The Build Up
Alibaba Australia & New Zealand
When it comes to forging your own entrepreneurial path in 2021, the world is your oyster. Collectively we’re more social, more connected, and more tech-savvy than ever before. However, often there are too many choices and so many paths available—it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure about the best move, and when to make it. The Build Up by Alibaba Australia & New Zealand is here to demystify the journey, with tactile, IRL advice from industry experts who are in the business of the build.
Latest Episodes
- Trailer
- Episode 1
- Episode 2
- Episode 3
- Episode 4
- Episode 5
- Episode 6
- Episode 7
- Episode 8
- Episode 9
- Episode 10
- Trailer
When it comes to forging your own entrepreneurial path in 2021, the world is your oyster. Collectively we’re more social, more connected, and more tech-savvy than ever before. However, often there are too many choices and so many paths available—it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure about the best move, and when to make it. The Build Up by Alibaba Australia & New Zealand is here to demystify the journey, with tactile, IRL advice from industry experts who are in the business of the build: in the midst of creating entrepreneurial projects of their very own, and finding their way in the world of biz.
- Episode 1
When it comes to building a business or a passion project, one of the hardest hurdles to clear is knowing when, and how to start. We freeze, falter, and question our way, and it’s easy to let the fear take over.
To demystify this process, we are joined by Maeva Heim, Founder of Bread Beauty Supply who makes staple products for every coily, afro, and curly-haired humans’ haircare wardrobe. Taking inspiration from the Chinese proverb ‘Dig the Well Before You Are Thirsty’ or 未 雨 绸 缪, in this first episode we talk about how to start digging, door knocking, and self-motivating; building your idea into a viable business, and seeking out the right inspiration and tools to get the party started.
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- Episode 2
Ever considered whether or not teaching a person a useful skill can be more beneficial in the long run than filling a need for them temporarily? Join into our conversation with Ali Terai, CEO and Founder of Future Golf, where we explore the importance of educating your customer, taking inspiration from the Chinese proverb ‘Teach A Person to Fish’ or 授 人 以 鱼， 不 如 授 之 以 渔.
In this episode, we discuss how you can provide value to your customer by not just providing a product, but also providing a service built on education, inspiration, and strong, genuine relationships.
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- Episode 3
Fact: No one is immune to making mistakes – we are human, after all! But if we simply apologise and carry on as before, we’re in danger of repeating the same errors. When we don’t learn from our mistakes, we inflict unnecessary stress on ourselves and on others, and we risk losing people’s confidence and trust in us.
In this episode, we’re joined by Sarah Agboola, Founder and CEO of mtime, a business dedicated to giving busy families their time back by matching them with family assistants. We explore decisions gone wrong, taking inspiration from the Chinese proverb ‘One Only Learns From One’s Mistakes or 吃 一 堑， 长 一 智.
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- Episode 4
Ever wanted to know what goes into managing one of the largest technology companies in the world? Today, you can. Meet Maggie Zhou – Managing Director of Alibaba Group, Australia and New Zealand. As one of the early veterans of the company, Maggie has witnessed major company developments as the company has expanded its businesses outside of China and as well as the progression and development of Mainland China’s e-commerce market.
A slice of her wisdom: Change really is the only constant. Maggie has been a key contributor to Alibaba Group’s strategy to globalise its business and internalise its mission – to make it easy to do business anywhere.
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- Episode 5
In a world of self-promotion, instant gratification, and social media, it’s easy to get caught up in someone else’s definition of success and rush to meet them. What we encourage you to do, is instead go your own way, and invest in building yourself up before launching out into the world.
In this episode, we’re joined by Julie Hirsch, Co-Founder and COO at Eloments – the world’s first all natural vitamin tea. Taking inspiration from the Chinese proverb ‘Learn to Walk Before You Run’ or 一 口 吃 不 成 胖 子, we explore the importance of grasping the basic skills of business and your industry before attempting something more difficult.
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- Episode 6
Did you know Alipay is the most widely used third-party online payment service provider in China? With over a billion active users, its primary product—a digital wallet, Alipay Wallet—includes a mobile app that allows customers to conduct transactions directly from their mobile devices. That’s a lot of users for a single service. So, how to make it stick?
In this episode, we explore the importance of service based on the Alibaba Group’s cultural value Customers First or 客 户 第一. Joined by John O’Loghlen, Director of Alipay in Australia and New Zealand, an integral part of the Alibaba Group who helped Alipay become the must-have payment method for any business looking to reach a critical mass of Chinese shoppers both home and abroad.
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Reach out to the Alipay team here: australia@service.alibaba.com
- Episode 7
Fact: Building trust is likely to be the most important business decision you’ll ever make. In this episode, fittingly, we explore the importance of trust and relationship building based on the Alibaba Group’s cultural value Trust Makes Everything Simple, or 因 为 信 任 所 以 简 单.
We are joined in this conversation by Gen George, Executive Director at Genry Cap, Executive Chair at The Daily Skin Co & Co-Founder at LMBDW. Gen is a big believer in community and co-founds global Facebook communities with charitable focuses: Marketplace Meet Up and Like-Minded Bitches Drinking Wine (LMBDW) which has notably 150k members and monthly meetups to support micro financing for women in third world countries. Pour some wine and join the conversation. Gen would like that.
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Learn more about Genry Capital
- Episode 8
Fact: Every new day is a fresh opportunity to rise to the occasion – whatever it may be. In this episode, we explore the importance of challenging expectations and self-improvement based on the Alibaba Group’s cultural value Today’s Best Performance Is Tomorrow’s Baseline, or 今 天 最 好 的表 现 是 明 天 最 低的 要 求.
Today we are joined in this conversation by Drew Bilbe, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Nexba. Nexba is Australia’s leading Naturally Sugar-Free drinks brand, on a mission to create innovative drinks that taste good and do good.
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- Episode 9
Self-talk may not come naturally to most of us – but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to make it work. In this episode, we explore the importance of owning up to the challenge of building your dreams yourself, and the need for a self-belief that you are the ideal candidate for the job, based on the Alibaba Group’s cultural value If Not Now, When? If Not Me, Who?, or 此时 此刻 非 我 莫 属.
Today we are joined in this conversation by Mariam Mohammed – Co-Founder of MoneyGirl – a social enterprise focused on making financial education more fun and accessible for young Australian women. AKA: God’s work. Let’s learn!
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- Episode 10
Ever struggled with finding the balance of purpose and joy between both life at home and life at work? In this episode, we are joined by Caerl Murray, Global Cloud Executive at Alibaba Cloud to explore the Alibaba Group’s cultural value ‘Live Seriously, Work Happily,’ or 认 真 生 活 快 乐 工 作.
In a nutshell, Alibaba Cloud provides a comprehensive suite of global cloud computing services to power both international customers’ online businesses and Alibaba Group’s own e-commerce ecosystem.
Alibaba Cloud is also a trusted gateway to Asia, especially China. As the leading Cloud provider in this region, ChinaConnect is Alibaba Cloud’s channel to help international companies do business in China.
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Podcast Host
Michelle Akhidenor
Founder & CEO, The Peers Project
As the founder of Australia’s leading podcast agency, The Peers Project, Michelle develops and hosts podcasts across Australia, the UK and the U.S. With a focus on entrepreneurship and the millennial market, Michelle’s work has seen her interview over 100 young leaders including Forbes 30 Under 30 listees and TEDx speakers.