50 Best Starting A Business Motivational Quotes

Starting a business is a journey filled with challenges and triumphs, which is why these starting a business motivational quotes can provide the inspiration you need during difficult moments. 


When entrepreneurial obstacles arise, turning to words of wisdom from successful business founders can reignite your passion and determination. This collection of entrepreneurship quotes offers practical guidance and emotional support to help you navigate the complexities of launching your venture, reminding you that persistence and resilience are key ingredients for success in the business world.

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Quotes About Taking the Leap

1. "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

  • Walt Disney - Pioneering Animator and Entertainment Entrepreneur 🏰
  • Walt Disney's pragmatic approach to starting a business revolutionized the entertainment industry. His willingness to take the leap and begin, rather than just planning, exemplifies the mindset needed when launching a new venture.

2. "If you're not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late."

  • Reid Hoffman - LinkedIn Co-founder and Entrepreneur 💼
  • When starting a business, perfectionism can be the enemy of progress. Hoffman's experience in launching LinkedIn taught him that early market entry with an imperfect product often yields better results than waiting too long to launch a perfect one.

3. "Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical."

  • Howard Schultz - Starbucks CEO and Business Pioneer ☕
  • Howard Schultz revolutionized coffee culture by taking substantial risks when starting a business that many thought was impractical. His vision for Starbucks as a "third place" between work and home required courage and conviction.

4. "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great."

  • John D. Rockefeller - Oil Industry Magnate and Philanthropist 💰
  • Rockefeller understood that starting a business often means leaving behind comfortable situations. His willingness to sacrifice short-term comfort for long-term success was instrumental in building Standard Oil into an industry giant.

5. "The secret of getting ahead is getting started."

  • Mark Twain - Renowned Author and Entrepreneur 📚
  • Mark Twain not only wrote classic literature but also understood the entrepreneurial mindset. His practical advice on starting a business venture emphasizes that action is the fundamental first step toward success.

6. "The hardest part of starting up is starting out."

  • Guy Kawasaki - Apple's Former Chief Evangelist and Venture Capitalist 🍎
  • Guy Kawasaki's experience in both launching and funding startups has taught him that the initial phase of starting a business is often the most challenging psychological barrier entrepreneurs face.

7. "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."

  • Arthur Ashe - Tennis Champion and Activist 🎾
  • Though known for tennis, Ashe's philosophy applies perfectly to starting a business with limited resources. His pragmatic approach reminds entrepreneurs to begin with available means rather than waiting for ideal conditions.

8. "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

  • Chinese Proverb - Ancient Wisdom 🌱
  • This timeless proverb emphasizes that despite missed opportunities, there's never a perfect moment for starting a business – the key is to begin now with whatever resources and knowledge you currently possess.

9. "Don't worry about failure; you only have to be right once."

  • Drew Houston - Dropbox Co-founder and CEO 💾
  • Houston's perspective on starting a business highlights that entrepreneurship is often a numbers game. His journey with Dropbox demonstrates that persistence through multiple attempts eventually leads to success.

10. "The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment."

  • Tony Robbins - Motivational Speaker and Business Strategist 🔥
  • Robbins' extensive work with entrepreneurs has shown that mental limitations often precede actual business limitations. When starting a business, he emphasizes that psychological barriers must be overcome first.
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Motivational Quotes Curated For You

Try our free AI Motivation Coach to find the best motivational quotes for your circumstances. Based on your challenges, goals and success.

Quotes About Perseverance and Resilience

1. "It's not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen."

  • Scott Belsky - Behance Founder and Entrepreneur 🎨
  • Belsky's experience in building Behance taught him that perseverance in execution distinguishes successful entrepreneurs. Starting a business requires moving beyond ideation to persistent implementation.

2. "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

  • Thomas Edison - Inventor and Business Pioneer 💡
  • Edison's approach to business ventures demonstrates that perseverance through multiple failures is essential. His resilience in starting a business empire based on innovation set the template for modern entrepreneurship.

3. "Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."

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  • While known for political leadership, Churchill's philosophy on perseverance applies perfectly to entrepreneurs facing setbacks when starting a business. His emphasis on continuing despite obstacles inspires business resilience.

4. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

  • Steve Jobs - Apple Co-founder and Visionary 🍏
  • Jobs' commitment to his vision for Apple, even after being forced out and returning, exemplifies the perseverance needed in entrepreneurship. His passion for the business sustained him through significant challenges.

5. "Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again."

  • Richard Branson - Virgin Group Founder and Serial Entrepreneur ✈️
  • Branson's multiple business ventures demonstrate his resilience in the face of failure. His approach to starting a business emphasizes learning from setbacks and using them as stepping stones rather than obstacles.

6. "I'm convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from non-successful ones is pure perseverance."

  • Steve Jobs - Apple Co-founder and Visionary 🍏
  • Jobs' second appearance on this list emphasizes how strongly he valued perseverance. His journey with Apple demonstrates that starting a business requires tenacity through inevitable challenges.

7. "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

  • Helen Keller - Author and Activist 👁️
  • Keller's extraordinary life story provides a powerful metaphor for business resilience. Her philosophy reminds entrepreneurs that difficulties in starting a business often forge the character needed for long-term success.

8. "Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won't, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can't."

  • Anonymous - Entrepreneurial Wisdom 🚀
  • This widely-shared entrepreneurial adage emphasizes that short-term sacrifices and resilience when starting a business can lead to long-term freedom and success that most never achieve.

9. "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."

  • Henry Ford - Automotive Pioneer and Industrialist 🚗
  • Ford's revolutionary approach to manufacturing came with numerous setbacks. His perspective on resistance being necessary for lift applies perfectly to the headwinds entrepreneurs face when starting a business.

10. "Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure."

  • Napoleon Hill - Author and Business Advisor 📈
  • Hill's research into successful business leaders showed that perseverance through apparent failure often precedes breakthrough success. His work encourages entrepreneurs to persist beyond their lowest points when starting a business.

Quotes About Innovation and Creativity

1. "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

  • Steve Jobs - Apple Co-founder and Visionary 🍏
  • Jobs' third appearance on this list underscores his enormous influence on business innovation. His approach to starting a business centered on creating entirely new categories rather than incrementally improving existing ones.

2. "The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer."

  • Nolan Bushnell - Atari Founder and Tech Pioneer 🎮
  • Bushnell's experience in starting a business that created the video game industry demonstrates that innovation requires practical action. His philosophy emphasizes implementation over mere ideation.

3. "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning."

  • Bill Gates - Microsoft Co-founder and Tech Visionary 💻
  • Gates' customer-centric approach to innovation transformed personal computing. When starting a business, he recommends using negative feedback as a catalyst for creative problem-solving and improvement.

4. "Chase the vision, not the money; the money will end up following you."

  • Tony Hsieh - Zappos CEO and Customer Service Pioneer 👞
  • Hsieh's innovative approach to company culture and customer experience at Zappos demonstrates that starting a business with a creative vision can lead to financial success, even when profit isn't the primary driver.

5. "The best way to predict the future is to create it."

  • Peter Drucker - Management Consultant and Business Philosopher 📊
  • Drucker's influential business philosophy emphasizes proactive innovation. His advice suggests that starting a business should focus on creating new markets rather than simply reacting to existing ones.

6. "Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things."

  • Theodore Levitt - Harvard Business Professor and Marketing Expert 🎓
  • Levitt's distinction between creativity and innovation is crucial for entrepreneurs. When starting a business, he emphasizes that novel ideas must be translated into practical action to create value.

7. "If you're not solving someone's problem, you're not creating value."

  • Naval Ravikant - AngelList Co-founder and Startup Philosopher 🔍
  • Ravikant's perspective on innovation emphasizes problem-solving. His experience in starting a business that connects entrepreneurs with investors has taught him that true innovation addresses specific pain points.

8. "Innovation is taking two things that exist and putting them together in a new way."

  • Tom Freston - MTV Co-founder and Media Executive 📺
  • Freston's experience in creating MTV demonstrates that business innovation often comes from novel combinations of existing elements. His approach to starting a business focused on cultural synthesis rather than invention from scratch.

9. "The wright method of creation is to familiarize yourself with the past, but to be unencumbered by it."

  • Sara Blakely - Spanx Founder and Self-Made Billionaire 👗
  • Blakely's innovative approach to reinventing shapewear demonstrates how starting a business in an established industry can still lead to breakthrough success through creative thinking and questioning assumptions.

10. "There's a way to do it better - find it."

  • Thomas Edison - Inventor and Business Pioneer 💡
  • Edison's second appearance on this list highlights his commitment to continuous innovation. His methodical approach to invention provides a template for entrepreneurs starting a business based on improving existing products or services.
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Motivational Quotes Curated For You

Try our free AI Motivation Coach to find the best motivational quotes for your circumstances. Based on your challenges, goals and success.

Quotes About Growth Mindset

1. "If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary."

  • Jim Rohn - Entrepreneur and Motivational Speaker 🌟
  • Rohn's philosophy emphasizes that starting a business requires embracing calculated risks. His growth mindset approach suggests that comfort with uncertainty distinguishes extraordinary entrepreneurs.

2. "Growth and comfort do not coexist."

  • Ginni Rometty - Former IBM CEO and Business Leader 🌱
  • Rometty's leadership at IBM during a period of significant technological transition demonstrates her commitment to growth over comfort. Her experience suggests that starting a business requires embracing discomfort as a catalyst for development.

3. "In the end, a vision without the ability to execute it is probably a hallucination."

  • Steve Case - AOL Co-founder and Internet Pioneer 🌐
  • Case's experience in building AOL taught him that a growth mindset includes both vision and execution. When starting a business, he emphasizes that aspirational thinking must be paired with practical implementation.

4. "The biggest risk is not taking any risk."

  • Mark Zuckerberg - Facebook Founder and Tech Entrepreneur 👍
  • Zuckerberg's rapid scaling of Facebook demonstrates his growth-oriented approach to risk. His philosophy on starting a business suggests that playing it safe is often riskier than bold action in fast-changing markets.

5. "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"

  • Robert Schuller - Televangelist and Possibility Thinker 🌠
  • Schuller's question encapsulates the growth mindset needed when starting a business. His approach encourages entrepreneurs to imagine possibilities beyond perceived limitations.

6. "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."

  • Henry Ford - Automotive Pioneer and Industrialist 🚗
  • Ford's second appearance on this list reinforces his growth-oriented approach to setbacks. His experience in starting a business empire demonstrates that failure can be a stepping stone rather than an endpoint.

7. "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great."

  • John D. Rockefeller - Oil Industry Magnate and Philanthropist 💰
  • Rockefeller's second appearance emphasizes his commitment to continuous improvement. His experience in starting a business that dominated an industry demonstrates that growth often requires sacrificing comfortable situations.

8. "The only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks."

  • Mark Zuckerberg - Facebook Founder and Tech Entrepreneur 👍
  • Zuckerberg's second appearance reinforces his conviction that growth requires embracing uncertainty. His approach to starting a business emphasizes that risk-aversion is often more dangerous than calculated risk-taking.

9. "If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time."

  • Steve Jobs - Apple Co-founder and Visionary 🍏
  • Jobs' fourth appearance emphasizes the growth mindset needed for long-term success. His experience in starting a business demonstrates that persistent development over time, rather than sudden breakthroughs, typically leads to significant achievements.

10. "The fastest way to change yourself is to hang out with people who are already the way you want to be."

  • Reid Hoffman - LinkedIn Co-founder and Entrepreneur 💼
  • Hoffman's second appearance highlights the importance of growth through association. His approach to starting a business emphasizes that surrounding yourself with successful entrepreneurs accelerates personal development.

Quotes About Leadership and Vision

1. "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way."

  • John C. Maxwell - Leadership Expert and Author 📚
  • Maxwell's definition of leadership applies perfectly to entrepreneurs starting a business. His philosophy emphasizes that founders must demonstrate the path forward through personal example.

2. "Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."

  • Warren Bennis - Leadership Pioneer and Organizational Scholar 🔍
  • Bennis' research on leadership highlights the importance of vision implementation. His work suggests that starting a business successfully requires not just ideas but the ability to manifest them through effective leadership.

3. "The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers."

  • Ralph Nader - Consumer Advocate and Political Activist ⚖️
  • Though known for his activism, Nader's perspective on leadership applies to business founders. When starting a business, this approach emphasizes building a team of autonomous decision-makers rather than dependent subordinates.

4. "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

  • John Quincy Adams - 6th US President and Statesman 🇺🇸
  • Adams' definition of leadership through inspiration applies to entrepreneurship. His philosophy suggests that starting a business successfully requires motivating others to join and advance your vision.

5. "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."

  • Peter Drucker - Management Consultant and Business Philosopher 📊
  • Drucker's second appearance emphasizes the distinction between management and leadership. His perspective is crucial for entrepreneurs starting a business, who must balance operational excellence with strategic direction.

6. "As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others."

  • Bill Gates - Microsoft Co-founder and Tech Visionary 💻
  • Gates' second appearance focuses on empowerment as a leadership approach. His experience in starting a business that transformed personal computing demonstrates the importance of enabling others to contribute to the vision.

7. "A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit."

  • Arnold H. Glasow - Businessman and Humorist 🤝
  • Glasow's perspective on leadership accountability is essential for entrepreneurs. When starting a business, this approach emphasizes responsibility and humility in both success and failure.

8. "The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly."

  • Jim Rohn - Entrepreneur and Motivational Speaker 🌟
  • Rohn's second appearance details the balancing act of entrepreneurial leadership. His nuanced approach provides guidance for founders navigating the complexities of starting a business.

9. "Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world."

  • Joel A. Barker - Futurist and Business Consultant 🔭
  • Barker's perspective on vision combined with action encapsulates the entrepreneurial challenge. His philosophy emphasizes that starting a business requires both inspirational goals and practical implementation.

10. "People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision."

  • John C. Maxwell - Leadership Expert and Author 📚
  • Maxwell's second appearance emphasizes the personal element of leadership. His research suggests that when starting a business, entrepreneurs must develop trustworthiness before their vision can gain widespread support.
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Motivational Quotes Curated For You

Try our free AI Motivation Coach to find the best motivational quotes for your circumstances. Based on your challenges, goals and success.

OUTWORK EVERYONE | Brutally Honest Business Advice from Billionaire Mark Cuban

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