125 Inspiring Business Quotes & Advice from Successful Entrepreneurs

As a young entrepreneur, sometimes you work and not get expected results. You follow the right rule, even cross-check your steps, all to avail. Sometimes, you might even feel like giving up. But never give up! All you need at that moment is to pause and look for more motivations. Motivations can inspire you with more business ideas that will work out better than the ones you have tried out in the past.

Motivational Business Quotes from Successful Entrepreneurs — Source: ecommerceceo.com

Being a successful entrepreneur requires patience and perseverance. All the renowned successful entrepreneurs once faced the same challenge. The only difference between success and failure is that success will encourage you to try one more time. But those who fail don’t adhere to this advice.

I have taken time to gather some business advice and quotes that will inspire you as you move along the crooked road of entrepreneurship. Business mentors like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, etc. always drop inspiring quotes to encourage young entrepreneurs on how to overcome some business challenges. You will answer 2 business IQ evaluation quizzes at the end of this article.

Business Start Up Quotes from Successful Entrepreneurs

If you put bananas and money in front of monkeys, they will choose bananas because monkeys don’t know that money can buy more bananas” – Jack Ma (the richest man in China). In real life, people prefer jobs to business, because they don’t know business can yield more profits than salaries.
“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 others’ opinion drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition” – Steve Jobs.
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis.
“You will make some mistakes, but if you learn from those mistakes, those mistakes will become wisdom and wisdom is essential to becoming wealthy.” – Robert Kiyosaki.
“If you are born poor, it is not your mistake, but if you die poor, it is a sin.” – Bill Gates.
“If you don’t make money while you sleep, you will keep working until you die” – Warren Buffett.
“I believe in the fact that the more you learn, the more you earn. Rich people are book lovers. They are book nerds. So if you want to take your life to the next level, and get some perspective, start reading and lose the mindset that reading is for losers. It is for winners and the people who rule the world” – Bill Gates.
“If someone offers you an amazing opportunity, but you are not sure you can do it. Say YES. Then learn how to do it later.” – Richard Branson.
“Based on my experience, I would say that rather than taking lessons on how to become an entrepreneur, you should rather jump into the pool and start swimming”- Travis Kalanick.
“Surround yourself with people that push you to do and be better. No drama or negativity. Just higher goals and motivation. Good times and positive energy. No jealousy or hate. Simply bringing out the best from each other” – Warren Buffett (from financialprofessional.com).
“Never think that you can start your business today and succeed the next year. My business took 10 years to feel that success” – Jack Ma.
“Excuses are lies wrapped up in reasons” – Howard Wright.

See:

Other Business Quotes and Advice to Encourage you at Start Up Stage

Do it now. Sometimes LATER becomes NEVER.
Learn to read daily. Because every book you read gives you a different key to your success. You need all those keys to overcome challenges before you can reach your destination.
Learn to write down ideas. This is because a dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. Then, a plan backed up with action makes your dream come true.
Be a GOAL DIGGER, not a GOLD DIGGER.
Your only competitor is the person you were yesterday. So make sure who you are today is better than who you were yesterday. And who you will be tomorrow will be better than who you are today. Push harder than you did YESTERDAY if you want a better TOMORROW.
Find a team with the same dream.
Don’t burn your opportunities for a temporary comfort.
There is a huge difference between Giving Up and Starting Over. The latter is better. Don’t be afraid to start over. It is an opportunity to build something better.
A winner is a loser who decided to try one more time.
Don’t rush to rent an office. Start right from your room. Amazon, Google, Apple, HP, Disney and Harley all started in a garage.
Try to develop passion for your business. Warren Buffett said, “Without passion, you don’t have energy. Without energy, you have nothing.”
Overcome fear. Fear is simply the brains way of saying that there is something important for you to overcome.
Motivate yourself. Your mind is the biggest source of motivation. Always think big and motivate yourself to win.
No one starts at the top. Don’t look for shortcuts, get started, work hard and stay consistent. Anything you get easily will never last. And things that last will never come easily. Jeff Bezos once asked Warren Buffett, “Warren, your investment strategy is so simple; why is it that people don’t emulate you?” Warren Buffett replied, “Because nobody wants to get rich slowly”.
Always work with successful people who were once like you. Because if you surround yourself with 5 millionaires, you will become the 6th.

Read:

Secrets to Being Financially Free (Rules of Money)

Invest at least 10% of your income in yourself.
Invest at least 80% of your time into Learning.
Don’t work for money, WORK TO LEARN.
Learn to create more value.
Shift your motivation from GETTING to GIVING.
Learn new marketing skills.
Change your environment from time to time.
Redefine WEALTH and SUCCESS. And work with this definition.
Always invest first and spend whatever is left.
Make sure your EARNING is far higher than your EXPENDITURE. If it is not, cut the latter.
Use your time, energy and money efficiently and wisely.
Create as many sources of income as you can. Because the average millionaire has 7 sources of income. But work on one at a time.

See:

5 Lessons for Young Entrepreneurs from Mark Zuckerberg

Be passionate about what you do.
Set high and long term goals.
Explore before you commit.
Hire the right people.
Focus on your product and make it better.

Business Quotes from Robert Kiyosaki – EntrepreneurshipFacts.com

It is not how much you make, it is how much you keep.
The poor and the middle class work for money. But money works for the rich.
It is not the smart that get ahead. But the Bold.
The single most powerful asset we have is our mind. If it is trained well, it can create enormous wealth.
The rich focus on their asset column. Everyone else focuses on their income statement.
People who avoid failure also avoid success.
Most people work all their lifetime paying for a home they will never own.
If I want to buy something, I have to generate enough cash flow from my asset to cover these expenses.
Aim to acquire more assets, not a higher income.

Read:

6 Rules to Help Control your Expectations

Try your best not to react when things go wrong. If you do, then they will hurt you the more. Just take a deep breath and let them be.
Stop comparing yourself with others. Sometimes it creates unnecessary self-expectations. You have your own strength, your own way. Focus on that.
Give yourself time. Ambition is a great thing, but if we expect to instantly achieve our goals, it creates external conflicts. Understand this, time is very important for making good things.
Be nice to yourself instead of expecting people to be nice to you. Sometimes, people are so unkind, so try to forgive them.
Personal or professional life doesn’t matter, always try to communicate. No one knows what makes you happy or your plans. So, learn to communicate and discuss about everything.
Always remember VICE VERSA. If you expect someone to understand you, also try to understand them. Before expecting anything from anyone, also fulfill the person’s expectations.

Jeff Bezos’ 10 Rules to Business Success

Build a culture.
Follow your heart.
Take a risk.
Have a great name.
Have zero regrets.
Stand for something.
Invest more in product than marketing.
Be stubborn in vision, but flexible in approach.
Give premium products at non-premium prices.
Focus 100% on the customer.

Read:

Jack Ma’s 10 Success Rules

Learn from the mistakes of others.
Focus on quality, not quantity or size.
Be the first.
Prepare for the future.
Respect competitors.
See challenges as opportunities.
Believe in yourself.
Surround yourself with greatness.
Leave healthily.
Have fun.

Elon Musk’s 10 Rules of Success

Never give up.
Really like what you do.
Don’t listen to the little man.
Take a risk.
Do something important.
Focus on signal over noise.
Look for problem solvers.
Attract great people.
Have a great product.
Work super hard.

See:

Kobe Bryant’s 10 Rules of Success

Follow your passion.
Find mentors.
Outwork everyone.
Don’t fear failure.
Have patience.
Love the game.
Find new challenges.
Focus.
Create something timeless.
Be a legend.

30 Wise Business and Life Quotes

Your life is like a book. One bad chapter does not mean your story is over.
A bend in the road is not the end of the road.
Your degree is just a piece of paper. Your education is seen in your behaviour.
Mistakes are expected, respected, inspected and corrected.
Success is not always what it seems.
Being a disabled is not an excuse for failure.
Correction does much, but encouragement does more.
Look for something positive in each day, even if some days you may look a little harder.
Knowledge is potential, action is power.
You can’t win physically, if you are losing mentally.
Starve your distractions. Feed your focus.
Always do your best to keep a positive attitude.
Never test the depth of the river with both feet.
Be strong, but not rude. Be kind, but not weak.
No matter how far you have gone on the wrong road, you can still turn around.
Worrying does nothing but steals your joy and keeps you very busy doing nothing.
No one can destroy iron but its own rust. Likewise, no one can destroy a person, but his own mindset.
Always apply the 21/90 rule. It takes 21 days to create a habit, and takes 90 days to create a lifestyle.
If you don’t go after what you want, you will never have it. If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place.
Be thankful to all those who said NO to you. It is because of them that you are doing it yourself.
No matter how you feel; get up, dress up, show up and never give up.
A frog decided to reach the top of the tree. All other frogs shouted, “It is impossible”. But the frog kept jumping until it reached the tree top. Why? Because it was deaf and thought everyone was encouraging it as it jumps.
Lesson: Be deaf to negative thoughts and comments if you really want to reach your goal in life.
Spend time with people who are good for your mental health. A shark in a fish pond will grow only 8 inches. But in the ocean, the same shark will grow 8 feet or more. The shark will never outgrow its environment. The same is applicable to your life. Many times, you surround yourself with people who think shallowly. Change your environment and watch your growth!
There are 3 types of people; those who work smart, those who work too hard and those who give up soon. You can work hard, but if you don’t work smart, you will work till the end of your life.
Business is all about solving problems for people. They patronize you and you make huge profits.
Your salary is they bribe they give you to forget your dream.
Always know that being an entrepreneur is neither a part-time nor full-time job, it is a lifestyle.
Time is the only thing that will not cheat you.
Life is not about finding yourself. It is about creating yourself. Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss in life is what dies inside you while you are still alive.
Don’t carry your mistakes around with you. Instead, place them under your feet and use them as stepping stones to rise above them.

Read:

Savings vs. Investments

Many people ask, “Between savings and investment, which one should be given the highest priority?”

Here are what you should know about the 2:

For Savings:

It is short term.
The risk is very minimal, but the returns is very small.
It cannot keep up with inflation.
The returns are the interests you earn from banks
You don’t need any skill to save.

For Investment:

It is long term.
The risk is very high, likewise the returns.
It can comfortably keep up with inflation.
It returns dividends and profits.
You need a skill in order to invest wisely.

Warren Buffett’s Investment Advice – WellSaidQuotes.com

Invest for long term.
Buy when no one is buying.
Believe in business, not valuation.
Once invested, always invested.
Invest where you know the business.
Save more, don’t over-spend.
Rich does not make you change your attitude on the way you live.
Do charity.
Enjoy your life.

Warren Buffett’s Investment Quotes

Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing.
Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful.
You can’t make a good deal with a bad person.
Buy it thinking you will hold it forever.
The most important investment is yourself.
Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.
Buy something you could hold for 10 years.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Spend what is left after saving.
Don’t rely on one source of income.
Never lose money.

See:

Overnight Success – A Very Big Myth

Don’t quit chasing your dream. Do you know why 99% of entrepreneurs fail? It is because they quit on chasing their dreams. 99% of those who quit chasing their dreams are then hired by 1% that didn’t.”

Bill Gates first company failed. He did not give up, instead he learned from it and started his next venture, Microsoft.

After college, Gary Vaynerchuk worked 7 days a week for 5 years to grow his family’s wine press to $60 million. After that, he now started other companies and published many successful books.

James Dyson went through 5,127 failed prototypes before he created the first successful model of the “Dyson Vacuum Cleaner.”

Jack Ma failed in primary school test 2 times, middle school test 2 times, and college entrance 2 times; scored 1 of 120 in college entrance exam on Mathematics subject. In total, he was rejected 10 times in school. He applied for 30 jobs and was rejected by them all. He was the only person rejected by KFC out of 24 people that applied for job in that company. After starting “Alibaba”, they made zero revenue for the first 3 years. Do you know his net worth now? He is the richest man in China as at 2020, with a net worth of $41.8 billion, according to Forbes.

What is your Excuse?

Remember:

Steve Jobs was adopted.
Jeff Bezos worked at MCDonald’.
Oprah Winfrey was pregnant at the age of 14.
Mark Zuckerberg built many chat systems that failed.
Ryan Reynolds got many rejection before she published “Harry Potter”.
Jan Koum started WhatsApp at 35.
Asa Candler started Coca-Cola at 41.
Gordon started Starbucks at 51.
Sam Walton started Walmart at 44.
Ferdinand started Porsche at 56.
Colonel started KFC at 62.

Successful entrepreneurs made mistakes, but they kept pushing forward. They did not quit.

Read:

How to Raise Future Billionaires in your Generations

If you want your children to have unfair advantage in life, teach them financial education. Reveal to them the real rules of money and taxes.

Give your kids $10 for every Personal development book the read. This will help them grow with a Billionaire’s mindset.

Don’t give your kids $10 for every house chores they do. If you do, they will grow up with an Employee’s mindset.

The Best Time to Quit a Job

If you want to be a full-time entrepreneur but still have a job, don’t quit the job immediately. Do not quit a job until:

Your side income covers twice as much as your monthly expenses.
Your emergency funds can cover your 1 year expenses.
You are skilled enough to turn your side hustle into your main business.
You are determined to work hard to succeed, about 12 to 16 hours a day without any excuse.

Inspiring Image Quotes

Business IQ Evaluation Quiz

Now evaluate your business skills and IQ by answering the quiz in the images below.

Business Quotes & Advice Video

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Conclusion

You have now learnt more than enough entrepreneurship advice and quotes from successful entrepreneurs in the world. The next step is to put them into action. Apply these tips and become the next billionaire. Check out this guide on how to move to the US without a job offer or sponsorship visa.

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