To conceptualize an
idea may not take long, but when it comes to actually develop, implement and
make it a success can be a taxing tax. Most of the time, some ideas may just
remain as ideas, not all of them will get the green light and make the cut.
Whatever it is, perseverance and consistency are very crucial when it comes to
making it a reality. This important belief has made Jack Ma, the founder of
Alibaba Group, become one of the world’s most respected and successful
businessman.
Jack Ma grew up in the
Chinese city of Hangzhou. At the age of 12, he began his work life by
volunteering to become a free tour guide in order to improve his proficiency in
English. After he had graduated from Hangzhou Normal University, he then began
teaching English. However, he was not satisfied with the salary and wanted to
create something big. He forayed into website making when the concept was
infancy in China. Despite being deemed risky, he started an online business
when the computers have not yet become a household item in China (Barczyk et
al., 2011).
After that, he set up
Alibaba as a business-to-business marketplace where it enables the Chinese
exporters to connect with the overseas buyers. He believes that small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) would be the future of China, as such Alibaba’s
mission was set to help the SMEs grow and to work together with the overseas
trading partners in international trade. His continuous effort and perseverance
has made Alibaba an established e-commerce giant and competitive force to
reckon with in China. In the year ending March 31, 2017, Alibaba recorded
revenues of RMB 158, 273 million, which indicated an increase of 56%
year-over-year (Alibaba Group, 2017).
There was once when I
was searching through the internet looking for my assignment materials, and this
inspiring quote of Jack Ma appeared on screen. “Never give up. Today is hard,
tomorrow is worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine.” That’s when I
started to look into the story of Jack Ma. His journey was from the youthful
failure to the ultimate success. He had encountered various failures in
multiple job applications in his early years, from police officer to fast-food
worker, and finally to the launching of Alibaba with his friends and
supporters. And now, it has expanded to more than ten related businesses and
affiliates, such as Taobao, Tmall, AliExpress, Lazada, Cainiao, Koubei, Alibaba
Cloud and many more.
Everyone has a rough
start. In the process of choosing whether to move forward, or to stop at the
point can be the hardest decision to be made, especially when you put in your
200% effort, but yet the result was not satisfying. However, the story of Jack
Ma can be influential to everyone out there who is struggling. I am not sure of
what is in your mind after reading the roller coaster ride life of Jack Ma.
But, he has greatly impressed and influenced me in the aspect of seeing the
world, by not just limit yourself in the current circle. Always remember, never
give up is the key to success and the success may just be a step ahead of you!
References
Barczyk, C., Falk, G.,
Feldman, L. and Rarick, C. (2011) Alibaba: Changing the way Business is
Conducted in the Information Economy. Journal of International Academy for Case
Studies. V.17 (7), pp.127-133.
Alibaba Group (2017)
Alibaba Group Announces March Quarter 2017 an Full Fiscal year 2017 Results
[online], May 18th,
[Accessed: 24th July 2017]
By: Yau Che Yan, BAF1541
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