Entrepreneurs need to be bold, strategic, careful, incisive, confident and vulnerable. Some days, they are faced with all of those emotions and more.
The high-paced, challenging and ever-changing reality of running your own business means entrepreneurs often need to find inspiration that matches their mood.
Fortunately, there are hundreds of inspirational words that can help entrepreneurs no matter what the prevailing sentiment. Here are 12 inspirational quotes for entrepreneurs who need a dose of perspective and encouragement.
1. “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 other’s 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 founded Apple and was the force behind some of the most transformational technologies we use today. Here, he is encouraging people to believe in their own vision and beliefs, follow their convictions and believe in themselves.
2. “If you know too much before the start, then you will get overwhelmed. Come up with an original idea, and don’t copy because there will be no passion. You need that otherworldly passion. Just start.“
Jeni Britton Bauer is the founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. She urges people to take their idea and jump into the fray, not worrying about knowing it all before getting started.
3. “Don’t get distracted. Never tell yourself that you need to be the biggest brand in the whole world. Start by working on what you need at the present moment and then what you need to do tomorrow. So, set yourself manageable targets.“
Jas Bagniewski, co-founder of Eve Sleep, a mattress and bedframe maker, has wise words here, urging people to focus on what is most important in the moment of need.
4. “Try. Fail. Repeat.”
Yali Saar is the co-founder and CEO of Tailor Brands, a platform that helps people launch businesses. The process of growth means being brave enough to experiment and, if you fail, learn from the experience and start over.
5. “Most of us want to tell our coworkers or friends, or husbands or wives, our ideas. For what reason? We want validation. But I feel ideas are most vulnerable in their infancy. Out of love and concern, friends and family give all the reasons or objections on why [you] shouldn’t do it. I didn’t want to risk that.”
Sara Blakely is the founder of Spanx, the undergarments company. She believes that sometimes, working from a place of care and caution, that those closest to you may try to talk you out of all your big ideas.
6. “One of the greatest skills of leadership is being unflappable. Anytime you do anything in the world, there’s going to be criticism.“
Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, is no stranger to controversy. Here, she is telling people that criticism is going to be ever-present. The mark of a good leader is to remain calm and not be flustered when the inevitable complaints arise.
7. “Starting a company extracts so much energy and conviction that not having a clear-cut goal and meaningful mission can hamper your success. This is why, at Virta, our mission was clearly defined: reverse early type-2 diabetes in 100 million people by 2025.“
As the co-founder of Virta Health, Sami Inkinen built a company that’s addressing one of the most pressing health issues facing people worldwide. Leaders and their teams, often well-intentioned, can spend hours, days and weeks creating complex, multidimensional mission statements. Sometimes, the best thing to do is be simple, clear and concise with what your mission is. It allows everyone – employees, investors and customers – to understand exactly what you’re all about.
8. “You have to get good at ceding control and not taking things personally. Even seasoned entrepreneurs have struggled with that. I think it’s about not taking failures personally and also not taking successes personally.“
Leila Janah is the founder of Sama (formerly Samasource), a data company building solutions for artificial intelligence algorithms, and LXMI, a natural makeup and skin care business. Here, Janah tells business leaders to let it go – whether it’s operational elements of the business or the failures that will be a part of any company’s ups and downs.
9. “I can name dozens of failures that we had over the years. Yet, with all these failures, we still managed to build Appster into one of the largest, and best companies in our industry. So, remember every time you fail, remind yourself these words: ‘Life won’t always go my way, but I will always find a way‘.”
Josiah Humphrey, co-founder of Appster, an Australian mobile app development company, also riffs on failure. It’s a part of the development of a sound company. He also encourages people to remain resilient in the face of failure, continuing to believe in themselves and their ability to chart a path forward.
10. “Some days you’re smiling and thinking you’re going to make this thing rock. Then the next day a pipe breaks and your costs look too high. You have to learn to keep your eyes on an ultimate goal. If you lose sight of that goal, you have to get out.”
Set a goal and remind yourself of that goal, on the days that are good and the days that are rough. That’s the message behind this quote from Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani, the Greek yogurt company.
11. “If you start thinking you are good at something, that’s often the day you stop trying to be better and open the back door for someone to come after you. That’s why we always aim higher. We never feel like we’re done.“
Drew Houston is the cofounder and CEO of Dropbox, the online, cloud-based data storage company. Here, Houston encourages entrepreneurs to remain diligent, aware and forward-moving. There are countless examples of ambitious companies that have completely disrupted industries where the major players have remained static. These upstart companies have changed the way business is done.
12. “Dear entrepreneurs, you can start a thousand businesses, launch 100 projects, and take dozens of companies public, but you only have one shot at being part of your kid’s childhood. Your kid doesn’t care about your platform, they care about your presence.”
Jon Acuff is a best-selling author and leadership speaker. His words here are particularly apt. In every single case, it’s important for entrepreneurs to find balance in what they do and not focus solely on their business goals. Family, friends, hobbies and outside interests are important both for the relationships forged and giving one balance and perspective.
Entrepreneurs have a multitude of competing interests, needs, concerns and priorities. The rewards of all that hard work can be life-changing.
To maintain the proper alignment, entrepreneurs can heed the wise words of these other successful business people. Sharing their perspectives, forged in their own entrepreneurial journeys, is a remarkable gift for those traveling a similar path.
