By Lessons to Learn from Jack Ma
Jack Ma is one of the most influential people in the world currently. He is famous thanks to his Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. The entrepreneur has achieved a lot in business, especially with his efforts to make his e-commerce firm global. Jack Ma started his company in an apartment in 1999 and employed an effective team that propelled the firm to a worldwide scale. Its biggest IPO was in 2014 in the New York Stock Exchange.
Jack Ma is currently among the wealthiest guys in China, with a sharp rise in his net worth witnessed in 2014. From his story and business success, we can take a hint or two on efficiently managing businesses. This guide has some of the prominent lessons we can learn from Jack Ma.
Impact people’s lives positively
Jack Ma’s vision was to create a company that would change the lives of his customers. Most entrepreneurs build businesses that only focus on revenue creation. To them, all they look for is making more and more money. It may work for some entrepreneurs, but Jack Ma decided to follow a different route.
His main aim in creating Alibaba and other ventures was to enhance the lives of his customers and employees. According to Jack Ma, real wealth is defined by a good and fruitful relationship between customers and the business. To Jack Ma, money should be a by-product of the unique relationship and not the main focus.
As you start your entrepreneurial journey, ensure you emphasize developing the lives of the people, you interact with rather than just another stream of income. That way, you will have positive and lasting business relationships.
Never give up
If you want to know the real meaning of failure, talk to Jack Ma. His failures started way back when he was still in middle school. Jack failed his final examinations several times before passing. He was rejected two times after applying for college, after which Huangzhou Normal University finally accepted him.
Jack Ma applied to over 30 companies after graduating but was rejected by all. With a Bachelor’s degree in English, Jack Ma never gave up. He even applied for a position in the police academy, but things never went the right way for him. With very few options left, Jack Ma opted to apply for a scholarship at Harvard, where he also faced rejection 10 times.
The only remaining option for Jack was entrepreneurship. With the little money he had, he decided to create two companies, that also failed miserably. Jack gave it a shot one more time by making Alibaba, and from then on, his life changed. Jack Ma shows us that you should never give up in life. He has failed and been rejected so many times in his life, but he dusted the dust every time and gave it another try.
Every time you see an opportunity, give it your best, and if you fail, do not give up. Keep trying as long as you see the goal leading somewhere. Take failures as lessons on how not to do it the next time. You will learn and also be very successful.
Where you finish is all that matters
Never let unfortunate circumstances or humble beginnings hinder you from pursuing opportunities. Your upbringing, resources, or level of education should not define who you are. They should not matter in your life at all. What should matter is how bad you want to be successful and the effort you apply towards that. Your grit, fortitude, and hardiness technically determine whether you will be successful or not.
Like Jack Ma and other prominent entrepreneurs, keep pushing and never give up until you are successful. Never look at your background and despise yourself that you cannot achieve anything. The resources you have should also not define your story; let your grit and hunger for success drive you and your business to prosperity.
Act fast
At times in business, you have to act swiftly. Not just in industry but also in life. Jack Ma recommends being fast to grasp any opportunity that shows up. Also, make sure you learn from your mistakes, and the recovery process, once you fall, should be agile. Take opportunities head-on before anyone else can see them if it seems lucrative. Many are the times you will find out that the chance turns out to be profitable.
Search endlessly for opportunities
Jack Ma says that the surest way to be successful is by looking for opportunities in every corner. He indicates that many people or businesses fail because of not looking for opportunities far and wide. Ensure you go beyond your financial ability and professional capability in looking for viable options. Assess every employment and business opportunity that comes by.
Critically analyze and identify the opportunities. Deeply explore them to find out what they require to actualize and if they can be helpful to your business. By following this technique, you will surely come across your fortune.
Love your life
Jack is a lover of life. Despite having a demanding schedule, Jack Ma never takes life so seriously. He will always look for time to appreciate life and relax. Jack says we were born to enjoy life but not to work all the years of our existence. You might regret later on in life if you spend all the years just working. Love your life, find time to cherish the good moments in life with friends or with loved ones. As you continuously look for a better life, do not forget to enjoy it.
Take Away
If the world has ever seen inspiring people, Jack Ma has to be one of them. There is a lot to learn from his story, whether it is in business or life. Never giving up should, however, be the key takeaway.
