Alibaba Success Story: Ask a Lot of Questions

Profiled company:  Eatwhatever

Netrepreneurs Will Drive Growth in China

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Netrepreneurs will drive forward progress in China, says Alibaba Group founder and chairman Jack Ma at the company’s annual AliFest gathering in its home city of Hangzhou.

“I’m confident and optimistic,” Ma said, telling the audience that they were like immigrants who would build a new era in China. “Transparency and sharing will be the cornerstone of our value system,” he said. “On this basis, netrepreneurs will drive forward progress in China.”

Read all about what's going on with Jack Ma, China-based Alibaba (where consumers will buy more than $157 billion worth of merchandise) and the netrepreneurs in China here.

Trouble Ahead: China's eBay, Alibaba

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Alibaba announced two of its most senior representatives, David Wei, the chief executive, and Elvis Lee, the chief operating officer, would resign to accept responsibility for the company having granted "golden status" to 2,236 dealers who it says had subsequently defrauded buyers.

Although the two executives were not personally implicated, the company had little choice than to accept their resignations and make a public disclosure about what happened.

Read all about it:

An online-fraud scandal in China:  Alibaba and the 2,236 thieves
The Economist (check out this December 2010 article as well)

Why Alibaba's CEO had to go
Fortune Tech

Alibaba.com CEO Resigns in Wake of Fraud by Sellers
WSJ.com

David Wei and Elvis Lee Quit Alibaba Amid Fraud Inquiry
NYTimes.com

I think this is only the tip of an iceberg ... watch it closely.

Startup Entrepreneurs Take On The World

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Are you a relatively new entrepreneur (newpreneur)? Do you have a start-up story to tell that will blow people's mind because it's that amazing and important?

Then you should take a look at Alibaba's (microsite here) Newpreneur of the Year program which affords you a chance to take home a share of $100,000 in business grants.

It's simple: share your story in a short essay on why you should be the Newpreneur of the Year; join Alibaba for an inspiring discussion and dialogue among experts (e.g, Tom Peters) and peers and celebrate the excitement around entrepreneurship. Top Grant=$50,000, Second Grant=$25,000. Third Grant=$15,000 and two Fourth Grants=$5,000.

Alibaba (China-based) claims it is the world's largest online B2B marketplace.

Deadline for the contest: August 14, 2009.

Apply here.

How To Position Your Business Now For When Exports Recover

As exports declined, China's Alibaba.com came up with a strategy to make its service a lot more affordable.

A lesson for us all is in this story: How to position your business now for when exports recover.

Read more here.