????上世紀90年代初，當時我還是高盛公司（Goldman Sachs）的一個初級職員。當時的傳統(tǒng)觀念認為，成長型企業(yè)一旦年收入達到１億美元，而且至少兩個季度保持盈利，那么就算是做好了上市的準備。我當初對這種看法也深信不疑。

????“1億美元營收”理論基于這樣一種觀念：一個企業(yè)的規(guī)模必須滿足兩個條件：一、能夠承受住競爭壓力；二、實現(xiàn)足夠多的市值，才能通過IPO向機構(gòu)買家銷售出足夠的股票，同時不致于在IPO的過程中使其市值遭到大量稀釋。

????這個理論其實沒有道理，不過現(xiàn)實中仍然有很多銀行家和風(fēng)投家將其奉為圭臬。處于成長期的企業(yè)家如果要想把自己打造成長期贏家，就必須要明白，上市并不是企業(yè)走長期發(fā)展之路的最后一步。但不可否認的是，上市是企業(yè)長期發(fā)展過程中的重要一環(huán)。過早進行IPO，可能會對企業(yè)的長久健康產(chǎn)生災(zāi)難性的影響。反之，過晚進行IPO，可能會導(dǎo)致競爭對手搶占先手。

????以我的經(jīng)驗來看，考慮是否要進行IPO時，有三點要素必須考慮。如果你的企業(yè)在這三點上做得不強，那么IPO就會給你帶來重大風(fēng)險。

????１.可預(yù)測性。如果你的企業(yè)年收益只有5,000萬美元，但你能很精確地知道下個季度、甚至明年的經(jīng)營情況大概如何，那么你就已經(jīng)通過這個測試了。換句話說，即便你的企業(yè)年營收達到２億美元，但你無法可靠預(yù)測不久的將來是什么情況，那就要小心了。如果你實現(xiàn)了上季度預(yù)期的97%的水平，你的風(fēng)投們會很高興。但是如果你的實際營收與預(yù)期或分析師的預(yù)測相差3%以上，你的股票很可能會跌。而這種情況往往會打擊員工的士氣，長了競爭對手的威風(fēng)，因此風(fēng)險是很高的。進行IPO之前，最好還是花點時間，加強企業(yè)的可預(yù)測性。

????2. 基本增長潛力。有的CEO可能認為，年營收1億美元已經(jīng)可以讓公司邁入IPO的門檻了，但我想問問他們，有什么計劃讓公司實現(xiàn)3億美元以上的營收。IPO并不意味著大功告成。IPO就好比你從大學(xué)聯(lián)賽進入職業(yè)聯(lián)賽，必須更加嚴格要求自己。如果你的公司的確增長得很快，而且前面的確有一個巨大的市場在等著你，那么3億美元以上的營收就只是小菜一碟，公眾投資者也會回報你。但是如果你的公司只是勉強實現(xiàn)了1億美元的營收，在沒有更多市場潛力的情況下就倉促進行IPO，那么你不要指望市場會像搞慈善募捐一樣給你捐錢。最好的團隊都有好幾條未來發(fā)展的錦囊妙計。你可能不知道所有未來可供開拓的潛在發(fā)展方向，但你在IPO之前應(yīng)該有一個發(fā)展計劃。最好的團隊永遠都在投資進行幾項試驗，看其中的哪個項目可能促進增長。你考慮進行IPO之前，這些試驗的早期結(jié)果至少應(yīng)該能夠給你足夠的勇氣來進行IPO。

????As a junior banker at Goldman Sachs (GS) in the early 1990's, I was weaned on the conventional wisdom that growth companies were ready to go public when they reached $100 million in annualized revenue and had at least two quarters of profitability under their belts.

????The "$100 million revenue" theory was based on the idea that a company must be large enough to both: (a) withstand competitive pressures and (b) earn a large enough market value to enable the company to sell enough stock to institutional buyers in its IPO, without suffering massive dilution in the process.

????This theory makes no sense, despite the fact that many bankers and VCs still cling to it like religion. Growth-stage entrepreneurs who want to build long-term winners need to take heed. Going public is by no means the final step to going long. But, it's a big step in the process. Completing an IPO too early can have disastrous effects on the future health of your business. Conversely, waiting too long to do your IPO might allow a competitor to steal your thunder.

????In my experience, there are three key attributes you must have to consider an IPO. You're taking major risks if you're not strong on these three:

????1. Predictability & Visibility. If your business is $50 million in revenue but you know with high precision what next quarter, or even next year, is going to look like, you pass the test. On the other hand, even if your business is $200 million in revenue, and you can't reliably predict what's around the corner, watch out. Your VCs may have been happy when you hit 97% of plan last quarter. If you miss guidance or analyst expectations by 3% once you're public, your stock will likely plummet, often causing employee morale to suffer and competitors to be emboldened. The stakes are high -- take the time you need to ensure that you have built predictability into your company before your IPO.

????2. Underlying Growth Potential. When CEOs fall into the trap of thinking the $100 million revenue plateau is sufficient to "get out" in an IPO, I like to ask them about their plan to get to$300 million or more in revenue. The IPO is not an end game. A better analogy is that going public is more like moving from college sports to the pros. You need to ratchet up your game and be ready. If you're growing fast and have a large market in front of you, $300 million or more will seem like a breeze, and public investors will reward you. If, on the other hand, you eke out growth to $100 million without much more potential and go IPO, don't expect to have a fun run as a public company. The best teams have several tricks up their sleeve for future growth. You may not know all the growth vectors you plan to open up in the future, but you should have a game plan before your IPO. The best teams are always investing in several experiments that could augment growth. You should be encouraged enough by the early results of such experiments before considering an IPO.