Episode 62 - 10 Lessons From Jack Ma

I've been building something bit by bit. It's called UPLY. An app about 1% daily growth. Recently, I stumbled upon Jack Ma's 10 messages to young entrepreneurs and couldn't help but smile. I've lived these lines—sometimes unknowingly—while building my platforms 'Be Better Bit-By-Bit' and UPLY. In this episode, I share how each of Jack Ma's 10 lessons showed up in my own journey—from writing one small journal to creating multiple books, journals, and an app that helps people grow 1% at a time. The 10 lessons and how I lived them:

1. Dream big, really big - From one journal to books, card decks, and UPLY
2. The bigger the problem, the greater the opportunity - Building an app with no time, no tech background, no roadmap
3. Today is tough, but the day after tomorrow is beautiful - From barely finishing 5K to completing 50K ultras
4. Focus on the customer - I'm not making journals, I'm making space for people to breathe
5. Learn from competitors, but never copy - Why UPLY feels human, not like a dashboard
6. Better than first - I was late to everything, but I showed up daily
7. Find opportunity in crisis - How COVID gave birth to 'Be Better Bit-By-Bit'
8. Use competitor's strength against them - In a world of sticky apps, we built one that lets go
9. Don't dwell on mistakes - We printed 1,000 journals without page numbers (and survived)
10. Team works for the goal - Everyone who believes small steps matter has already joined

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Thanks for listening!

If this episode helped you, I'd love to stay connected.

About me: I'm a CA ranker (AIR 48), ultra-marathon runner, and author with 20 years of work experience.  I believe in getting better bit by bit—through daily journaling, honest reflection, and small actions.

Here's how we can work together:
📱 Download UPLY - Our app for daily growth and mindfulness
📚 Read my books & journals - Available on Amazon (search my name - Nishith Goyal)
 🌐 Visit bebetterbitbybit.com - Free resources, blog posts, and more
🎯 Join my workshops - I teach journaling, mental wellness, and the GATE concept

One bit at a time, we all get better.

See you in the next episode!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I have been building something bit by bit. It's called
up l y. It's about one percent daily growth, and
it's also a reflection of how I live as a runner, reader, writer,
podcast junkie, and a full time finance professional. Recently, I
stumbled upon Jack Ma's ten messages to Young Entrepreneurs, and

(00:20):
I couldn't help but smile because I've lived these lines,
sometimes unknowingly, while building my platforms be better bit by
bit and uply. Today I went to share how each
one of these lessons showed up in my own journey,
and maybe you'll see your own story in them too.

(00:41):
Lesson number one, dream big, really big. I once dreamed
of writing a book. I wasn't a writer during those days,
just one small journal, that's it. Now I've created gratitude journals,
affirmation journals, couple journals, card decks, I've written a couple
of books, have a third already under editing, and I

(01:04):
created an app called up Lee that nudges people to
improve one percent a day. It all started with one dream,
and that dream got bigger as I did the work.
Lesson number two, the bigger the problem, the greater the opportunity.
The idea of building a self growth app while working

(01:24):
a full time job in finance was a problem in itself.
No time, no tech background, no roadmap. But I also
saw the problem around me, people drowning in content but
starving for daily progress. That's where Uplee was born, a small,
actionable tool to cut through the clutter. Lesson number three.

(01:49):
Today is tough, but the day after tomorrow is beautiful.
When I went from barely finishing five k runs to
completing a fifth ultra, I learned this firsthand. The same
applies to building products. Some days are lonely, no traction,
no downloads, no feedback, but you keep showing up and

(02:12):
then one day someone says your journal help them sleep better,
or that your app made them smile. That's the day
after tomorrow. Lesson number four. Focus on the customer and
the rest will follow. I used to think I was
making journals, but really I'm making space, a space where

(02:32):
someone can write down I'm grateful, I'm still breathing today,
or i don't feel okay, but that's okay. Every page,
every prompt, every card in a plea exists because I imagined
one person using it quietly when no one's watching. Lesson
number five learn from competitors, but never copy them. I've

(02:57):
seen hundreds of self help appsent trackers. Many are brilliant,
but I didn't want to build another dashboard. I wanted
uply to feel human. That's why our cards, prompts, and
exercises don't tell you what to do. They invite you in.
No gamification tricks, no data anxiety, just gentle nudges. You

(03:19):
can admire others, just don't lose your own voice. Lesson
number six. It's more important to be best than first.
I was late to everything, late to journaling, late to running,
late to podcasting, late to product building, but I showed
up daily. That made the difference. Even now, UPLEA isn't

(03:42):
the first in its category, but we're trying to be
the best in one thing, helping people grow just one
percent at a time, and whatever feedback and ridicule I
am receiving during this course is helping me build something important,
though not first. Lesson number seven. Find opportunity in crisis.

(04:04):
During COVID, I found myself journaling more, breathing deeper, and
moving more slowly. That's when the idea for be better
bit by bit clicked. While the world was obsessed with transformation,
I realized something simpler. Tiny, boring habits can save lives.
They saved mine. Lesson number eight, Use your competitor's strength

(04:26):
against them. Every flashy app is trying to keep people scrolling,
so I decided uply would do the opposite. Open it,
do your one percent doors, close it. Live your day
In a world of sticky apps, we wanted to build
an app that lets go Lesson number nine, don't dwell
on mistakes. We once printed one thousand copies of a

(04:49):
journal and forgot to add page numbers. I've published posts
that flopped, sent mailers with typos. It used to bother me,
but not anymore. Now we laugh, fix, learned move. Most
people don't remember your mistakes, they remember your consistency. Lesson
number ten. The team should work for the goal, not

(05:13):
for the boss. I don't think of uply as my app.
I think of it as a shared space with developers, writers, artists, users,
friends and strangers. Everyone who believes small steps matter has
already joined the team. Some just don't know it yet.
So here's what I've learned. Jack mars list isn't just

(05:35):
for CEO. It's for people building something slowly, something that
may not look like much from the outside, but means
everything to the one building it. If you're chasing a
dream with no title, no team, and no clear plan,
welcome to the club. You're doing just fine, and if

(05:57):
you believe small steps matter, if you believe one percent
daily growth is real, you're already part of this journey,
one bit at a time. Thanks for listening. Let's be
better bit by bit.