四月，丹佛唯一的女同性恋酒吧关门。店主称因管理层与员工发生分歧，导致财务困难而关闭。2025年，洛杉矶一家名为“The Ruby Fruit”的酒吧在遭遇火灾、且据称员工对其职场政策提出投诉后也关门了。同年，纽约一家自称“彻底包容”的女权主义书店关闭，理由是面临财务、健康和建筑结构方面的困难，以及来自“邻居”的“种族主义、阶级主义暴力”。
In April, Denver’s only lesbian bar closed. Its owners cited financial difficulties after a disagreement between management and employees. In 2025, a bar in Los Angeles called The Ruby Fruit also closed after a fire and alleged complaints from employees about its workplace policies. That same year, a “radically inclusive” feminist bookstore in New York closed, citing financial, health and structural difficulties, as well as “racist, classist violence from ‘neighbors.’”
在我的家乡费城，我们在2022年见证了进步咖啡馆Mina’s World的关闭，这家咖啡店强调社会正义；最近，该市“首家女子运动酒吧”Marsha’s也关门了。盐湖城一家经营40年的同性恋酒吧在去年走向终结，此前员工试图组建工会，店主无法应对持续抗议活动带来的财务冲击。但也有好消息：马萨诸塞州西部的Last Ditch酒吧，因坚持要求戴口罩的政策而在夏季遭遇社区强烈抨击而闻名全球，尽管面临巨大财务压力和持续的公众抨击，它仍在苦苦支撑。
Here in my hometown of Philly, we saw in 2022 the closure of progressive cafe Mina’s World, a coffee shop emphasizing social justice, and more recently Marsha’s, the city’s “first women’s sports bar.”A 40-year-old gay bar in Salt Lake City saw its demise last year after employees tried to unionize and its owners couldn’t navigate the financial effects of continuing protests. But some good news: the Last Ditch bar in western Massachusetts, made globally famous over the summer after suffering severe backlash from its community over its mask-required policy, is still hanging on, despite facing significant financial strain and continued public backlash.
这里有一个值得正视的模式：酒吧的倒闭率本身就很高。遗憾的是，一些店主让自己的处境雪上加霜。他们将品牌定位建立在进步事业之上，却发现意识形态上的团结并不总能转化为财务上的可持续性。
There’s a pattern here worth confronting: The failure rate of bars, for example, is already high. Unfortunately some business owners are making it even harder for themselves. They are building their identities around progressive causes and discovering that ideological solidarity doesn’t always translate into financial sustainability.
开一家进步——或有人称之为“觉醒”——的场所，乍听起来似乎是个绝妙主意。但这些创始人有商业教育背景吗？他们似乎没有做足以证明投资合理的市场调研（女子运动的支持度确实上升了，但当地有足够多的女子运动粉丝来支撑一家酒吧吗？）。就像Last Ditch的一位店主承认自己曾住在车里一样，他们往往资金严重不足。他们有财务计划吗？
Starting a progressive — or some may say “woke” — establishment may sound like a great idea at first. But do these founders have a business education? They don’t seem to do the market research necessary to justify the investment (yes, women’s support has gained in popularity but are there enough local women’s sports fans to support a bar?). Like one of the owners of The Last Ditch, who admitted she was living out of her car, they are oftentimes under-capitalized. Do they have a financial plan?
好心办不了事，团结付不起工资。哪怕社区再充满激情，如果顾客消费不够多，也撑不起一家生意。
Good intentions don’t pay rent. Solidarity doesn’t make payroll. And even the most passionate community can’t keep a business alive if customers aren’t spending enough money.
进步型商家似乎总吸引一类特定人群，反而让它们更难成功。这群人更年轻、流动性更大、也更不可靠。因为年轻，他们往往比起现实更偏向理想主义 —— 甚至有点天真。员工要求一些无法兑现的权利和保障，似乎经常与雇佣他们的老板对着干。顾客多来自边缘群体，花钱太少，却花太多时间纠结于店铺的使命、政策和运营，而不是单纯享受产品。
Progressive businesses seem to attract a certain kind of crowd that makes it harder for them to succeed. The crowd is younger, mobile and less reliable. Being young, they’re oftentimes more idealistic than realistic — perhaps even a little naive. The employees demand rights and guarantees that cannot be guaranteed, and seem to frequently fight the very people who employ them. Their customers come in from the fringe and spend too little money and too much time getting involved in the establishment’s mission, policies and operations instead of just enjoying the product.
根据近期 Bentley-Gallup 的一项调查，53% 的美国人认为企业完全不应介入公共辩论。这并不意味着人们反对那些事业本身。而是许多消费者宁愿企业专注于本该销售的东西。大家厌倦了无休止的争吵、抗议、异议和辩论。他们只想喝杯啤酒！这要求过分吗？
According to a recent Bentley-Gallup survey, 53 percent of Americans say businesses should stay out of public debates altogether. That doesn’t mean people oppose the causes themselves. It means many consumers would rather businesses focus on what they’re supposed to be selling. People are tired of all the fighting, protesting, dissenting and arguing. They just want a beer! Is that so hard to ask?
我当然不是说所有“觉醒”企业都会倒闭。倒闭的是那些把政治使命置于顾客、员工、财务纪律和盈利能力之上的企业。
I’m sure that not all woke businesses fail. It’s that businesses fail when their political mission becomes more important than their customers, employees, financial discipline and profitability.
离 Marsha's 不远，费城有一家名为 Woody's 的热门同性恋酒吧，已屹立数十年。我相信店主支持那些其他倒闭店铺所支持的许多事业。但他们清楚如何经营生意。
Not a few blocks away from Marsha’s stands Woody’s, a popular gay bar in Philly. It’s been around for decades. I am sure that its owners support many of the causes that these other failed establishments support. But they clearly understand how to run a business.
他们懂得酒吧必须包容所有人，这也是我认识的许多人 —— 无论直男还是同性恋 —— 都爱在周六深夜去那里喝酒跳舞的原因。没人要求你戴口罩、签请愿书，甚至 —— 老天爷保佑 —— 看 WNBA（美国女子职业篮球联赛）。没有评判，没有政治。只有啤酒和音乐。
They get that their bar needs to be inclusive of everyone, which is why many people I know, straight and gay, go there to drink and dance late night on a Saturday. They’re not asked to wear a mask, sign a petition or — good God — watch the WNBA. There’s no judgment. No politics. Just beer and music.
创办企业以推动某项事业（想想 Patagonia）完全无可厚非。但指望这项事业能让企业存活下去，则完全是另一回事。
Starting a business to advance a cause (think Patagonia) is perfectly fine. But expecting that cause to keep the business alive is another matter entirely.
企业的目的是盈利。它们需要来自各行各业、愿意掏钱的顾客。它们需要不因政治信仰而歧视他人的员工（企业赚到钱后，可以像我们许多人那样，用来支持自己的事业）。正如唐·德雷珀名言所言：“钱就是为此而存在的！”Chick-fil-A 尽管在同性恋权益问题上有过争议历史，却已成为美国最成功的连锁餐厅之一。其高管们懂得一个许多受政治驱动的创业者容易忘记的道理：你不必认同顾客的观点，也可以收他们的钱。
Businesses are meant to generate profits. They need customers from all walks of life who spend their money. They need employees who won’t discriminate based on someone’s political beliefs (and they can take that money and use it to support their cause, like so many of us do). As Don Draper famously said, “that’s what the money’s for!”Chick-fil-A has become one of America’s most successful restaurant chains despite its history of controversy over gay rights. Its executives understand something that too many politically driven entrepreneurs forget: You don’t have to agree with your customers to take their money.
你想反对种族主义？支持跨性别者权益？拯救地球？那没问题。建立一家能赚钱、公平对待员工、欢迎不一定认同你观点的顾客的企业。然后用利润去推进你信仰的任何事业。因为如果企业倒闭了，你谁也帮不上。而你的房东根本不在乎你有多进步。
You want to fight racism? Support transgender rights? Save the planet? That’s fine. Build a business that makes money, treats its employees fairly and welcomes customers who don’t necessarily share your views. Then use your profits to advance whatever cause you believe in. Because if your business fails, you’re not helping anyone. And your landlord couldn’t care less how progressive you are.
Gene Marks 是 Marks Group 的创始人，这是一家小企业咨询公司。
Gene Marks is founder of the Marks Group, a small-business consulting firm.