Jack Ma’s failure to Success Story – A Motivational Manifesto for All
We keep fighting. We keep changing ourselves. We don't complain.
Today Ma Yun is recognized as one of the richest men of China with a net worth of $35.6 billion. Popularly known as Jack Ma, he is the founder of Alibaba and a stakeholder at Alipay. A careful study of his life reveals a journey that is very much akin to a roller coaster ride. He is indeed a self-made man, who motivated himself during his failures. Always driven by the hope he has battled all obstacles to reach the pinnacle of success. From his life, we can learn the lesson of never giving up despite all hardships and adverse circumstances.
Early life
Ma Yun, who is better known as Jack Ma was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He toiled his way to success. His life is a living breathing example of the idiom” there is no shortcut to success.” Indeed, Jack Ma had taken no shortcuts. He comes from a very humble background with his parents earning their meager livelihood by their traditional storytelling and music. He completed his Bachelor’s degree from Hangzhou Normal University. After repeated rejection from various job sectors, he finally decided to start his new E-commerce venture, Alibaba.
Repeated failures and pervading gloom
Ma Yun tasted failure over and over again, much before he realized what success tastes like. He failed his middle school exams thrice. This was only to be followed by further failures. He failed his entrances three times before he finally got admitted to his university. His application to be admitted to Harvard was rejected ten times. But every time it was rejected, he did not break down. He found motivation in himself to write again and again. Failures heaped one after the other. When KFC was recruiting, 23 out of 24 people who appeared for the interview got employed except him. He was the 24th candidate, who got rejected. Even in his early entrepreneurial ventures, he was thwarted twice. When asked in an interview about his failures, he replied, “Well, I think we have to get used to it. We’re not that good.”
Founding of new horizons
His visit to the US in 1995 made him discover the magic of computers and the internet. He was fascinated by how a million results could be generated by a simple click of the mouse. He decided to bring the internet to China and make a business out of it. Determined to succeed, he persuaded 17 of his friends to invest in his new venture. It was an e-commerce startup that he named Alibaba. This was his embarking on a new journey that took flight and eventually made him, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world.
Rising from the ashes to finally taste success
The company started from ashes, without any kind of investment from outside investors. But Jack Ma worked night and day to build trust and confidence among the people of China to make payments online. Hard work paid off and soon enough they were able to procure $20 million from Soft Bank and $ 5 million from Goldman Sachs.
Outstanding achievements
Alibaba soon grew to gain worldwide popularity. Jack Ma was featured as one of the 30 most successful “World’s Best CEOs” in 2008. The successful execution of his dream project made him win a place in Time’s magazine of the 100 most powerful people in the world. The Hong Kong University of science and technology awarded him a doctoral degree. Numerous awards and accolades greeted him. This is a story of a hardworking man, who rose from his failures, and only after pursuing his journey of struggle and determination, achieved his dream.
