维克斯豪企业家九转功成

大衛·默克勒是美国北卡罗来纳州维克斯豪的一位企业家。他曾运营过一家清洁公司，大获成功;也运营过一家帮客户避免丧失抵押品赎回权的代理公司，却一败涂地。他曾在讲座中给其他创业者以启迪，也曾在失败的投资中损失惨重。但他始终没有放弃，而是将失败转化为前进的动力，开辟了新的事业。他的经历能给我们怎样的启发呢？

Serial entrepreneur David Moakler has seen his share of small business highs and lows.

Still， Moakler， 50， charted his way to success after launching a company in 2005. Its a Waxhaw based distributor of hotlines that helps employees facing personal challenges including massive debt and gambling addiction.

An app， the companys latest innovation， is timely， offering phone numbers to users struggling with suicide or abusive padners. News about the suicide of comedian Robin Williams and athletes facing domestic violence charges， he said， motivated him to add features that tap into contemporary issues.

But creating a product that he hopes makes a difference would not have been possible， he said， if he had not leamed to embrace his mistakes， and even laugh at them. “You arent what you accom-plish and what you dont，” he said. “Youre not your failures.” Ups and Downs Moaklers myriad business ups and downs started when he was a college student in Rhode Island. Uninterested in classes on business theory and more intrigued by practical application， he started a carpet cleaning company that grew into a janitorial service with 22 employees. He sold it five years later.

Seeking more sunshine， he moved to Charlotte in his mid-20s and began selling audio recordings of his own tips for helping entre-preneurs grow their businesses. He tumed it into a nationwide lec-ture series that lasted 18 months and toured 52 aties. After the tour， he published a catalog to sell more tapes but never got any orders.

Idea Crystallized

While he wishes he could “pluck out and rewrite” that part of his life， Moakler said what hes leamed about compliance helps him find the nght service providers for his now-profitable business， a venture he formed after a 14-hour flight to Argentina.

Next to him sat a social worker， frustrated that she did not have a go to list of trustworthy helplines to give to clients struggling with money.“By the time that plane landed in Buenos Aires， the idea had started to crystallize in my head，” Moakler said.

Using card-stock paper and a toll-free telephone switchboard， Moakler started the company， distributing laminated inserts with helpline numbers to social workers. He soon began mass-producing the numbers on 11x17- inch posters that employers could hang in break rooms.

“Those calls would go to experts. Employees wouldnt feel they had to bother their supervisor in an uncomfortable， awkward discussion about financial problems.” Moakler said.

A Perfect Fit

Moakler started developing the app after questioning his companys trajectory. “We are Iiving out of smart phones so much， thats gotta be where this has to go，” he said.

The app， Trusted Helplines， gives users access to experts able to help them with mortgage payments， student loan debt， child support collection， and credit score improvement， among others. Most recently， he added suicide prevention and domestic violence help. Providing connections on a range of issues， Moakler said，“is a perfect fit.” Quick access might make all the difference for distressed employees considering suicide， said Margaux Austin， executive director of HopeLine， a Raleigh crisis center. “When someone is in that crisis moment， it could be they just need someone to talk to，”Austin said.

“It might make sure the public gets a little more information about what the signs are，” he said. “Its a terrific way to show you care about your peoole. ” Moakler said.

连续创业家大卫·默克勒见证过其参与的商业项目的起起落落。

然而，年已50岁的默克勒仍在為成功绘制蓝图。2005年，他创办了一家公司。公司是一家总部位于维克斯豪的热线经销商，旨在帮助上班族处理包括大额负债及赌瘾在内的个人生活困境。

该公司最近推出了一款手机应用，这一最新创举十分合乎时宜，它向遭受自杀及家暴困扰的用户提供求助电话。默克勒说，喜剧演员罗宾·威廉姆斯的自杀以及面临家暴指控的运动员的新闻使他萌生了这一想法，并决定将当下热点问题添加到手机应用的功能中去。

他还表示，想要创造出一款有影响力的产品并非易事，如果他没有学会直面自己的错误，甚至付之一笑，这一切都不可能实现。“荣辱与成败无法定义一个人，”他说，“失败并非终结。”

跌宕沉浮

默克勒在商业上所经历的起起伏伏最早开始于他在罗德岛念大学期间。由于对商业理论课程缺乏兴趣，却对实际商业操作兴致勃勃，默克勒创办了一家逐渐成长为拥有22名员工的清洁服务公司。五年后，默克勒卖掉了该公司。

20多岁时，默克勒来到了阳光充沛的夏洛特，并开始售卖自己录制的旨在帮助企业家创业的录音带。由此他发起了一场持续18个月的全国巡回演讲，足迹遍布52座城市。巡回演讲结束后，他发行了一本宣传册以求增加录音带销量，结果却鲜有人问津。

灵感乍现

默克勒说，当他发愁如何“抹除和重写”那一段人生经历时，他从遵循和服从中学到的东西，帮他找到了合适的服务供应商以实现他最新的商业盈利计划——在飞往阿根廷的飞机上坐了14小时后，默克勒决定做一笔风险生意。

飞机上坐在他身边的是一位满脸沮丧的社会工作者，她急需一份值得信赖的热线电话列表来帮助遇到财务问题的客户。“飞机在布宜诺斯艾利斯降落的那一刻，这个想法开始在我脑子里成形。”默克勒说。

仅凭卡片纸和一台免费电话总机，默克勒就创立起了公司，并为社会工作者提供写有热线电话号码的纸签。不久后，他开始大规模生产印有电话号码的11x17英寸大的海报，以便雇主悬挂在休息室。

“雇员们可以选择打电话向专家咨询，而不必因财务问题和上级进行不自在甚至尴尬的交谈。”默克勒说。

完美结合

在仔细考虑了公司的发展方向后，默克勒开始开发手机应用。“我们越来越离不开智能手机，因此必须朝这个方向发展。”他说。这款名叫Trusted Helplines（信赖热线）的手机应用，用户通过它可以和专家取得联系，寻求解决房贷、学生贷款、索要孩童抚养费、提高信用评分等问题的方法。最近，默克勒还增加了预防自杀和家暴援助服务。默克勒称，将人们与各种问题的解决者联系起来是一种“完美结合”。

HopeLine（希望热线）是一家位于罗利的危机处理中心，其执行官玛尔戈·奥斯丁表示，向面对自杀压力的员工提供寻求帮助的快捷通道意义重大。奥斯丁说，“一个人处在那样一种危机状态中时，他可能只是想找个人谈一谈。”

“这一应用能使大众对危机下产生的一些迹象有更多的了解，”他说，“这极好地说明了我们对人充满关怀。”