她的目標是公司市值達到十億美元。（中國進出口網）
With the world buzzing over Apple’s reveal this month of the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch, it’shard to believe that this multi-trillion-dollar tech giant was once a small computer startup.
For many entrepreneurs, the epic trajectory of Apple AAPL -0.87% — or Facebook FB -1.63%or Twitter TWTR 0.07% , for that matter — serves as evidence that the consumer space iswher you go to launch a winning startup.
But that doesn’t always hold true. By foregoing the potentials of selling to business (asopposed to consumers), entrepreneurs are missing out on a world of opportunities — andlucrative ones at that.
As a board member at 1871, Chicago’s entrepreneurial hub for startups, I see a lot ofstartups and know what B2C companies can learn from B2B startups, including Fieldglass,MarkITx and Eved.
The B2B space is rife with potential; by integrating new technologies into traditionalbusinesses, entrepreneurs can dramatically improve efficiencies, uncover new markets, solvelongstanding problems and, in some cases, disrupt entire industries. Indeed, an increasingnumber of B2B startups are experiencing rapid growth while achieving enviable profit margins.
Take Fieldglass, for example. Once a small startup, the Chicago-based software company is nowthe biggest vendor management system (VMS) provider in the world. In May, it was reportedlyacquired by SAP for more than $1 billion, one of the largest sales of a privately held techcompany in recent years.
Or consider MarkITx, an online marketplace to trade enterprise IT hardware, which earned a$12 million valuation after only eight months of operations. After speaking with its co-founderFrank Muscarello, the company’s revenues are up 300 percent this year compared to last.
To launch the next great startup, here are six lessons that entrepreneurs can learn from B2Bcompanies about how to launch the next great startup:
Target your first customers wisely
Many B2B businesses design their products and services around their initial clients, making itcritically important to take a strategic approach to recruiting those first customers. TaliaMashiach, founder and CEO of Eved, went after large firms like Dell when her company was stillin its early stages. She then designed Eved’s platform and online marketplace to addressthose customers’ needs and provide visibility into their meeting and the total amount spent onan event. That set the stage for the recruitment of other large-scale firms and helped herstock her online marketplace with more than 5,000 companies.
Long-term value of customers is critical
Generally speaking, B2B companies have longer sales cycles than B2C firms. However, mostB2B customers are long-term customers and, in the end, companies can extract greater valuefrom them. After Jai Shekhawat founded Fieldglass in 1999, it took him more than a year toland his first customers, which included Verizon VZ -0.80% , AIGAIG -3.34% , GlaxoSmithKlineGSK -1.33% and Johnson & Johnson JNJ -2.36% . But he held on to them, and now eachspend billions on contract labor annually. To date, Fieldglass boasts a customer retention rateof more than 99%.
To generate steady revenue, focus on opportunities to generate reoccurring revenue
Prioritize customers that are most likely to use your product or service repeatedly.
Muscarello knew that financial companies would serve as ideal suppliers for his online exchangebecause they invest heavily in IT and frequently purge their inventory to make room for thelatest technology. MarkITx’s first customer, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, is now on its22nd trade since August 2013.
Build something that sticks
To develop a long-term relationship with your customers, you need to create products orservices that are inherently “sticky” and provide several levels of integration within acompany. MarkITx’s dashboard plugs into companies via API and provides real-time data aboutthe mark-to-market value of their assets and the optimal time to refresh their ITinfrastructure. As a result, these companies regularly check the dashboard and are more apt touse MarkITx when it comes time to sell their assets. Fieldglass takes integration a step furtherby staying enmeshed in its customers’ problems. It monitors, for example, changes in laborlaws (in Europe alone, Shekhawat estimates that there are 25-30 changes per month) andensures that its software immediately reflect those shifts. In turn, customers grow moredependent on Fieldglass to manage their problem for them.
Look for a business idea on your desk
Think about the problems your company is facing or how you might address issues in yourindustry. There are business ideas there — maybe not sexy ones, but solid, profitable ones.Shekhawat came up with the idea for Fieldglass after serving as a contract developer, workingfor a technology vendor and consulting for buyers and customers, wher he witnessed thechallenges of managing contract labor. That insider knowledge also enabled him to build acompany that easily overshadowed the five preceding competitors (all have since gone out ofbusiness).
Know when to venture further
Consider whether the work you’re doing now could parlay into something bigger. Before Evedwent global in 2010, it was a local service company that grew to $10 million in four years andlanded on the Inc. 500. But Mashiach knew that there was a bigger opportunity out there. Soshe sold Eved’s service side, took its R&D and re-launched it as a global company, withher sights set on a billion-dollar goal.
