Starting a new business is exhilarating, exciting, and life-changing. And, as most entrepreneurs can attest, it’s also full of challenges, risks, and lots of hard work. Small business owners, however, are willing to take both the good and bad when launching a new business venture because they’re passionate and dedicated.
But, as Guy Kawasaki once said, “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” So, how do you start a business of your own? Here are thirty quotes all prospective small business owners and entrepreneurs should use during those early stages of their business.
Image Source: Pixabay1. “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
2 “User experience is everything. It always has been, but it’s still undervalued and under-invested in. If you don’t know user-centered design, study it. Hire people who know it. Obsess over it. Live and breathe it. Get your whole company on board.” – Evan Williams, co-founder of Twitter
3. “The problem is that many entrepreneurs start with good intentions to create a new mindset system but then slack off. The solution is to make that system part of your daily routine.” – Lisa A. Mininni, president of ExcellerateAssociates.com
4. “The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” – Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari
5. “I never get the accountants in before I start up a business. It’s done on gut feeling, especially if I can see that they are taking the mickey out of the consumer.” – Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group
6. “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
7. “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.com
8. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates, founder and former CEO of Microsoft
9. “For me, the most fun is change or growth. There are definitely elements of both that I like. Launching a business is kind of like a motorboat: You can go very quickly and turn fast.” – Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
10. “A business model that hasn’t been tried before is always interesting, even if it’s likely to fail.” – Michael Arrington, co-founder of TechCrunch
11. “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 and CEO of O’Reilly Media
12. “There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company, from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” – Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club
13. “You need to be surrounded by good advisers, but you also need to trust your instinct.” – Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook
14. “The product that wins is the one that bridges customers to the future, not the one that requires a giant leap.” – Aaron Levie, co-founder of Box
15. “It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day hard work of running a business and completely forget that, while solving problems and building something you can be proud of, you also have an incredible opportunity to shape the future. Even better, you have the chance to meet amazing people and do amazing things along the way. It’s important not to get lost among the trees and forget about the amazing, beautiful forest you’re planting.” – Colin Wright, author and co-founder of Asymmetrical Press
16. “Don’t worry about people stealing your design work. Worry about the day they stop.” – Jeffrey Zeldman, founder of A List Apart Magazine
17. “Entrepreneurs always pitch their idea as ‘the X of Y,’ so this is going to be ‘the Microsoft of food.’ And yet disruptive innovations usually don’t have that character. Most of the time, if something seems like a good idea, it probably isn’t.” – Eric Ries, The Lean Startup
18. “Get a mentor in the applicable field if you’re at all unsure of what you’re looking for.” – Kyle Bragger, co-founder of Forrst
19. “The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world.” – Marc Benioff, founder and CEO of Salesforce
20. “Starting your own business is like riding a roller coaster. There are highs and lows, and every turn you take is another twist. The lows are really low, but the highs can be really high. You have to be strong, keep your stomach tight, and ride along with the roller coaster that you started.”- Lindsay Manseau, photographer
21.“Get big quietly, so you don’t tip off potential competitors.” – Chris Dixon, co-founder and CEO of Hunch
22. “The one thing that I think is critical in the entrepreneurial spirit is that it’s all attitude. If you think you can, then you’re half way there. If you say, ‘I can’t,’ then you’re defeated.” – Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies
23. “Stay self-funded as long as possible.” – Garrett Camp, founder of Expa, Uber, and StumbleUpon
24. “Solve a real problem. You don’t start a company because you want to be an entrepreneur or the fame and glory that comes along with it. You become an entrepreneur and you create a company to solve a real problem.” – Aaron Patzer, founder of Mint
25. “Follow the cream of the crop in your area of online expertise and learn from them. Network with them.” – Mark Forrester, co-founder of WooThemes
26. “Don’t start a company unless it’s an obsession and something you love. If you have an exit strategy, it’s not an obsession.” – Mark Cuban, businessman, investor, and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Magnolia Pictures, and Landmark Theatres
27. “Wonder what your customer really wants? Ask. Don’t tell.” – Lisa Stone, co-founder and CEO BlogHer
28. “Whatever you do, be different. That was the advice my mother gave me, and I can’t think of better advice for an entrepreneur. If you’re different, you will stand out.” – Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop
29. “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
30. “No matter what your reason for wanting to start your own business, developing the foundation is the same. Laying a solid foundation for your business will provide you with a road map to follow as you build your business. As you work through the Start a Business Step-by-Step Workbook, you will define the company’s mission, decide what business entity is right for your business, name your business, determine the pricing for your products or services, formulate your financial projections, define your competitors, survey consumers regarding your products or services, determine the marketing methods right for your business, and more.” – Jeanne A. Estes, author of Start a Business Step-by-Step Workbook
What advice would you give to potential small business owners?
Featured Image: Rawpixel via Shutterstock
