INSPIRE: “It’s not how much we’ve achieved, it’s how much we’ve gone through the tough days” — Jack Ma

Like any other inspiring story, many successful individuals went through the rain before being able to see the rainbow. The same applies to Jack Ma.

What is INSPIRE?

INSPIRE is a recurring publication developed by our in-house content team focusing on the takeaways from how successful individuals spent their time at university.

We will share our learnings on those who have gone on to do great things in life and as a result, we hope this series fuels your journey from university to your careers.

Strive for Excellence!

An introduction:

Jack Ma (Ma Yun) is a Chinese entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. He is best known as the cofounder and former chairman of the Alibaba Group, a multinational technology conglomerate. His life story captures the true inspiration for the aspiring youth community. Despite growing up poor in communist China, Ma managed to turn his life around and is now worth approximately $US62.3 billion (Forbes, 9/2/2021).

His story:

He worked tirelessly to get into Hangzhou Teacher College and was rejected twice before finally getting admitted on his third try in 1984. He graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English. His humble circumstances, with a combined income of $US6 per month between his parents, motivated him to pursue an education. Despite getting turned down due to his low mathematical competency, Ma did not give up and instead worked harder for his admittance at university. His resilience played a major role in building a strong and positive attitude towards his passions and ambitions.

Ma revealed in a 2015 interview that he had also applied to Harvard Business School ten times and only received rejection letters. He draws on this experience to show the youth community that even if the smartest and most powerful people do not acknowledge your capabilities, that does not mean that you are incapable of achieving success. After graduating, Ma diligently sought out for jobs and faced dozens of further rejections including rejections from KFC and the Police force. However, instead of allowing these rejections to bring him down, he harnessed them into motivation and analysed strategies to improve his character.

According to Jack Ma, machine intelligence must go hand-in-hand with human wisdom

Ma’s success:

Ma’s success was shaped through a series of experiences including a trip to Seattle in 1995. He was exposed to the internet for the first time and immediately saw its value and the opportunities it had to offer for the future. Choosing to enter a new environment, enabled Ma to open to newer perspectives and knowledge, and these elements were crucial factors for his success and growth. It is critical to seize opportunities and make calculated risks for personal and professional development.

Beyond personal drive, effective communication and collaboration were critical factors in the rise of Alibaba. Ma was characterised as a “con man” for the first three years of starting the Alibaba Group where he persuaded local companies and peers to invest in his idea. As you can imagine, he faced more obstacles entering the entrepreneurial world for the first time, but never gave up on his dreams.

“To say an individual had never failed in their life is to say they never succeeded either”

Ma constantly expresses his desire to give back to society, and his selflessness is exemplified through his efforts to go back into philanthropy as he is focusing on education in rural areas

Takeaways For You:

As university students, we can infer from Jack Ma’s experiences that it doesn’t matter where you start, it is where you finish that counts. Here are a few more points you should pay attention to in his stories:

• Some of us were born a bit less fortunate than others, but Ma has shown us that’s not an excuse to stop you from pursuing your passions and goals. The important part is your ambition and perseverance in order to be successful and the effort you’re willing to put into achieving your goals.
• He has shown us that the greatest failure a man can have is giving up. If you fail to accomplish your goal but see the process to the end, then you are a success.
• The important takeaway from every experience is the exploration of the lessons behind it, by staying dedicated to what you are aiming for, you are bound to find your fortune.