He had quite a few problems getting into college and in some interviews he even acknowledged that math and numbers have always given him headaches.
In those same interviews, he usually says that he was rejected from more than 30 jobs.
One of the anecdotes that he remembers in his conferences and that after decades of having passed manages to arouse more than one laugh, is when he talks about his attempt to apply to work at McDonalds. “24 people showed up. They hired 23”
His stubbornness and desire to improve made him found Alibaba in 1999 at the age of 35 with an initial capital of 50.000 dollars. The business model that he wanted to implement was to connect Chinese manufacturers with foreign companies, incorporating a secure purchase method that worked with a vendor scoring system, to give the buyer confidence based on the recommendations of those who bought before.
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Starting Alibaba with the support of some small investors, who were friends of Jack Ma, paid off. Less than 20 years later, Alibaba generates sales of more than USD$450.000 billion and has managed to unseat better-known giants in the West such as Amazon or Ebay itself.
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Jack Ma is an example that perseverance and believing with conviction in our abilities can always lead us to a good port.
