When the hardships of the entrepreneurial journey take a toll on you, you often need the power of words to encourage, uplift and inspire you to keep going. Some wise quotes from successful entrepreneurs who have been through it all can give you a little push to strive towards your goals. Their words can remind you how these business owners have triumphed in their respective challenges and adversities.
We compiled these quotes that you can hang on your workplace or office or put as a reminder for you whenever you encounter some setbacks along the way. These words can give you a push to motivate you when you feel down or discouraged. See which ones suit best for you in your present situation and reflect on how you can apply these sayings to action.
“Entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a want to create.”
– David Karp, founder and CEO, Tumblr
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
– Steve Jobs, co-founder, Chairman Apple Inc.
"Passion, creativity, and resilience are the most crucial skills in business. If you’ve got those, you’re ready to embark on the journey."
– Jo Malone, founder, Jo Malone
“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, Mary Kay Cosmetics
“When you find an idea that you just can’t stop thinking about, that’s probably a good one to pursue.” — Josh James, CEO and co-founder, Omniture
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
– Walt Disney, founder, Disney
“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, founder, Virgin Group
“Always deliver more than expected.”
– Larry Page, co-founder, Google
“See things in the present, even if they are in the future.”
– Larry Ellison, co-founder, Oracle
“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 CEO, Amazon
"You have to see failure as the beginning and the middle, but never entertain it as an end."
– Jessica Herrin, founder and CEO, Stella & Dot
“Show me a person who never made a mistake, and I will show you a person who never did anything.”
– William Rosenberg, founder, Dunkin’ Donuts
“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, Wendy’s
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
– Bill Gates, co-founder, Microsoft
"No matter how many customers you have, each is an individual. The day you start thinking of them as this amorphous ‘collection’ and stop thinking of them as people is the day you start going out of business."
– Dharmesh Shah, co-Founder, HubSpot
"People are the most important thing. Business model and product will follow if you have the right people."
– Adam Neumann, co-founder, WeWork
“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, LinkedIn
"Ignore the hype of the startups that you see in the press. Mostly, it’s a pack of lies. Half of these startups will be dead in a year. So, focus on building your business so you can be the one left standing."
– Jules Pieri, co-founder and CEO, The Grommet
“No more romanticizing about how cool it is to be an entrepreneur. It’s a struggle to save your company’s life – and your own skin – every day of the week.”
– Spencer Fry, co-founder, CarbonMade
“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, Flickr
Later on, when you have carved a name for yourself not only within your industry, niche or territory but also to the global business world, in general, you may also be able to share words of wisdom that aspiring and budding entrepreneurs can take inspiration from. There is always a part of your entrepreneurial journey that can bring insightful lessons to others who may come after you.