Jack Ma

MA YUN (JACK MA)

Ma Yun, with the well-known name as Jack Ma, was born on October 15, 1964 at Hangzhou, China. He is a Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group, is a family of highly successful Internet-based businesses.

BACKGROUND:

Jack Ma is a proactive child since he was in his age 12. He started to get interested in learning English. However, he thought that learning from the academic books and from his teacher were not enough to feed his eagerness. So, he would ride on his bike for nearly 40 minutes every morning to the hotel near the city of Hangzhou’s West Lake, which is placed 100 miles far away from the place he lived. This is because, there are a lot of foreigners will be there every morning and he will provide free tour guide for them, and the foreigners will teach him, communicating with him by using English in exchange. Jack Ma has insisted this kind of life continuously, no matter that is winter day or raining day, for eight years. This experience has opened his eye toward the world and brought a big change for him in the future. In order to learn more and polish his English, Jack Ma also bought a video so he could listen to the English broadcast every day. In school, he flunked his exam for university two times before he was accepted by the Hangzhou Teachers University, which is considered as the worst University in his city. In the University life, he was elected as a student chairman and later became the chairman of the city’s Students Federation too. After graduate, Jack Ma applied for many job but at last he was turned down. Eventually, he was assigned to become a lecturer in the University. In 1992, the business environment was growing. Jack Ma started to try to grab the chance and started his translation company. In 1995, he went to Seattle. His friend introduced the Internet to him. This was the very first time Jack Ma started to touch the Internet, even is the computer. However, Jack Ma foresaw the high potential of Internet in the coming future. The idea of doing business via online was always presented in his mind.

THE WAY TO SUCCESS AND HIS COMPANY:

In 1999, Jack Ma invited 17 friends to his department. He explained his plan to them but at last, he only get one supporter. Jack Ma started to begin his online business with the web site name Alibaba.com. In this site, it allow the sellers to post their product on it and if the buyers are interested in, they can deal with the sellers. However, at the beginning of time, there is no much seller and buyer. In order to encourage more seller to post their product on his site and increase the site view, Jack Ma’s company bought all the stuffs the sellers sold. Gradually, the sellers and buyers is keep on increasingly increasing. Due to the site is not limited to anyone and it is globally site, it has successfully to attract the members from all around the world. In October 1999, the company has raised $5 million from Goldman Sachs and $20 million from SoftBank.

Once the Alibaba become stronger day after day, Jack Ma’s company has faced a new problem, that is the way of paying. So, they started to build the new like the TaoBao and ZhiFuBao in order to solve those problem. This company has been upholding the mission of “making it easier to do business across the world” and they have insisted on “customer first” value system.

THE REASONS WHY I CHOOSE JACK MA: 

Jack Ma's rise is the one which most amaze me. This is because, as compare to the western country, China seem like less emphasis on electronic commerce. So, the rise of Jack Ma completely caught my eyeball and the following characteristics of his are those I admire the most.

Firstly, Jack Ma positioned himself as the one who will not be easily pushed over. Everyone knows that the mantra of Jack Ma is “Never Give Up”. He is not easily been defected. Even though he was rejected for several times in applying job, but he still always be positive with that. He accepted the offer as the English lecturer in the University with salary 12 Renminbin per month, at the same time he still kept on finding the way to do his own business and finally, he was able to open his translation company.

Secondly, Jack Ma has his own opinion. When he found that the internet business is going to boom in China, he called up his friends and explained what he decided to do to them. Unfortunately, there is only one supported his idea. Even though Jack Ma has undergone many setback and others said he would not able to do that, although other cannot see what he saw, but he chose to ignore the naysayers and he work hard on his dream. I believe that, if Jack Ma was unable to insist on his opinion, today the richest man in the China will not be him.

Thirdly, Jack Ma is always been highly self-motivated. He always says that, all of us are not the genius or talented but a normal people, but all the ordinary people are able to do an extraordinary thing as long as you are not give yourself up and keep on pushing to a higher extend. Every single word of his is resited in my mind. Whenever I feel I couldn't to achieve what I want to achieve, his words will remind me that please don't find myself an excuse and I am the one who has this responsibility to make myself to be a better person.