Here are some condensed pieces of wisdom for and by entrepreneurs in Asia.
“A lot of people complain about yesterday. We have no power to change yesterday. But this very day, 30 years later, is what we can control and decide. Change yourself, take baby steps, and stay determined for ten years. I thank the times of change and everyone's complaints. Because when everyone is complaining, that is your change, an opportunity. It's only in times of chang that someone can be clear of what he has and wants, and what he needs to give up. ” - Jack Ma, in his last speech as CEO of Alibaba.
Mark Chang gave a great piece of advice to once-budding Malaysian entrepreneur, Khai Yin, who then went on and founded GoodPlace.my: “I know only of the ‘kerbau' (buffalo) way, that is, to work hard and wait for the rain.”
If there's an entrepreneur that can talk about being resilient, then that is Firdhaus Akber who founded Streetdirectory and then he was ousted from the company and had to fight a lawsuit. “Entrepreneurs need to understand that they may not be successful on the first time. Most aren't. One needs to learn to pick themselves up and try again when they fail. What I learned from my Hong Kong investors was their nonchalant attitude towards failure. Why be so concerned about failure? If you fall down, pick yourself up and try again. Just keep trying, there's no one who will fail forever.”
What you can learn from Patrick Linden is the value of listening to the right advice: “It is important for entrepreneurs to stay firm to what they believe in. And if you need advice, go to the right people who have been there and done that rather than those who don't fully grasp the reality of entrepreneurship.”
And once you are at the top, you should follow Gou's advice and keep going, keep working hard and never easy up: “I never think I am successful. If I am successful, then I should be retired. If I am not retired, then that means I should still be working hard, keeping the company running.”
You also need to focus on what you think matters most to you and what you love, what you are passionate about, like Le Hong Minh advises you to: “You need to love your work, and work hard at it. to do that, you must pay attention to your priorities at the moment Constantly ask yourself, ‘what is the most important thing to you right now?'”
Even when you do what you love, don't forget that the purpose of a business is to make money. If what you do doesn't make money, then it is a hobby. That is what Sachin and Binny Bansal from Flipkart advise you to: “Perseverance and hard work are very important. The core of any business is to earn money. You have not done your job well until you find a stranger who is willing to open his/her wallet to give you money for the services/products that you are offering.”
Manuel V. Pangilinan from PLDT agrees with most entrepreneurs, particularly Steve Jobs, that the key to success is hard - and also honest - work. “The abiding lesson is that enduring long-term wealth, especially for self-made people, really comes from doing the right thing - no shortcuts, no corruption - and earning it the right way.”
Masayoshi Son, from Softbank, advises entrepreneurs to always think of the future. This is a great piece of advice and source of motivation because if you always think of the future, you are always going to work hard to make that prospect a better one. “Do not limit yourself to thinking in the present. Think above and beyond. Do not be bound by this age; aim to create a new age that will delight people throughout the world.”
Yoshikazy Tanaka, GREE, is also known as the Mark Zuckerberg of Japan. He says that the hardest part of it all is getting started. Once you've started your business, you've already overcome the hardest struggle: “I think the number one advice I can give is - you just have to start it. Just get your feet in the water and do it. I learned a lot from just trying it out.”