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You never know when inspiration[灵感] will strike[来到]. I’d been building websites with my brother for years—we were computer junkies[上瘾的人] who grew up playing Microsoft games and surfing the Web. But three years ago， his laptop crashed[损毁]， deleting a document[文档] where he’d saved dozens of passwords， like his Facebook log-in. It would take hours to reset them all. As I laughed at him， I realized： Wait， we could actually fix this problem. If we created a virtual[虚拟的] “cloud”where you could store log-in info， you’d never have to press “forget password” again—maybe people would even pay for that service！ We’d taught ourselves how to write computer code， so I felt confident[自信的] we could figure out how to create it.
The summer before I started my freshman[大一学生] year at NYU， we built our program and called it MySocialCloud. But we needed money to make it real. Then I saw a tweet from Richard Branson注， the world-famous billionaire[亿万富翁]. He said the first 25 people to donate $2，000 to charity[慈善团体] would get to meet him in Miami. He started his first business when he was 16， so I figured he’d respect that I was a young person also trying to make things happen—and that I could convince[使信服] him to invest[投资]！ That meant we had to get from L.A. to Florida in 48 hours. Our first move was to hit up our parents for money—but they said that we’d have to earn it， just like in the real world. So we drafted[起草] a business proposal[提议]， including how we’d pay them back. Impressed， they agreed. As I rushed to pack， my mom took my jeans out of my suitcase and told me to bring my most businessy dress， because I could not look like a slob[懒汉] with Branson！
When we arrived， we were the only people under 25. Everyone else looked so accomplished[有成就的]， which was intimidating[吓人的]. But when I spoke to Branson， I was determined. I knew he could hear the passion in my voice…even if I wasn’t polished[磨光的，精练的]. A few weeks later， Jerry Murdock （a friend of Branson’s） invited us to dinner—our fingers were crossed， but we tried not to get our hopes up！ He told us that he and Branson liked how gutsy[勇敢的] we were and they would invest $1 million. I looked at my brother like， is this for real？！？
After that， Alex Welch （a big name in the tech world） decided to invest too. My life totally changed！ I was busy with marketing and meetings in addition to taking classes at NYU. My schedule[时间表] was insane[疯狂的]—sometimes I slept only three hours a night！ We hired five employees and moved to an office in L.A.， where we covered a wall with whiteboard paint and scribbled[潦草地写] ideas as they came to us. Instead of getting someone coffee at an internship[实习期]， I’m the boss！ This past July， we got a huge offer to buy our company—and accepted it！ I’m still running it， but I have time to help other people—because I know I’m not the only one with a great idea. I’m working on a book called 2 Billion Under 20. The idea is that there are two billion kids under 20 doing amazing things in the world； by giving some of them a voice， I hope that people everywhere will be inspired to do something awesome.
你永远不知道灵感何时降临。多年来，我和弟弟一直在建设网站——我们是从小玩着微软游戏、上网冲浪长大的电脑迷。三年前，他的笔记本电脑崩溃了，一份保存着几十个类似“脸谱”等网站登录密码的文件被删除了，需要花数小时才能重新设置所有密码。我幸灾乐祸，并突然意识到：等等，其实我们可以解决这个问题。假如我们创建一个虚拟的“云”来储存登录信息，就永远不必再按下那个“忘记密码”的按钮了，也许人们还愿意花钱购买这项服务呢！我们已经自学过如何编写计算机代码，所以我有信心我们能弄明白如何创建这朵“云”。
今年夏天，在我到纽约大学读大一之前，我们创建了这项计划，并把它命名为“我的社交云”。但是我们需要资金来实现这项计划。随后，我看到世界著名亿万富翁理查德·布兰森的一条推文，说最早为慈善机构捐款2000美元的前25个人，将可以和他在迈阿密见面。他开始做第一笔生意时年仅16岁，所以我想，他应该会尊重我这个同样踌躇满志的年轻人，我应该能说服他投资！这意味着我们必须在48小时内从洛杉矶赶到佛罗里达。我们的第一步是向父母要钱，但他们说我们必须自己赚得这笔钱，就像在现实世界中那样。于是我们起草了一份商业计划书，内容包括我们将如何偿还他们这笔资金。他们很赞赏我们的想法，同意借出这笔钱。我立刻冲去收拾行装，妈妈把我的牛仔裤从行李箱挑了出来，叫我换成最有职业装味道的衣服，因为我总不能像个吊儿郎当的懒人一样和布兰森见面啊！
抵达佛罗里达州时，我们是那里唯一年龄在2 5岁以下的人。其他人看起来都是那么功成名就，有点令人望而却步。但在与布兰森谈话时，我意志坚定。我知道他能听到我声音里的激情……即使当时的我是那么朴拙稚嫩。几个星期后，杰里·默多克（布兰森的朋友）邀请我们共进晚餐。我们虽然战战兢兢地为此祈祷，但还是尽量让自己不要抱有太大希望！他告诉我们，他和布兰森很欣赏我们的勇气，并愿意为我们投资100万美元。我看着弟弟，那表情就好像在说：“这是真的吗？！？”
此后，亚历克斯·韦尔奇（科技界的大腕）也决定给我们投资。我的生活完全变了样！除了继续修读纽约大学的课程，我还要忙着管理营销和开会。我的日程表排得满满的，有时晚上只能睡三个小时！我们聘请了五名员工，并搬到洛杉矶的一间办公室。我们在一面墙上涂上白板漆，每当有灵感，就在墙上草草记下。我没有成为给别人端咖啡的实习生，我自己就是老板！
在刚刚过去的七月，我们得到一份收购我们公司的提议——我们接受了！虽然我仍在运营这间公司，但是现在我有时间去帮助其他的人，因为我知道，有好点子的人不只我一个。我正在写一本书，叫做《20亿个未满20岁的天才》，主要讲述世界上有20亿个20岁以下的年轻人在做着令人赞叹的事；我希望通过给予一些人发声的机会，使各地的人们受到鼓舞，去做一些了不起的事。
Stacey’s Most Amazing Moments！史黛丝的精彩时刻！
Stacey is an entrepreneur[企业家] with big ideas. She shared the top five defining moments of her life with us！ Read through and you might be inspired to turn your own ideas into action！
史黛丝是一个拥有许多好点子的企业家，她和我们分享了人生中最关键的五个时刻！看看以下内容，也许你会受到启发，将自己的想法变为行动呢！
Her First Family Road Trip第一次家庭自驾游
“As a little girl， my parents made sure my brother and I were able to explore all aspects[方面] of the world. One summer， my mom， brother， grandma and I spent a month in a car together driving from Arizona to Maine and back. This trip laid the foundation for my brother and me to be great friends—and future business partners！”
“当我还是一个小女孩的时候，我的父母就确保我和弟弟能够探索这个世界的方方面面。有一年夏天，我妈妈、弟弟、奶奶和我花了一个月时间，一起驾车从亚利桑那州开到缅因州，再开回来。此行为弟弟和我成为挚友及未来的事业合作伙伴奠定了基础！”
Stepping Out of Her Comfort Zone走出舒适区 “After I graduated high school， my brother and I took a risk and moved to L.A.， to start our company， MySocialCloud. We earned money by renting out a room in our apartment to help us pay rent. One of my favorite quotes is ‘The biggest risk is to take no risk at all.’ I try to live by this quote everyday and tell myself not to be afraid.”
“高中毕业以后，我和弟弟冒险一搏，搬到洛杉矶，创办了我们的公司——‘我的社交云’。我们将公寓的一个房间出租，以此赚钱帮助支付租金。我最喜欢的一句话是‘最大的风险就是不冒任何风险。’我努力按这句话来度过每一天，告诉自己不要害怕。”
Rerouting[变更旅程] the Traditional Path不走寻常路
“During my freshman year at NYU I was working on my business from the other side of the country. At the end of that year， and after a lot of product growth， I decided to take a leave of absence[缺席] from NYU and move back to L.A. to continue working on MySocialCloud with a team of ten people. It was a hard decision to make， but I always remind myself that there is no one else in the world that has had the experiences I’ve had. This goes for everyone. Each of us experience life in a different way that makes us unique[独特的] and valuable to the world.”
“在纽约大学读大一时，我就在这个国家的另一端经营着我的事业。那年年底，在产品有了很大的成长以后，我决定从纽约大学休学，搬回洛杉矶，与一个十人团队一起继续经营‘我的社交云’。这是一个艰难的决定，但我时刻提醒自己，这世上没有人拥有我所经历的一切。这一点适用于每一个人。我们每个人都以不同的方式经历生活，这使我们每个人对于世界而言都是独特而宝贵的存在。”
Meeting Sir Richard Branson与理查德·布兰森先生见面
“During the summer that we moved to L.A.， I saw a tweet from Sir Richard Branson that changed my life. With $4，000 borrowed from my parents， my brother and I were in Florida meeting Sir Richard Branson！ It was worth it—he， Jerry Murdock， and Alex Welch ended up investing $1 million in my company！”
“在我们搬到洛杉矶的那个夏天，我看到理查德·布兰森先生的一条推文，它改变了我的人生。我和弟弟向父母借了4000美元，在佛罗里达州与理查德·布兰森先生见了面！此行物有所值——最后理查德·布兰森、杰里·默多克和亚历克斯·韦尔奇为我的公司投资了100万美元！”
Sharing Inspirational Stories分享经验
“Six months after I moved back to L.A.， I began speaking about my journey. I spoke to help others take calculated[适当的] risks with their business ventures[投机，风险]. Recently， I began working with a friend on a book called 2 Billion Under 20. The response for the book has been absolutely amazing so far. We have people submitting[提交] stories from all around the world！”
“搬回洛杉矶六个月以后，我开始向人们讲述我的历程。我的演讲主要是帮助其他人承担合理的商业风险。最近，我开始和一位朋友合作编写一本名为《20亿个未满20岁的天才》的书，目前为止，反应相当不错。世界各地的人们向我们提交自己的故事！”
The summer before I started my freshman[大一学生] year at NYU， we built our program and called it MySocialCloud. But we needed money to make it real. Then I saw a tweet from Richard Branson注， the world-famous billionaire[亿万富翁]. He said the first 25 people to donate $2，000 to charity[慈善团体] would get to meet him in Miami. He started his first business when he was 16， so I figured he’d respect that I was a young person also trying to make things happen—and that I could convince[使信服] him to invest[投资]！ That meant we had to get from L.A. to Florida in 48 hours. Our first move was to hit up our parents for money—but they said that we’d have to earn it， just like in the real world. So we drafted[起草] a business proposal[提议]， including how we’d pay them back. Impressed， they agreed. As I rushed to pack， my mom took my jeans out of my suitcase and told me to bring my most businessy dress， because I could not look like a slob[懒汉] with Branson！
When we arrived， we were the only people under 25. Everyone else looked so accomplished[有成就的]， which was intimidating[吓人的]. But when I spoke to Branson， I was determined. I knew he could hear the passion in my voice…even if I wasn’t polished[磨光的，精练的]. A few weeks later， Jerry Murdock （a friend of Branson’s） invited us to dinner—our fingers were crossed， but we tried not to get our hopes up！ He told us that he and Branson liked how gutsy[勇敢的] we were and they would invest $1 million. I looked at my brother like， is this for real？！？
After that， Alex Welch （a big name in the tech world） decided to invest too. My life totally changed！ I was busy with marketing and meetings in addition to taking classes at NYU. My schedule[时间表] was insane[疯狂的]—sometimes I slept only three hours a night！ We hired five employees and moved to an office in L.A.， where we covered a wall with whiteboard paint and scribbled[潦草地写] ideas as they came to us. Instead of getting someone coffee at an internship[实习期]， I’m the boss！ This past July， we got a huge offer to buy our company—and accepted it！ I’m still running it， but I have time to help other people—because I know I’m not the only one with a great idea. I’m working on a book called 2 Billion Under 20. The idea is that there are two billion kids under 20 doing amazing things in the world； by giving some of them a voice， I hope that people everywhere will be inspired to do something awesome.
你永远不知道灵感何时降临。多年来，我和弟弟一直在建设网站——我们是从小玩着微软游戏、上网冲浪长大的电脑迷。三年前，他的笔记本电脑崩溃了，一份保存着几十个类似“脸谱”等网站登录密码的文件被删除了，需要花数小时才能重新设置所有密码。我幸灾乐祸，并突然意识到：等等，其实我们可以解决这个问题。假如我们创建一个虚拟的“云”来储存登录信息，就永远不必再按下那个“忘记密码”的按钮了，也许人们还愿意花钱购买这项服务呢！我们已经自学过如何编写计算机代码，所以我有信心我们能弄明白如何创建这朵“云”。
今年夏天，在我到纽约大学读大一之前，我们创建了这项计划，并把它命名为“我的社交云”。但是我们需要资金来实现这项计划。随后，我看到世界著名亿万富翁理查德·布兰森的一条推文，说最早为慈善机构捐款2000美元的前25个人，将可以和他在迈阿密见面。他开始做第一笔生意时年仅16岁，所以我想，他应该会尊重我这个同样踌躇满志的年轻人，我应该能说服他投资！这意味着我们必须在48小时内从洛杉矶赶到佛罗里达。我们的第一步是向父母要钱，但他们说我们必须自己赚得这笔钱，就像在现实世界中那样。于是我们起草了一份商业计划书，内容包括我们将如何偿还他们这笔资金。他们很赞赏我们的想法，同意借出这笔钱。我立刻冲去收拾行装，妈妈把我的牛仔裤从行李箱挑了出来，叫我换成最有职业装味道的衣服，因为我总不能像个吊儿郎当的懒人一样和布兰森见面啊！
抵达佛罗里达州时，我们是那里唯一年龄在2 5岁以下的人。其他人看起来都是那么功成名就，有点令人望而却步。但在与布兰森谈话时，我意志坚定。我知道他能听到我声音里的激情……即使当时的我是那么朴拙稚嫩。几个星期后，杰里·默多克（布兰森的朋友）邀请我们共进晚餐。我们虽然战战兢兢地为此祈祷，但还是尽量让自己不要抱有太大希望！他告诉我们，他和布兰森很欣赏我们的勇气，并愿意为我们投资100万美元。我看着弟弟，那表情就好像在说：“这是真的吗？！？”
此后，亚历克斯·韦尔奇（科技界的大腕）也决定给我们投资。我的生活完全变了样！除了继续修读纽约大学的课程，我还要忙着管理营销和开会。我的日程表排得满满的，有时晚上只能睡三个小时！我们聘请了五名员工，并搬到洛杉矶的一间办公室。我们在一面墙上涂上白板漆，每当有灵感，就在墙上草草记下。我没有成为给别人端咖啡的实习生，我自己就是老板！
在刚刚过去的七月，我们得到一份收购我们公司的提议——我们接受了！虽然我仍在运营这间公司，但是现在我有时间去帮助其他的人，因为我知道，有好点子的人不只我一个。我正在写一本书，叫做《20亿个未满20岁的天才》，主要讲述世界上有20亿个20岁以下的年轻人在做着令人赞叹的事；我希望通过给予一些人发声的机会，使各地的人们受到鼓舞，去做一些了不起的事。
Stacey’s Most Amazing Moments！史黛丝的精彩时刻！
Stacey is an entrepreneur[企业家] with big ideas. She shared the top five defining moments of her life with us！ Read through and you might be inspired to turn your own ideas into action！
史黛丝是一个拥有许多好点子的企业家，她和我们分享了人生中最关键的五个时刻！看看以下内容，也许你会受到启发，将自己的想法变为行动呢！
Her First Family Road Trip第一次家庭自驾游
“As a little girl， my parents made sure my brother and I were able to explore all aspects[方面] of the world. One summer， my mom， brother， grandma and I spent a month in a car together driving from Arizona to Maine and back. This trip laid the foundation for my brother and me to be great friends—and future business partners！”
“当我还是一个小女孩的时候，我的父母就确保我和弟弟能够探索这个世界的方方面面。有一年夏天，我妈妈、弟弟、奶奶和我花了一个月时间，一起驾车从亚利桑那州开到缅因州，再开回来。此行为弟弟和我成为挚友及未来的事业合作伙伴奠定了基础！”
Stepping Out of Her Comfort Zone走出舒适区 “After I graduated high school， my brother and I took a risk and moved to L.A.， to start our company， MySocialCloud. We earned money by renting out a room in our apartment to help us pay rent. One of my favorite quotes is ‘The biggest risk is to take no risk at all.’ I try to live by this quote everyday and tell myself not to be afraid.”
“高中毕业以后，我和弟弟冒险一搏，搬到洛杉矶，创办了我们的公司——‘我的社交云’。我们将公寓的一个房间出租，以此赚钱帮助支付租金。我最喜欢的一句话是‘最大的风险就是不冒任何风险。’我努力按这句话来度过每一天，告诉自己不要害怕。”
Rerouting[变更旅程] the Traditional Path不走寻常路
“During my freshman year at NYU I was working on my business from the other side of the country. At the end of that year， and after a lot of product growth， I decided to take a leave of absence[缺席] from NYU and move back to L.A. to continue working on MySocialCloud with a team of ten people. It was a hard decision to make， but I always remind myself that there is no one else in the world that has had the experiences I’ve had. This goes for everyone. Each of us experience life in a different way that makes us unique[独特的] and valuable to the world.”
“在纽约大学读大一时，我就在这个国家的另一端经营着我的事业。那年年底，在产品有了很大的成长以后，我决定从纽约大学休学，搬回洛杉矶，与一个十人团队一起继续经营‘我的社交云’。这是一个艰难的决定，但我时刻提醒自己，这世上没有人拥有我所经历的一切。这一点适用于每一个人。我们每个人都以不同的方式经历生活，这使我们每个人对于世界而言都是独特而宝贵的存在。”
Meeting Sir Richard Branson与理查德·布兰森先生见面
“During the summer that we moved to L.A.， I saw a tweet from Sir Richard Branson that changed my life. With $4，000 borrowed from my parents， my brother and I were in Florida meeting Sir Richard Branson！ It was worth it—he， Jerry Murdock， and Alex Welch ended up investing $1 million in my company！”
“在我们搬到洛杉矶的那个夏天，我看到理查德·布兰森先生的一条推文，它改变了我的人生。我和弟弟向父母借了4000美元，在佛罗里达州与理查德·布兰森先生见了面！此行物有所值——最后理查德·布兰森、杰里·默多克和亚历克斯·韦尔奇为我的公司投资了100万美元！”
Sharing Inspirational Stories分享经验
“Six months after I moved back to L.A.， I began speaking about my journey. I spoke to help others take calculated[适当的] risks with their business ventures[投机，风险]. Recently， I began working with a friend on a book called 2 Billion Under 20. The response for the book has been absolutely amazing so far. We have people submitting[提交] stories from all around the world！”
“搬回洛杉矶六个月以后，我开始向人们讲述我的历程。我的演讲主要是帮助其他人承担合理的商业风险。最近，我开始和一位朋友合作编写一本名为《20亿个未满20岁的天才》的书，目前为止，反应相当不错。世界各地的人们向我们提交自己的故事！”