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2011年“很多人的咖啡馆”在北京正式开业，这是一家由多人集资、管理的小店。如今越来越多的年轻人热衷于这种集资创业模式，以此来降低创业风险。然而，事实真的如此吗? Luo Yi is sitting back in a cafe near the University of International Business and Economics, just like everyone else. The difference is that the 25-year-old is also the owner of the cafe, along with other 133 peers.
罗毅(音译)正惬意地坐在对外经贸大学旁边的一间咖啡馆中，看上去他和其他人并无两样。但不同之处就在于，25岁的他同另外133名同伴一起经营着这家咖啡馆。
The cafe is called Our’s Cafe, it targets college students and young professionals in the neighborhood. And it is the result of a crowd-funding project to which 134 individuals contributed 2,000 yuan a share. Many students long to realize their dream of owning a company through this new method of starting up a business. But experts warn that crowd funding can be risky.
这家小店名叫“很多人的咖啡馆”，顾客大都是大学生和在附近工作的年轻白领。作为集体集资的成果，在“很多人的咖啡馆”这个项目里，134名股东每人投资了2000元。尽管很多学生都希望通过这种全新的创业方式来开公司的梦想，但专家表示，集资创业有风险。
Our’s Cafe started as a post on Douban.com in 2011, which proposed to raise funds for a cafe that would belong to every investor. Hundreds of netizens responded since it was an entirely new business model. “Our’s Cafe was the first project featuring crowd funding in China,” says Lou He, a Shanghai-based startup lawyer and a partner at Hiways Law Office.
“很多人的咖啡馆”源于2011年发表在豆瓣上的一篇号召众人集资做股东开咖啡馆的帖子。这种全新的商业模式得到数百名网友的响应。来自上海的创业法律顾问、海华永泰律师事务所的合伙人娄鹤(音译)律师表示：“‘很多人的咖啡馆’是国内首个集体集资的创业项目。”
Being a pioneer means more hard work and detours. According to the Law of Corporation, the maximum number of shareholders in a limited liability company is 50. Since there were 134 investors, they had to agree on entrusted shareholding. It took a lot of time to work out their corporate policy.
第一个吃螃蟹的人注定付出更多努力、走更多弯路。按照《公司法》规定，有限责任公司股东人数上限为50人。由于“很多人的咖啡馆”有134名股东，那么他们必须就委托持股协议达成一致。他们也要花大量时间来制定公司政策。
“Even though we trusted each other and invested our money before even signing any contracts, we think such a policy is necessary in the long run,” Guo Wenhui, a board member, says.
该咖啡馆的董事会成员郭雯慧(音译)表示：“虽然我们信任彼此，甚至在未签署合同的情况下就先行投资，但是我们一致认为，从长远角度来看，制定公司政策是十分必要的。”
To Luo Yi, 25, senior at Beihang University, the cafe is more than just a business - it gives him a sense of belonging.
就读于北航大四年级、25岁的罗毅表示，对他而言，咖啡馆不仅仅只是一门生意——更是给予他一种归属感。
“Our’s Cafe is like a second home for me, where shareholders have fun together and offer each other the warmth of family,” he says.
他说：“‘很多人的咖啡馆’就像是我的第二个家。在这里，股东们分享快乐，给予对方家人般的温暖。”
Wu Tong’s reasons for taking part in the project are different - the economics major at Peking University wanted to start her own business. The 24-year-old says that investing Our’s Cafe allowed her to see a start-up company from the inside.
谈到为何加入这个项目，吴桐(音译)则是别有初衷——现在北京大学攻读经济学专业的她一直想要开创自己的事业。24岁的她表示，投资“很多人的咖啡馆”能够让她从内部了解一家新兴企业。
“I download each month’s financial statement and board meeting summary to keep track of the state of operations,” she says.
她说：“我通过下载每月财务报表以及董事会会议纪要来跟进公司的运转情况。”
Wu found that Our’s Cafe was being dragged down by the number of shareholders. “Everybody has a say in how the business should be run. The result is that we never reach an agreement or put anything into practice,” she says.
吴桐发现“很多人的咖啡馆”因股东数量众多而陷入困境。她说：“在如何运营方面，每个人都有发言权。结果导致我们永远无法达成共识，更不要说任何的落实工作了。”
Han Fuling, professor and dean of the Applied Finance Department at the Central University of Finance and Economics, stressed the importance of a sensible organizational structure.
中央财经大学应用金融系主任韩复龄教授强调了合理的组织结构的重要性。
“In the long run, the absence of an organizational structure that allows shareholders to perform their functions will lead to the demise of a company,” he says.
她说：“从长远角度来看，没有一个让股东行使职能的组织结构会导致公司破产。”
Han thinks that Our’s Cafe is unique because crow-funding projects are often based on a central idea, product or technology. In order to sustain a profitable development, he recommends Our’s Cafe build a clear brand image that a certain group of people can identify with. “That’s the only way a company can create repeat customers,” he says.
韩复龄认为，“很多人的咖啡馆”之所以独一无二，是因为集资项目往往是基于同一个核心理念、核心产品或技术建立起来的。为了持续盈利，他建议“很多人的咖啡馆”应该建立一个获得目标群体认同的、清晰的品牌形象。他说：“这是唯一能够招揽回头客的办法。”
