Achieving success is an intentional process that requires ambition, dedication, discipline, motivation, passion, and consistency. Every entrepreneur has no choice but to hold steadfastly to their dreams and visions, however, most fall out when challenges arise.
Having successful mentors and few great words to guide you can positively impact the pace of your drive and push you to achieve the success that will not only benefit you but the world around you. Whether you need a motivational, inspiration, or a hard nudge in the right direction these 20 inspirational business quotes are sure to set off a chain of innovative ideas and keep you going in a successful direction.
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 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, Former CEO, Chairman Apple Inc.
2. “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
3. “You just have to pay attention to what people need and what has not been done.”
– Russell Simmons, found Def Jam Records
4. “Make your product easier to buy than your competition, or you will find your customers buying from them, not you.”
-Mark Cuban
5. “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, founder Pinterest
6. “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 The Body Shop
7. “If you want to be an entrepreneur, it’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle. It defines you. Forget about vacations, about going home at 6 pm – last thing at night you’ll send emails, first thing in the morning you’ll read emails, and you’’ wake up in the middle of the night. But it’s hugely rewarding as you’re fulfilling something for yourself.”
-Niklas Zennstrom, founder Skype and Kazaa
8. “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, chairman and CEO Berkshire Hathaway
9. “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
10. .“Chase the vision, not the money; the money will end up following you.”
– Tony Hsieh, CEO Zappos
11. “Before dreaming about the future or making plans, you need to articulate what you already have going for you – as entrepreneurs do.”
– Reid Hoffman, co-founder LinkedIn
12. “Be undeniably good. No marketing effort or social media buzzword can be a substitute for that.”
– Anthony Volodkin, founder Hype Machine
13. “Don’t worry about funding if you don’t need it. Today it’s cheaper to start a business than ever.”
– Noah Everett, founder Twitpic
14. “It’s more effective to do something valuable than to hope a logo or name will say it for you.”
– Jason Cohen, founder Smart Bear Software
15. The difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says ‘Go!’ – a leader says, ‘Let’s go!’.”
-E.M Kelly, U.S Army
16. “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, founder, chairman and CEO Apple Inc.
17. “Hire character. Train skill.”
– Peter Schultz, founder and director GNF
18. “We are really competing against ourselves, we have no control over how other people perform.”
– Pete Cashmore, founder and CEO Mashable
19. “Always deliver more than expected.”
– Larry Page, co-founder Google
20. “Get big quietly, so you don’t tip off potential competitors.”
– Chris Dixon, co-founder and CEO Hunch
