BBC: CEO秘诀--“创业时，最重要的竞争优势是速度。”（双语）
CEO Secrets: CitizenLab founder shares her business advice
CEO秘诀：公民实验室创始人分享其商业建议
By Dougal Shaw, Business reporter, BBC News, Published 7th July 2021
作者：Dougal Shaw,BBC新闻商业记者，发布于2021年7月7日
Aline Muylaert of CitizenLab shares her business advice
图片：CitizenLab的AlineMuylaert分享她的商业建议
The speed at which you can get your primary product out to your customers will often determine your success, or failure, in business, says Aline Muylaert co-founder of CitizenLab. She spoke to BBC News as part our business advice series CEO Secrets.
将主要产品提供给客户的速度往往决定你在商业上的成败，公民实验室（CitizenLab）的联合创始人埃琳－穆拉特（Aline Muylaert）说。本文中她接受BBC新闻的采访，作为我们BBC商业建议系列CEO秘诀版本的一部分。
'When building a business, the most important virtue is speed,' says 27 year-old Muylaert, speaking from the CitizenLab headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
“创业时，最重要的优势是速度。”27岁的穆拉特在比利时布鲁塞尔的公民实验室总部说。
'Speed is more important than perfection.'
“速度比完美更重要。”
CitizenLab is a digital platform primarily used by local governments to help them engage people online and make informed decisions.
公民实验室（CitizenLab）是一个主要由地方政府使用的数字平台，帮助地方政府让人们在线参与并做出明智的决定。
It allows voters to take part in online debates and have their say on policy ideas and budgeting decisions. Users can help shape policy on things like the provision of bicycle lanes, or outdoor spaces for children, for example.
它允许选民参与在线辩论，并对政策理念和预算决策有发言权。用户可以帮助制定政策，比如为儿童提供自行车道或户外空间。
The platform can be used for live debates as well as polls and surveys
图片：该平台可用于现场辩论以及民意测验和调查
Some public bodies use the platform too, to connect with their grassroots members, like Sport England, or INJUV, Chile's National Youth Institute.
一些公共机构也利用这个平台与他们的基层成员联系，比如英国体育协会或智利国家青年研究所INJUV。
The technology is used by more than 300 municipalities, in cities like Vancouver, Seattle, Utrecht and London, where it is integrated into existing government websites.
这项技术目前还被温哥华、西雅图、乌得勒支和伦敦等城市的300多个市政府使用，并被整合到现有的政府网站中。
The platform is proving particularly attractive because it makes it easier to reach a wider range of people versus traditional in-person approaches such as town hall debates or paper surveys, says Muylaert.
穆拉特说，事实证明，这个平台特别有吸引力，因为它比传统的面对面方法（如市政厅辩论或书面调查）更容易接触到更广泛的人群。
Instead of the 'middle-aged, well-educated, white guy' demographic, says Muylaert, which can traditionally dominate the local government agenda, clients are also able to reach a much younger audience - the majority of their users are aged under 45.
比起过去那些传统上可以主导地方政府议程的“中年、受过良好教育、白种人”人口群，现在的客户还能够接触到年轻得多的受众——他们的大多数用户年龄在45岁以下，穆拉特说。
'The real challenge, in terms of inclusion, isn't actually age, though,' says Muylaert, 'it is reaching those [people from] lower social-economic backgrounds and those who face language barriers.'
“就包容性而言，真正的挑战其实并不在于年龄，”穆拉特说，“而是那些社会经济背景较低的人和那些存在发声障碍的人。”
The company was founded in 2015 by Muylaert and two fellow students while they were still studying at the Solvay Business School in Brussels.
该公司成立于2015年，当时穆拉特和两名同学还在布鲁塞尔索尔维商学院学习。
'The pandemic, and the response to it, has meant that government started playing a bigger role in people's lives,' explains Muylaert, 'so we've seen that people are more willing to engage in policy-making.' The business has grown from three clients in 2016, to more than 380 in 2021.
“新冠大流行及其应对措施意味着政府开始在人们的生活中发挥更大的作用，因此我们看到人们更愿意参与决策，”穆拉特解释说。这项业务已从2016年的三家客户增长到2021年的380多家。
CitizenLab now has 50 employees but a third of them work remotely
图片：CitizenLab现在有50名员工，但其中三分之一在远程工作
Although the pandemic has been 'a rollercoaster ride' for the start-up, a focus on speed helped the company grow rapidly from the outset, she adds.
她补充说，尽管新冠大流行对初创企业来说是“过山车”一样的效果，但公司对速度的关注从一开始就帮助公司快速发展。
'We built our MVP [Minimum Viable Product] in less than three months and that's really fast,' she says.
她说：“我们在不到三个月的时间里就完成了MVP（最低可行产品），这真的很快。”
'I think you need to build fast, fail fast and learn from that.'
“我认为你需要快速建立、快速失败并快速从中吸取教训。”
This philosophy has helped to attract more clients, according to Muylaert.
穆拉特认为，这种理念有助于吸引更多的客户。
She believes it makes clients appreciate that you are a leading innovator in your sector. 'It gives you an edge.
她相信这会让客户意识到你是所在行业的领先创新者。“这就给了你一个优势。”
The world of tech companies remains dominated by men and many other female guests on CEO Secrets have shared their experiences of sexism while trying to grow their tech businesses.
目前科技公司的世界仍然由男性主导，许多参加CEO秘诀的女性嘉宾在努力发展科技业务的同时，也分享了自己创业过程的性别歧视经历。
But Muylaert says this has not been an issue for her. 'I've always felt supported by my male co-founders and male investors.'
但穆拉特说，这对她来说并不是一个问题。“我一直觉得自己得到了男性联合创始人和男性投资者的支持。”
Muylaert started the company with two male co-founders while at university
图片：穆拉特在大学期间和两个男性共同创始人创办了这家公司。
It helps that the government-technology space and public sector already have a high number of women working within them, she adds. A bigger diversity issue, she says, is creating fair opportunities for people of colour and people from disadvantaged social backgrounds.
她补充说，政府的技术空间和公共部门已经有大量的女性在其中工作，这也很有助于性别平等。她说，目前更大的多元化问题也在为有色人种和社会背景不利的人创造公平的机会。
'The fact that I'm a woman gives me a stage, it actually opened many opportunities for me.
“我是一个女性的这一事实也给了我一个舞台，它实际上为我打开了很多机会。
'I believe everyone can be a feminist, so you have to find people to work with who also believe in that.”
“我相信每个人都可以成为女权主义者，所以你必须找到持同样理念的人一起工作。”