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8 LESSONS TO LEARN FROM JACK MA, WEALTHIEST MAN IN CHINA

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An incredible thing happened to Jack Ma , the founder of Ali Baba last week. His company had the highest U.S.
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If you dont know what Alibaba is, it China's dominant e-commerce company. Established in 1999, it has two main
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In my entry today, I will share with you about his humble beginnings and the lessons we can learn from him.

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Ma was born two years before the start of China's Cultural Revolution in Hangzhou (), a historical eastern city of
8.7 million people known for its scenic lakes.
His grandfather, a Nationalist party official before the Communists came to power, was persecuted under Mao Zedong.

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His parents were performers of Ping Tan, a traditional form of theatre. They were poorly educated. His father depended
on a monthly retirement allowance of just $40 to support the family.
Ma was very bad in mathematics as a student. However, he did
very well in languages. As a child, he would guide foreigners
through the city's main attractions to improve his speaking skills.

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He graduated from Hangzhou Normal University with an English

degree in 1988 (11 years before he started Alibaba).

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After which, he taught English for years at the Hangzhou Institute

of Electronic Engineering, earning just $12 per month.

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Like all great business men, Ma was willing to do whatever it takes to make his company successful. He was willing to
be more diligent, hardworking, and ambitious than everyone else.
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In his prep talk to his employees in 1999, Ma said If we go to work at 8 am and go home at 5 pm, this is not a high-tech
company and Alibaba will never be successful. If we have that kind of 8-to-5 spirit, then we should just go and do
something else.

and the information I provide ar...

He also knew that when starting a business, he had a lot to lose initially You will lose your stable income, your right to
apply for a leave of absence, and your right to get a bonus.
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It also means your income will no longer be limited, you will use your time more effectively, and you will no longer need
to beg for favours from people anymore If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make
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If you want to excel in life, remember that you have to sometimes delay gratification while your peers enjoy so that you
can reap better rewards in the future.

I am a 23-year-old lifestyle blogger in

Singapore who is deeply committed to personal
growth and learning more about the world
around me.
This is my blog where I explore how young
adults like myself can lead a successful,
meaningful and enjoyable life.

According to Ma, one of his biggest mistake was underestimating his team members.

Through my entries, I hope to help readers

better understand themselves and the world
we live in. And, ultimately, achieve personal
growth and contribute to making this society a
better place to live in.
For advertorial & sponsorship enquiries, please
email jeraldine (dot)phneah(at)gmail.com

In 2001, I made a mistake. I told 18 of my fellow comrades whom embarked on the entrepreneurship journey
with me that the highest positions they could go was a managerial role. To fill all our Vice President and Senior
Executive positions, we would have to hire from external parties.
Years later, those I hired were gone, but those whom I doubted their abilities became Vice Presidents or
Directors, he said.

Click Here to find out more about me.

Stay updated with the latest posts by following
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Besides learning that he should not underestimate the capabilities of his staff, this taught him two important principles
Your attitude is more important than your capabilities. Similarly, your decision is more important than your capabilities!
Ma understands that a strong team is absolutely essential for the success of his business. In his prep talk, he said "If we
are a good team and know what we want to do, one of us can defeat ten of them,"

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As such, throughout his business, Ma always put his employees first and want them to come to work with a smile.

"It's customers No. 1, employees, two, and shareholders, three. It's the customer who pay us the money, it's the
employees who drive the vision, and it's the shareholders who when the [financial] crisis comes, these people
ran away. My customers and my people stayed."
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I cannot emphasize how important the people who are close to you are and your environment is in shaping the person
you become. Know how to surround yourself with the right people who are supportive of your goals, will not bring you
down and are equally as motivated as you.
Ma learnt this lesson when he shifted from China to Silicon Valley

"I felt lonely when I started working in the Internet business in China around 1995. Nobody believed in me. But
every time I came to the Valley I saw that the parking lots were always full, even on the weekends. And the
rush hour traffic was board even late at night. Everyone was hopeful for the future and their minds were full of
ideas."

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This conducive environment for success kept him motivated and focused on his goals.

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In contrast to China's often conservative corporate barons, Ma is

mischievous and not afraid to make fun of himself.
On his companys 10th anniversary in 2009, Ma dressed up in
leather, a Mohican wig, put on lipstick and a nose ring and sang
Elton John's Can you Feel the Love Tonight.
Former employee Porter Erisman describes Ma as charming and
playful. Jack likes teasing people, and if he teases you, you know
he likes you.
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When Erisman was working for Alibaba, he was once offered an

outside job as a one-time model for a commercial. It turned out to
be an ad for a toilet. Later the word got around to Ma that Erisman had appeared in a toilet ad. Jack kept calling me
Porter the toilet model, Erisman recalls.
Playfulness,fun, a rebellious steak and being unafraid to be different is a significant contributor to their entrepreneurial
success. What we know as teenage rebellion often becomes industry disruption, a new way of doing things that upsets
those who support the status quo.

According to the research findings, self-employed workers with incorporated businesses were almost three times more
likely than salaried workers to have engaged in illicit and risky activities as youth, including but not limited to marijuana
use and skipping school. To put it bluntly, the study seems to indicate that entrepreneurship seems to be concatenated
with mischievous tendencies as a teenager.
This comes to no surprise because successful people must be those who are willing to take risks, have their own
mindset and pursue the route less traveled.

Mas lively disposition is also a contributing factor to his strong leadership skills. He is known for giving rousing
speeches to his employees.
Part motivational speaker, he often encourages employees to take risks, once telling them:

"I will forgive you if you make mistakes, but I will never forgive you if you dont do anything.

Without the ability to speak well and great leadership skills, Ma would never be able to convince his team that they will
be someday great enough to compete against Ebay and to work towards this vision together.
Check out his awesome speech to his team in 1999 and how he really motivated them. Mind you that at this point in
time, China was really backward compared to the USA.

According to him, the quality of a good leader is not so much about having technical skills but his vision, tenacity, and
his capability.

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These are three traits he believes a great leader should have

1. A leader should be a visionary and have more foresight than an employee.
2. A leader should have higher grit and tenacity, and be able to endure what the employees cant.
3. A leader should have higher endurance and ability to accept and embrace failure.

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Mas journey to success was never a smooth sailing one. He failed his college entrance exam twice, but did well enough
on his third attempt to enrol in Hangzhou Normal University, where he studied English.
After graduation, Ma faced yet again another set of setbacks. He didnt want to work as a teacher and applied for a slew
of other jobs, including working for KFC as a secretary to the General Manager. However, he was rejected by all of
them.
Ma persisted in his goal to excel in life and eventually set up his own company. He told his team We will make it
because we are young and we will never, never give up.
While persistent in his beliefs, Ma also has a positive attitude towards failure
"Looking back, I realized that the biggest driving force for me then was not my confidence in the Internet and
the potential it held, but more of this: No matter what one does, regardless of failure or success, the experience
is a form of success in itself. You have got to keep trying, and if it doesnt work, you always can revert back to
what you were doing before," he said.
Ma is also a great believer in learning from your mistakes.

Mas approach to competition is something I admire greatly. I think this is a trait that many young people lack.
According to him, we should never underestimate our rivals and should always assess their standing.

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If you do not know where your competitor is, or overconfident and snobbish about your competitor, or are
unable to comprehend how your competitor became a real threat, you will surely fall behind him. Dont be the
they in this idiom: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
Even if your competitor is still small in size or weak, you should take him seriously and treat him as a giant.
Likewise, even if your competitor is massive in size, you shouldnt regard yourself as a weakling.

While Jack competes, he still maintains a positive attitude towards his rivals and doesn't resort to low blows to
antagonize them such as tarnishing their reputation, sabotaging their business etc.
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According to him
Those that compete aggressively with one another are the foolish ones. If you view everyone as your enemies,
everyone around you will be your enemies.

When you are competing with one another, dont bring hatred along. Hatred will take you down.
1

Competition is similar to playing a board of chess. If you lose, we can always have another round. Both players
should never fight.
A real businessman or entrepreneur has no enemies. Once he understand this, the skys the limit.
Lesson: Dont go around hating your rivals and competitors. Never be the first to sabotage the other. However, this
doesnt mean not retaliating and sticking up for yourself when shit happens.

As I have said many times, complaining about things outside your control doesnt do you any good except make you
feel victimized.
Jack Mas quote support this If you complain or whine once in a while, it is not a big deal. However, if it becomes habitual, it will be similar to
drinking: the more you drink, the stronger the thirst. On the path to success, you will notice that the successful
ones are not whiners, nor do they complain often.

I hope this feature on China's richest man, Jack Ma has inspired you and taught you some valuable lessons. =)

I write regularly on issues of interest to Generation Y such as strategy, dating advice, career, personal development,
lifestyle and commentaries on social issues.
If you would like to stay updated on my life and entries, do follow me on Instagram or Facebook:
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The Neo Dimension 25 September 2014 at 16:51

He is a visionary leader who possess the ability to motivate and inspire people around him. Beside being a leader, he is
also a speaker who always able to communicate the complex business model of Alibaba in plain and simple words.
Check up his talk held at Stanford https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH9-_GLqGC4
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Item Reviewed: 8 lessons to learn from Jack Ma, wealthiest man in China Description: Jack Ma , Founder of Ali Baba, became
China's richest man last week. Born to a humble background, his rise to the top was not easy. Ma shares some of his great advice on
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