Wonderful Reviews of “Winning in China”

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Shortly after its listing, Alibaba’s market value reached 20 billion dollars, making it China’s largest internet company – let’s wait and see what happens next! On the path of entrepreneurship, we have no way back; the greatest failure is to give up. When I first started my business, some people said that if Alibaba could succeed, it would be like lifting a ship weighing ten thousand tons from the foot of the Himalayas to the top of Mount Everest. I wanted to show them how I could lift that same ship from the top of Mount Everest back down to its base. Today is cruel, tomorrow will be even crueler; the day after tomorrow is beautiful, but the vast majority of people die by tomorrow night and never see the sun of the day after tomorrow. Since 1999, a research and development center has been established in Hangzhou, with ** serving as the headquarters, where the Alibaba website (Alibaba.com) was created. Masayoshi Son shares my view: a good plan consists of a first-class idea combined with third-rate execution ； Another option: first-class implementation with third-rate ideas – which is better? We both chose first-class implementation and third-class ideas. 　　◆How to truly bring out each person’s talents – it’s like pulling a cart: if some people pull in one direction and others in another, things get chaotic as everyone acts on their own. When you have a fool around, it’s really stupid; you suffer a lot ； It’s best to have 50 fools around you – you go in line to eat, sleep, and use the toilet ； It’s great to have one smart person around; having 50 smart people is actually the most troublesome, as everyone refuses to obey anyone else. My role in the company is like cement, binding together many talented individuals so that they can work together toward a common goal. 　　◆In the future, internet companies will need to consider two things: first, their team; second, their technology; and third, their concept. Having these elements is essential for their survival. 　　◆To determine whether an individual or a company is excellent, don’t look at whether they graduated from Harvard or Stanford. Don’t judge based on the number of graduates from prestigious universities; instead, assess whether these people work with great enthusiasm, and whether they go home smiling after work each day. 　　◆30% of people will never believe you. Don’t let your colleagues work for you; instead, let our colleagues work toward our goals. By working together and uniting under a common goal, it’s much easier than being united under you as an entrepreneur. So first, you need to convince everyone to share a common vision, rather than making them work for you. 　　◆I believe employees come first, and customers second. Without them, there would be no website. Only when they are happy can our customers be happy. And the encouraging words from our customers push them to work like crazy, which in turn helps our website continue to develop. 　　◆If you see 10 rabbits, which one will you catch? Some people catch this rabbit one moment and that rabbit another, and in the end they might not catch any at all. The CEO’s main task is not to look for opportunities but to say NO to them. There are too many opportunities; one can only seize one. I can only catch one rabbit; if I catch too many, I’ll lose everything. ◆ Our company conducts evaluations every six months, and after those evaluations, even if you work hard and do an excellent job, you might still end up being the last one in line. I’m very sorry, but you’ll have to leave. Between two people and two hundred people, I can only choose to be cruel to the two people. 　　◆Could you summarize in one sentence the essential qualities you think employees should possess? Today, we ask Alibaba’s employees to be honest, possess learning abilities, have an optimistic attitude, and be open to change! 　　◆The Internet is like a 400-meter relay race; no matter how skilled you are, you can only run one leg of the race, and the opportunity should be given to the younger people. 　　◆In the first 100 meters of the sprint, no one is a rival, it’s because of the 3-kilometer race. You keep running; it’s only after covering four or five hundred meters that you can create a distance between yourself and the others. 　　◆It took us two years to lay the foundation. We haven’t released any plans showing what kind of building we intend to build, but some people are already criticizing our house for being poor quality. Some companies have beautiful buildings, but their foundations are weak, so they collapse when there is strong wind. 　　◆Our biggest difference from our competitors is that we know what they intend to do, while they don’t know what we want to do. There’s no need for everyone to know what we want to do. ◆There’s a saying on the internet: those who are barefoot are never afraid of those who wear shoes. 　　◆The biggest beneficiaries of e-commerce should be businesses; we should make money because we provide the tools. But it’s not normal that those who create these tools become extremely wealthy, while those who use them remain in a state of confusion. The so-called new economy refers to traditional enterprises making good use of the Internet as a tool to achieve greater economic benefits, leading to increases by dozens of times – this is what truly represents the arrival of the new economy. Today, the old and new economies are separate from each other. 　　◆Failure on the Internet is always one’s own fault – either because of impulsive actions, or because of a lack of initiative, being too passive. 　　◆I think internet companies will definitely make mistakes, and they have to make them. The biggest mistake an internet company can make is to stay in place, the greatest error is to avoid making any mistakes at all. The key is to reflect on all kinds of mistakes we make, so as to perform better tomorrow. Mistakes will still be made, but the important thing is not to repeat the same ones. ◆ We teach people how to fish, not give them fish. 　　◆Entrepreneurs are those who work to improve the current environment; what’s the use of just complaining and criticizing? **There are too many things to deal with right now; failure is only your own fault. Either everyone fails, or if some people succeed while you fail, it’s still your own fault. In one word, even if you’re unlucky, it’s your fault. 　　◆Those in China’s e-commerce industry must stand on their own feet and move forward, rather than always holding hands; staying hand in hand will lead to disaster. 　　◆We know that back then, if you could strike a few gongs to gather that many people, and the gongs were struck well, how could the performance not be good? Even beating the gong produces beautiful patterns. 　　◆I mean, Alibaba has found a gold mine; we definitely won’t dig for it ourselves. We want someone else to do it, and once they find the gold mine, they just need to give me a share of it. 　　◆I am absolutely convinced that our model will be profitable. Amazon is the longest river in the world, Mount 8848 is the highest mountain in the world, and Alibaba is the richest treasure in the world. A good company cannot survive long by relying on external support; the key is to be able to generate its own resources. 　　◆We say that going public is like our gas station; we can’t stop there and stay put – we need to keep moving forward. ◆The Internet is a 3,000-meter race that will influence human life over the next 30 years; you must run as fast as a rabbit and yet have the endurance of a turtle. 　　◆Why did I survive? First, it’s because I don’t have any money; second, I know nothing about the Internet; third, I think like a fool. 　　◆As soon as the starting gun goes off, you don’t have time to watch how your competitors are running. Only tomorrow is our competitor. 　　◆If the bird that wakes up early doesn’t get any insects, it will be eaten by other birds. 　　◆If not now, when? If not me, who?? 　　◆The Internet is like a beer; it’s best when it has foam. 　　◆I’ve heard of people who got rich by catching lobsters, but I’ve never heard of anyone who got rich by hunting whales. 　　◆We cannot rely on inspiration. Inspiration comes suddenly, just like Duan Yu’s Six Veins Divine Sword. 　　◆Alibaba’s Six Pillars are Alibaba’s core values: integrity, dedication, passion, embracing change, teamwork, and customer first. 　　◆I will always believe that as long as we never give up, we still have a chance. Finally, we still firmly believe that as long as there are dreams in this world, as long as one keeps working hard and keeps learning, no matter what one’s appearance is like—whether it’s this way or that way—a man’s looks often vary inversely to his talent. ◆Today is cruel, tomorrow will be even crueler; the day after that will be beautiful, but the vast majority die by tomorrow night. So everyone should not give up on today. 　◆A man’s appearance often tends to be the opposite of his talent. ◆ In my opinion, there are three types of people: entrepreneurs, who create money; businessmen, who know what to do and what not to do. Entrepreneurs: Taking responsibility for society. Entrepreneurs should create an environment for society. Entrepreneurs must have an innovative spirit. 　　◆Three years ago, I sent a colleague to pursue an MBA. I told him that if you forget what you’ve learned after graduating, then you have actually graduated. If you keep thinking about what you’ve learned every day, then you haven’t graduated yet. Learn MBA knowledge, but break free from its limitations. 　　◆For all entrepreneurs, always remind yourself of one thing: from the very first day of starting a business, what you will face every day are difficulties and failures, not success. My hardest times have not yet come, but they will one day. Difficulties cannot be avoided, nor can they be shouldered by someone else for you. Nine years of entrepreneurial experience have taught me that any difficulty must be faced by yourself. Entrepreneurs are those who face difficulties. 　　◆A company is most prone to making mistakes in two situations: first, when it has too much money; second, when faced with too many opportunities. What a CEO should focus on is not opportunities, as opportunities are everywhere; rather, a CEO should be aware of potential disasters and prevent them from occurring in the first place. ◆In the 1980s, earning money relied on courage; in the 1990s, it relied on connections; now, it must rely on knowledge and skills! ◆ It seems that ideas are not very valuable; what’s truly valuable is the integration of elements, that is, the value you create. There are no excellent ideas in this world – only practical results. 　　 It’s not necessary to seek venture capital; it’s also a good option to get things off the ground on your own before looking for venture capital – there’s no need to seek it from the very beginning. ◆ Short-lived passion is worthless; only lasting passion can be profitable, and passion cannot be hurt. Especially when your employees are already extremely tired after work, asking them to read for three hours or learn more will exhaust them. Learning can happen everywhere; it doesn’t necessarily require sitting still – one can learn by listening, by observing, and by learning from customers. ◆ Also, you are someone who values loyalty and affection, but doing business sometimes doesn’t rely solely on loyalty and affection. What’s important is that you should do it because you can create value for this market; don’t do it just because it’s under pressure and I need to help it. ◆ Li Ka-shing once said that in his diversified business strategy, there are always one or two businesses that generate profits continuously, and only then does he consider entering a third one. ◆ I hope that everyone will use my products and services, but that’s impossible. The positioning must be accurate for you to do a good job. So I have a suggestion for all entrepreneurs, including you: do less but do it well; don’t try to do too much. It’s important to focus on doing things thoroughly and to perfection. ◆ When facing a strong opponent, I think what you should do is not challenge it, but rather make up for its strengths. Do what it cannot do, serve it well; prioritize survival before seeking to compete – this is the basic principle for all businesses. You challenge someone before you’ve even secured a firm footing – you’re bound to lose. Survival first, then fight. In this way, the chances of winning may increase. ◆ An entrepreneur must first possess the qualities of an excellent professional manager, and a professional manager, in turn, needs to have the vision and mindset of an entrepreneur in order to be a true professional manager ； Only by treating others’ time, effort, and resources as one’s own can he truly become a good entrepreneur and professional manager. ◆ There is a warning: you say you don’t have time to pay the 120,000 yuan in taxes, and there are also reasons related to bookkeeping. No matter what, taxes must be paid, so this is my warning. ◆ I believe that in life, in work, and in running a business, one must be consistent. Only in this way can you grow and become stronger. Many times, when dealing with clients, even if you don’t like them, you still need to respect them. Don’t treat customers like idiots. If a customer doesn’t like you, there must be reasons for that. I believe the most important thing for entrepreneurs is to learn how to interact with people. Only through others, through a team, can you achieve your own results. ◆ We entrepreneurs must always keep in mind that with a global perspective, success comes from a local approach; with a national perspective as well, success is achieved through local efforts. For a whole town, it is the small businesses that determine success. Only by taking steady steps forward one after another can we seize such opportunities. When starting a business, I advise everyone to do what they are best at, what they like most and find easiest to do. Don’t choose something overly ambitious; a company should always focus on doing what it needs to do – trying to do too much will be very exhausting. ◆ Speak up about your ideas boldly; in today’s business world, there are no secrets left – secrets are not your core competitive advantage. ◆ I don’t want Xiong Xiaoge to come and take your money. The CEO needs to explain his product to the whole country in the simplest terms possible. ◆ The difference between a leader and a manager is that excellent leaders are good at seeing people’s strengths, while managers tend to focus on their weaknesses; one should always believe that those around you are smarter than you. A true wise person is one who believes that those around them are smarter than oneself; believing that one is smarter than others brings trouble. This is my advice to you. ◆ There are no taboos; the core competitiveness of your company lies in you and your team. Don’t feel embarrassed. When people ask me what made Alibaba competitive in the beginning, they can copy my model, but they can’t copy the hardships I faced, nor my passion to keep moving forward. You must remember this – it is your core competitiveness. Of course, behind even the best ideas, there must be institutional talent to provide support. ◆ An excellent CEO and leader, when showing employees the bright prospects for the future, must first show them at least a vision of themselves, and must also illustrate to them what disasters might arise in the future. Only by understanding the past disasters can one overcome them; if one fails to do so and keeps only positive thoughts in mind, the company is likely to face closure once again. ◆Shi Yuzhu: \"You can’t rush the trial sales market, nor can you be slow in the national market.\" ◆ Jack Ma: \"A company can gain an advantage through planning, but it certainly cannot succeed solely based on planning. A successful company relies on a comprehensive system of products and services. You must develop your own logic in order to understand others; don’t be afraid to expose your weaknesses.\" ◆ It’s not because others are more cunning that you get deceived – it’s because you’re too greedy ； ◆Businessmen are profit-driven and seek to make money whenever they can ； Businessmen know what to do and what not to do ； And entrepreneurs must take on social responsibilities, create value, and improve society. ◆Integrity is a cornerstone; the most fundamental things are often the hardest to achieve. But whoever does this well can go a very long and far way. ◆Competition, I believe, in the business world is a game, but it is also an art form. The first point is to learn from competitors*. Only those who learn from their competitors* will make progress. ◆If you feel increasingly tired during the competition, there must be something wrong with you. You should make your opponent more and more tired, while you become happier. But the result was that the opponent admitted, convincingly, that they had lost and that I was better than them. Such competitors are the ones we advocate ； ◆I think maybe you care too much about yourself and want to get something too much. To succeed, one must have a spirit of never giving up, but it is only when you learn to give up that you begin to make progress. ◆Only by being invincible within oneself can one be invincible in the world. ◆ One must not only admit mistakes but also be brave enough to take responsibility. ◆ Having results does not necessarily mean success, but those who achieve no results are bound to fail. ◆ Foolish people speak with their mouths; smart people speak with their minds; wise people speak with their hearts