More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Read between
September 20 - September 20, 2018
“Instead of learning from other people’s success, learn from their mistakes. Most of the people who fail share common reasons(to fail) whereas success can be attributed to various different kinds of reasons.” – Jack Ma
Always judge a man by his questions rather than his answers. It’s easy to take his words today at face value but it is often difficult when you try to uncover how he originally arrived at that answer.
Did you know that Jack was once paid with just $12 a freaking MONTH as an English teacher in Hangzhou, China?
“If you don’t give up, you still have a chance. Giving up is the Greatest Failure.” Jack Ma
“Today is hard. Tomorrow will be worse. But the day after that will be beautiful. Most of your talent won’t make it past tomorrow.”
“A leader should have higher grit and tenacity, and be able to endure what the employees can’t.” – Jack Ma
For Jack, watching his favorite movie, Forest Gump gave him the gumption he needed to pursue his own cause.
Jack Ma, once told his son: “You don’t have to be the top student in your class, being mediocre is just as fine, just as long as your grades aren’t too bad. Use your free time to learn other stuff,”
“It wasn’t about the rejection” he laughs, he just wanted to see those rejections in words telling him he is no good, so that he can channel all his energy and focus on the next project.
“If you can’t get used to being rejected – just like a boxer who cannot take the hits or punches, how can you ever win?” he tells a group of young empowered African Entrepreneurs in Nairobi.
“You should learn from your competitor, but never copy. Copy and you die."
“When you are small, you have to be very focused and rely on your brain, not your strength.” – Jack Ma
“I’m not a tech guy. I’m looking at the technology with the eyes of my customers, normal people’s eyes.” – Jack Ma
“Help young people. Help small guys. Because small guys will be big. Young people will have the seeds you bury in their minds, and when they grow up, they will change the world.” – Jack Ma
“Customers are first, Employees are Second and the Shareholders are third.”
“Today, making money is very simple. But making sustainable money while being responsible to the society and improving the world is very difficult.” – Jack Ma
“When we have money, we start making mistakes.” – Jack Ma
“The very important thing you should have is patience.” – Jack Ma
“Never ever compete on prices, instead compete on services and innovation.” – Jack Ma
“You need the right people with you, not the best people.” – Jack Ma
“Intelligent people need a fool to lead them. When the team’s all a bunch of scientists, it is best to have a peasant lead the way. His way of thinking is different. It’s easier to win if you have people seeing things from different perspectives.” – Jack Ma
“Opportunity lies in the place where the complaints are.” – Jack Ma
“No matter what one does, regardless of failure or success, the experience is a form of success in itself.” ~Jack
The lack of ambition is the most likely reason people are poor.
Before the feeling passes and the idea dims, you should ACT on the idea because a week from now; a month from now or a year from now, your urgency will no longer be present.
Some dream at night, others like Ma are dreamers of day who act upon it.
Jack is an entrepreneur who plays open cards about his past failures, inspiring business people around the world to regroup after a disappointing result and try again - until they succeed.
Jack said: “If you are still poor at the age of 35, it’s your fault!”
“It’s very difficult to know the outside world, but you know yourself. You know your need and what you want. If I know myself better, I can change myself to meet the outside world.” – Jack Ma
Customers first, employees second, shareholders last
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.” – UpStart Business Journal, April 16, 2014
It is better to be wise than be the one who knows it all. A wise leader always believes that there are smarter people out there; therefore he/she is never complacent.