China particularly needs the heroes who started from scratch. China not only needs a lot of well experienced professional managers to lead the current enterprises that is “masked by advertisement” out of their predicament, as evidenced by the gloomy economy, depressed state-owned enterprises, increased retrenchment, many workplaces overstaffed, low benefit and the employment pressure caused by the universities’ expanded enrollment, etc., but also a lot of heroes who started from scratch to create a new economic growth and new employment opportunities; so that Chinese economy can have far more growth, and that our country can be well placed in a better position to compete in the international arena.  

You might not meet the requirements to be a manager of a big enterprise, or perhaps you do have them, but nobody understands or appreciates you, or perhaps you do not have any connection, and there is no one to promote you. All of these may make your dream of becoming a manager in a big enterprise go burst. However, you can start from scratch and create a world of your own, and nobody can stop you.

In our current times, heroes starting from scratch are particularly welcome. Regardless of whether you are a newly graduated Bachelor, Master or Ph.D., or just graduated from technical secondary school or even secondary school; regardless of whether you are from the group of currently employed or school leavers looking for jobs, or retrenched; regardless of whether you are aged 20 or 40, or already above 50. All of these will not affect you to start from scratch. 

Without a degree from the university does not matter much whether or not you will succeed in your undertaking as long as you can continuously learn in the future undertaking and enhance your capability; age will not affect your success in business as long as you possess a young heart. To start from scratch and succeed in your undertaking is not as difficult as you would imagine. You don’t need to work from dawn to night or around the clock as long as you make full use of your strong suit and potentials.

With only a positive mindset you cannot ensure success in starting from scratch, otherwise there wouldn’t be the loss of Jieting by Ma Su in the Three Kingdoms of ancient China (Translator Notes 1) and the defeat of Chang Ping due to Zhao Kuo (Translator Notes 2). Therefore, having a positive mindset is as important as paying particular attention to the approaches used to succeed.

There are 10 great ways to start from scratch and be successful. 1) Refuse to be mediocre, and be inspired with desire. 2) Make the right choice and start from scratch. 3) Build up confidence, and be passionate. 4) Determine the goal whole-heartedly. 5) Plan on time and act decisively. 6) Be outstanding and strike unexpectedly to defeat opponents. 7）Observe honesty as the best policy, and satisfy demand. 8) Continue with accumulation of knowledge to beef up capability. 9) Combine advance and retreat together, and move smoothly. 10) Hug success and enjoy life.

These personal viewpoints and methods are author’s experience while starting up a new undertaking, combining with a lot of examples of success and failure by those people who started from scratch at all times and in all lands. They would not make you rich quickly, neither would they encourage you to excessively speculate or gamble, but only inform you of the most practical and commonest discipline and theory to work towards success in building up your business and be rich. The discipline and theory do not change due to time and place, but, of course, when you apply them you have to combine them with your own practical situation, adapting yourself to changing conditions, and applying them flexibly.

We strongly believe, along with the continuous improvement of Chinese economy market orientation, the environment for people starting from scratch and for business investment will be better and better, with more and more opportunities, and more and more people starting from scratch to build their businesses, actively playing their roles in the Chinese economic arena. 

Translator Note 1: Ma Su was a warfare strategist who lacked updated knowledge and battle experience, resulting in the loss of Jieting that he was entrusted to hold partly due to his opinionated approach.

Translator Note 2: Zhao Kuo was the son of a famous General in the Warring States Period of ancient China. He was well versed in warfare from childhood, but lacked actual battle experience. After his father’s death he was somehow sent to capture the disputable Changping in a complicated warfare, and was unfortunately defeated because he had only "paper knowledge" and no practical experience, and the whole army he led was completely wiped out together with him.