19 Entrepreneurial Lessons from Alibaba to Inspire You
Alibaba’s e-commerce sites offer an unparalleled variety of goods to consumers. Its logistics offering ensures those goods are delivered quickly and reliably. And the company’s finance subsidiary ensures that buying on Alibaba is easy and worry free.
Below, I’ve listed my favourite quotes, which I picked from the book — Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built.
1) Customers first
Customers first, employees second, and shareholders third.
2) Build an airport
A global technology platform sounds great, like a Boeing 747 flying. But if the airport is a schoolyard, you cannot land.
3) Create the future
Nobody knows the future. You can only create the future.
4) Make ideas fun
Come up with an idea, make it fun, and breathe something into it which otherwise is still just an idea.
5) Focus on one rabbit
If there are nine rabbits on the ground, if you want to catch one, just focus on one. Change your tactics if you need to, but don’t change the rabbit… Get one first, put it in your pocket, and then catch the others.
6) Break your tasks
Focus on the process, instead of the results. Break your task down into phases, each day could be dedicated to one key step in the process… and eventually you wouldn’t be far off from your goal.
Another interesting read: Ten Startup Lessons from The Bohri Kitchen
7) Learn to dodge
It is difficult for an elephant to trample an ant to death, as long as you can dodge well.
8) Listen
Masters of negotiation always listen, don’t talk. A true master listens, and as soon as he moves his sword, you pretty much collapse.
9) About opponents
If you can’t tolerate your opponents, you will be definitely beaten by your opponent. If you treat your opponents as enemies, you have already lost at the beginning of the game. If you hang your opponent as a target, and practice throwing darts at him every day, you are only able to fight this one enemy, not others.
10) Take the land
The pioneers take the arrows; settlers take the land.
11) About leaders
Leaders make sure people not only see the vision, they live and breathe it.
12) Use the smallest resources
If you use money to solve problems, why on earth would the world need businessmen anymore. Businessmen understand how to use the smallest resources to expand.
13) Be invincible
If you have no enemy in your heart, you will be invincible in the world.
Also check: My Favourite 29 Quotes for Creators from Do Epic Shit
14) Don’t bother about others
If I had to bother about what other people speculated about, how would I get anything done?
15) User experience
The survival and growth of Taobao are not because of free service. It is, instead, because Taobao pays more attention to user experiences.
16) Alibaba
Alibaba might as well be known as ‘one thousand and one mistakes.’ We didn’t have any money, we didn’t have any technology, and we didn’t have a plan.
Also read: 5 (+1) Common Mistakes Entrepreneurs Must Avoid
17) Lead with wisdom
I am the CEO of the company, because I lead it with my wisdom, courage, and resourcefulness, not capital.
18) Wisdom and knowledge
Wisdom is acquired through experience. Knowledge can be acquired through hard work.
19) Work happily
Work happily, but live seriously.
That’s all for today.
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