Maodong Xu Unpacks the Art of Entrepreneurship

Maodong Xu knows a thing or two about entrepreneurship. As an inventor, innovator, and entrepreneur who built his billion-dollar fortune building sought-after companies that were then acquired by the best in the tech world, he recounts the journey to understanding that becoming an entrepreneur is about so much more than making money.  

“Sure, owning your business is important,” says Maodong Xu, “but real entrepreneurs are so much more than business owners. They’re risk takers, ceiling busters, world changers, shepherds, and dream makers. Entrepreneurs are charting a course that is so foreign, so misunderstood, that we often overlook the artistry behind all they build.”

In a world where the failure rate for new small businesses is 80 percent within the first two years, the uncertainty around becoming an entrepreneur often clouds the true beauty of the journey. For every handful of failures, a truly innovative, world-changing opportunity arises, and it starts with understanding the foundations of entrepreneurship.

Why is Education so Important to the Entrepreneurial Journey?

When new entrepreneurs approach Maodong Xu seeking advice on finding success, his answers are simple—“Take the right risks. Secure the right education, in and outside of the classroom.”

We often discount the importance of education for those madcap entrepreneurial geniuses with the dream stories. From the college dropout to millionaire trope, to the common stories of surprise innovation and immediate wealth, even the wildest entrepreneurial rides require an education, and for some that can be the hardest lesson to learn. Often, entrepreneurs run into the business side of their journey without the important know-how to sustain an operational business.

In an age where education can come in so many shapes and forms, it’s important to continuously seek knowledge. Learning new skills, facts, ideas, and thought models is foundational to sustaining a business and challenging the status quo. The best entrepreneurs are constantly finding new ways to educate themselves on the past, present, and future of their markets. 

How Can an Entrepreneur Secure Success?

The successful entrepreneur understands their market and the ways to navigate unique challenges, roadblocks and systems within it. Without a comprehensive understanding of how a service or product contributes to a customer experience is a significant misstep in the world of the entrepreneur. With an innate understanding of what needs are being filled, entrepreneurs have more access to the right customer without excessive marketing and the painful experience of poor customer feedback. 

Additionally, understanding and establishing a sound financial plan is vital to keep a business moving forward, as Maodong Xu well knows. Without the right money allocated to the right places, business endeavors fall flat fast.

With the right financial plan, an innate understanding of their market, and a focus on generating profit, entrepreneurs can build businesses that scale and succeed. In our free market economy, sales and relationship building are at the core of entrepreneurial success. With sales comes revenue, with revenue and the right financial plan comes the profit. 

What Intangible Qualities Do the Best Entrepreneurs Have?

In the risky world of entrepreneurship, those who survive and thrive are unafraid of failure and remain flexible, embracing the bigger picture and learning from every step along the way. Entrepreneurs who stay in the game and build their fortunes are focused on generating their desired results while understanding that flexibility, collaboration, and healthy stress management techniques can support the best outcomes. 

“With the right risks come the best rewards,” Maodong Xu advises, “but managing those risks and the ups and downs of entrepreneurship successfully means understanding how to release stress and move forward in health.”

Health of mind and body can translate into clearheaded decisions that garner the best outcomes, and entrepreneurs who understand this find continued success as they continue to look forward, celebrate their successes, and learn from the challenges and setbacks of their experiences. In the dance that is entrepreneurship, it’s about learning the steps and executing them with finesse and artistry.

About Maodong Xu

Maodong Xu has leveraged his business acumen, technological innovations, and entrepreneurial spirit to create a business empire. His journey began in the Shandong Province where, as a newly married man, he invested his wedding gifts into starting a grocery store. That initial risk would grow into a successful, record-breaking chain in China and be the foundation for later investments and innovations. As a graduate of the Wuhan University of Technology, he received his computer applications and automation degree in 1990—an experience that would positively inform his later decisions for decades to come. 

As an entrepreneur and inventor, Mr. Xu has built tech businesses and secured important patents that made his companies invaluable to large Chinese tech companies, and through mergers and acquisitions, he has built his fortune. A constant innovator, he has lived the entrepreneurial life for nearly thirty years and is continuing the tradition by collaborating with his son on new endeavors in the United States. Rarely is there found such an expert in the art of entrepreneurship as Maodong Xu.