Starting a business is like planting a small tree. You invest your time and money, taking care of it without expecting anything in return. When your startup succeeds, all the hard work pays off.
However, like small trees, many startups fail to grow and often close within the first few years. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of helpful advice that founders receive. Seeking and implementing such advice can be a game-changer for your business.
Advice from experienced entrepreneurs is precious. Learning from their firsthand experience of working, failing, and succeeding can’t be replaced by studying theories alone.
Here are 100 pieces of startup advice from seasoned entrepreneurs to guide your business in the right direction and stay motivated when things get tough.
Inspirational Quotes for Business Owners
Successful entrepreneurs rely on great ideas and ongoing inspiration to navigate the ups and downs of business entrepreneurship. Before acting on their vision, they cultivate a strong belief in themselves.
1. “When I was younger, there was something in me. I had passion. I may not have known what I was going to do with that passion, but there was something I still felt. It’s this little engine that roars inside of me, and I just want to keep going and going.”
-Sheila Johnson, co-founder of BET
2. “Do what you love, and success will follow. Passion is the fuel behind a successful career.”
-Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay Inc. and HP Inc.
3. “I don’t like to lose — at anything — yet, I’ve grown most not from victories, but setbacks.”
-Serena Williams, tennis icon and founder of Serena Ventures
4. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
–Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc.
5. “If you approach 100 people for seed capital, 99 of them may say no. You just need that one.”
-Dr. William F. Pickard, executive chairman and founder of the Global Automotive Alliance
6. “An entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a want to create.”
-David Karp, founder of Tumblr
7. “My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long University education that I never had – every day I’m learning something new.”
-Richard Branson, co-founder of the Virgin Group
8. “I got lucky because I never gave up the search. Are you quitting too soon? Or are you willing to pursue luck with a vengeance, too?”
-Jill Konrath, sales strategist, speaker, and author
9. “Every time you state what you want or believe, you’re the first to hear it. It’s a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don’t put a ceiling on yourself.”
-Oprah Winfrey, global media leader, producer, and actress
10. “Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.”
-Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.
11. “I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying.”
-Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chairman of Amazon
12. “An entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a want to create.”
-David Karp, founder of Tumblr
13. “When you find an idea that you just can’t stop thinking about, that’s probably a good one to pursue.”
-Josh James, co-founder of Omniture and founder and CEO of Domo, Inc.
14. “The only thing worse than starting something and failing… is not starting something.”
-Seth Godin, author and founder of Squidoo
15. “An entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a want to create.”
-David Karp, founder of Tumblr
16. “The fastest way to change yourself is to hang out with people who are already the way you want to be.”
-Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn
17. “Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.”
-Mae Jemison, pioneering astronaut and start up founder
18. “In the end, a vision without the ability to execute it is probably a hallucination.”
-Steve Case, co-founder of AOL
19. . “I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars – I look for 1-foot bars that I can step over.”
-Warren Buffett, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
20. “Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it, the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.”
-Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post, and founder and CEO of Thrive Global
21. “In the end, a vision without the ability to execute it is probably a hallucination.”
-Steve Case, co-founder of AOL
22. “When I was younger, there was something in me. I had passion. I may not have known what I was going to do with that passion, but there was something and I still feel it. It’s this little engine that roars inside of me, and I just want to keep going and going.”
-Sheila Johnson, co-founder of BET
23. “Embrace what you don’t know, especially in the beginning, because what you don’t know can become your greatest asset. It ensures that you will absolutely be doing things different from everybody else.”
-Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, Inc
24. “Don’t be afraid to assert yourself, have confidence in your abilities, and don’t let the bastards get you down.”
-Michael Bloomberg, co-founder of Bloomberg L.P.
25. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
-Walt Disney, founder of The Walt Disney Company
26. “High expectations are the key to everything.”
-Sam Walton, founder of Walmart Inc.
27. “There are lots of bad reasons to start a company. But there’s only one good, legitimate reason, and I think you know what it is: It’s to change the world.”
-Phil Libin, co-founder of Evernote
28. “The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.”
-Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Bakeries
29. “Keep going, no matter what.”
-Reginald F. Lewis, American entrepreneur and first African-American to build a billion-dollar company
30. “The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.”
-Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Bakeries
31. “Empower yourself and realize the importance of contributing to the world by living your talent. Work on what you love. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.”
-Catharina Bruns, founder of WorkIsNotaJob
Quotes For Mistakes, Failure, and Success
Rather than fearing failure, many successful entrepreneurs embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth and learning, emphasizing perseverance in achieving their dreams. These inspiring entrepreneur quotes underscore the essence of an entrepreneurship degree.
32. “Failure is not about insecurity, it’s about lack of execution.”
-Jeffrey Gitomer, business author and trainer
33. “Success is not in what you have, but who you are.”
-Bo Bennett, founder and CEO of eBookIt.com
34. “If what you are doing is not moving you towards your goals, then it’s moving you away from your goals.”
-Brian Tracy, founder, CEO, and chairman of Brian Tracy International
35. “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”
-Richard Branson, co-founder of the Virgin Group
36. “Our fear of the unknown and our fear of making mistakes trick us into focusing on what we don’t know or can’t do. When we give ourselves the freedom to be uncertain and less than perfect, then we can start thinking, ‘What do I know? What can I do?’ That’s when the adventure starts – learning, thriving, conquering, failing, recouping, and having a ton of fun.”
-Kristin Smith, COO of Dolly, Inc.
37. “You don’t need to be a genius or a visionary or even a college graduate to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream.”
-Michael Dell, founder of Dell Technologies
38. “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.”
-Dale Carnegie, businessman and philanthropist
39. “The secret to successful hiring is this: Look for the people who want to change the world.”
-Marc Benioff, co-founder, CEO, and chairman of Salesforce, Inc.
40. “Show me a person who never made a mistake, and I will show you a person who never did anything.”
-William Rosenberg, founder of Dunkin’ Donuts
41. “I’ve learned that mistakes can often be as good a teacher as success.”
-Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric
42. “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but on significance – and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.”
-Oprah Winfrey, global media leader, producer, and actress
43. “The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake – you can’t learn anything from being perfect.”
-Adam Osborne, computer pioneer
44. “Fail faster to succeed ”
-David M. Kelley, co-founder of IDEO
45. “Don’t worry about failure; you only have to be right ”
-Drew Houston, co-founder and CEO of Dropbox
46. “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.”
-Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post, and founder and CEO of Thrive Global
47. 39. “I have not I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
-Thomas Edison, inventor and businessman
Quotes About Managing a Business
Rather than fearing failure, numerous renowned entrepreneurs embrace their mistakes, including the most embarrassing ones, as opportunities for learning and growth. Even in moments of self-doubt, they recognize the importance of perseverance in achieving their dreams, as highlighted by these inspiring entrepreneur quotes.
48. “Leadership is the ability to guide others without force into a direction or decision that leaves them still feeling empowered and accomplished.”
-Lisa Cash Hanson, CEO of Snuggwugg
49. “Make your product easier to buy than your competition, or you will find your customers buying from them, not you.”
-Mark Cuban, entrepreneur and investor
50. “Be undeniably good. No marketing effort or social media buzzword can be a substitute for that.”
-Anthony Volodkin, founder of Hype Machine
51. “Data beats emotions.”
-Sean Rad, founder of Tinder and Ad.ly
52. “Don’t worry about funding if you don’t need it. Today, it’s cheaper to start a business than ever.”
-Noah Everett, founder of Twitpic
53. “It’s more effective to do something valuable than to hope a logo or name will say it for you.”
-Jason Cohen, founder of Smart Bear, Inc. and WP Engine
54. “Turn a perceived risk into an asset.”
-Aaron Patzer, founder of Mint.com
55. “Stay self-funded as long as possible.”
-Garrett Camp, co-founder of Uber Technologies, Inc. and StumbleUpon
56. “Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.”
-Jim Rohn, entrepreneur
57. “The things we fear the most in organizations – fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances – are the primary sources of creativity.”
-Margaret Wheatley, co-founder of The Berkana Institute
58. “It’s almost always harder to raise capital than you thought it would be, and it always takes longer. So plan for that.”
-Richard Harroch, founder of LawCommerce.com and Allbusiness.com
59. “To love what you do and feel like it matters – how could anything be more fun?”
-Katharine Graham, former publisher of The Washington Post
60. “So if you’re firm on what your beliefs are, you get a great foundation to go make a market.”
-Ginni Rometty, former president and CEO of IBM
61. “Hire character. Train skill.”
-Peter Schultz, founder of Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF)
62. “You can’t ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”
-Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc.
63. “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.”
-Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn
64. “Ask yourself, what would I do if I weren’t afraid? And then go do it.”
-Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta
65. “Always deliver more than expected.”
-Larry Page, co-founder of Google
66. “Don’t rest on your laurels. There’s always going to be someone behind you who’s going to be better than you. So you need to get out there and keep working.”
-Sheila Johnson, co-founder of BET
67. “Get big quietly, so you don’t tip off potential competitors.”
-Chris Dixon, co-founder of Hunch
68. “The reason I’ve been able to be so financially successful is my focus has never, ever for one minute been money.”
-Oprah Winfrey, global media leader, producer, and actress
69. “Money is like gasoline during a road trip. You don’t want to run out of gas on your trip, but you’re not doing a tour of gas stations.”
-Tim O’Reilly, founder of O’Reilly Media
70. “Wonder what your customer really wants? Ask. Don’t tell.”
-Lisa Stone, co-founder of BlogHer and BrainTrust Founders Studio
71. “If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.”
-Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Facebook
72. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
-Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation
73. “Make your team feel respected, empowered, and genuinely excited about the company’s mission.”
-Tim Westergen, co-founder of Pandora Media Inc.
74. “What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: Know your product better than anyone, know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed”
-Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s
Quotes About Hard Work
After a moment of inspiration, entrepreneurs often dedicate countless hours to realizing their dreams. While maintaining a work-life balance is crucial for physical and mental well-being, many business leaders emphasize that perseverance and dedication are essential for success.
75. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
-Vidal Sassoon, creator of haircare brand and philanthropist
76. “Have the end in mind, and every day make sure you’re working towards it.”
-Ryan Allis, co-founder of iContact
77. “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.”
-Estée Lauder, co-founder of The Estée Lauder Companies
78. . “It is always the start that requires the greatest effort.”
-James Cash Penney, founder of JCPenney
79. “So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.”
-Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr
80. “I never took a day off in my twenties. Not one.”
-Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation
81. “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.”
-Guy Kawasaki, marketing specialist and co-founder Garage Technology Ventures
82. “Make every detail perfect, and limit the number of details to perfect.”
-Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, Inc.
83. “If you’re passionate about something, and you work hard, then I think you will be successful.”
-Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, Inc.
84. “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
-Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, Inc.
85. “I built a conglomerate and emerged the richest black man in the world in 2008, but it didn’t happen overnight. It took me 30 years to get to where I am today. Youths of today aspire to be like me, but they want to achieve it overnight. It’s not going to work. To build a business successfully, you must start small and dream big. In the journey of entrepreneurship, tenacity of purpose is supreme.”
-Aliko Dangote, founder, chairman, and CEO of the Dangote Group
Quotes About Principles and Values
Many entrepreneurs go beyond profit statements when assessing success. They strive to earn respect as leaders known for their strong interpersonal relationships, integrity, and character.
86. “Success depends on employees. For me, knowing and connecting with my employees is very important.”
-Divine Ndhlukula, founder and Managing Director of DDNS Security Operations (Pvt), Ltd.
87. “How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.”
-Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, Inc.
88. “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
-Warren Buffett, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
89. “Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company”
-Booker T. Washington, founder of the National Negro Business League and Tuskegee University
90. “Your reputation is more important than your paycheck, and your integrity is worth more than your career.”
-Ryan Freitas, co-founder of About.me
91. “When you’re dishonest with yourself, you’re disconnected from reality. You’re going to make poor decisions. You’re going to drop out of the moment, and you’re going to be less happy, and you’re going to be wrong.”
-Naval Ravikant, co-founder of AngelList
92. “If you look to lead, invest at least 40% of your time managing yourself – your ethics, character, principles, purpose, motivation, and conduct. Invest at least 30% managing those with authority over you and 15% managing your peers.”
-Dee Hock, founder of Visa, Inc.
93. “I was once afraid of people saying, ‘Who does she think she is?’ Now, I have the courage to stand and say, ‘This is who I am.’”
-Oprah Winfrey, global media leader, producer, and actress
94. “Focus on your vision. Forget everything else – the naysayers, the doubters, challenges, or setbacks.”
-Neeti Mehta, co-founder of Automation Anywhere
95. “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
-Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc.
96. “Openly share and talk to people about your idea. Use their lack of interest or doubt to fuel your motivation to make it happen.”
-Todd Garland, founder of BuySellAds
97. “Opportunities, the good ones, they’re messy and confusing and hard to recognize. They’re risky. They challenge you.”
-Susan Wojcicki, former CEO of YouTube
98. “Nobody talks about entrepreneurship as survival, but that’s exactly what it is and what nurtures creative thinking. Running that first shop taught me business is not financial science; it’s about trading: buying and selling.”
-Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop
99. “Don’t take too much advice. Most people who have a lot of advice to give – with a few exceptions – generalize whatever they did. Don’t over-analyze everything. I myself have been guilty of over-thinking problems. Just build things and find out if they work.”
-Ben Silbermann, co-founder of Pinterest
100. “All humans are entrepreneurs – not because they should start companies but because the will to create is encoded in human DNA.”
-Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn
Conclusion
These quotes from experienced leaders offer valuable advice and motivation for entrepreneurs. They emphasize the importance of hard work, persistence, and staying true to your values. Whether facing challenges, pursuing innovation, or maintaining a positive mindset, these insights remind us that every obstacle is a chance to grow. As entrepreneurs work to build and sustain their businesses, these words can inspire them to stay focused on their goals and make a meaningful impact.
FAQs
How can quotes from entrepreneurs help in overcoming challenges?
Quotes from entrepreneurs provide perspective and encouragement during challenging times. They remind us of the importance of perseverance, innovation, and maintaining a positive mindset, which is crucial for overcoming obstacles.
How can entrepreneurs benefit from studying these quotes?
Entrepreneurs can benefit by learning from the experiences and wisdom of successful leaders. These quotes provide valuable lessons on business strategy, customer relations, team management, and personal growth, helping entrepreneurs navigate their paths more effectively.
How can these quotes be integrated into daily entrepreneurial practices?
Entrepreneurs can integrate these quotes into their daily routines by reflecting on them, using them as guiding principles, and sharing them with their teams for motivation and inspiration. They serve as reminders of the mindset and habits conducive to entrepreneurial success.
