According to Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, many people remain poor due to mistakes accumulated over time. After over a decade of attempting to assist the poor, Ma observed a common behavior among them.
Ma stated, "The worst people to serve are the Poor people. Give them free, they’ll think it’s a trap… Tell them it’s a small investment, they’ll say, ‘We won’t earn much.’ Tell them to come in big, they’ll say, ‘We have no money.’ Tell them to try new things, they’ll say, ‘We have no experience.’ Tell them it’s a traditional business, they’ll say, ‘It’s hard to do.’ Tell them it’s a new business model, they’ll say, ‘It’s MLM.’ Tell them to run a shop, they’ll say, ‘That has no freedom.’ Tell them to run a new business, they’ll say, ‘We have no expertise.’"
Ma noted that poor people often share certain traits, including a tendency to ask Google, listen to similarly hopeless friends, think excessively, and take little action. When asked what they can do, Ma claimed they are often unable to provide an answer.
Ma concluded, "Instead of your heart beating faster, why don’t you just act fast. Instead of just thinking about it, why not do something about it. Poor people fail because of one common behaviour: Their Whole Life is About Waiting."
With an estimated net worth of over $23 billion, which is expected to double in 10 years, Ma’s own life story serves as a counterexample. Despite dropping out of school and initially failing, he eventually completed his education.
