Operating your own business can be challenging, rewarding, and at times, trying. You’ll go through ups and downs with your company, but at the end of the day, you own it, successes and failures alike, and that’s worth something. Of course, it’s not always easy to pick yourself up and keep going, especially when you suffer significant setbacks and your future prospects are looking bleak. But it’s important to keep in mind that there are many hurdles along the road to success, and you’re not the first one try to jump them and fall flat on your face. So if you’re looking for a little inspiration to help you along, here are just a few popular quotes from some well-known business leaders.
- “You don’t need to have a 100-person company to develop that idea.” – Larry Page. The co-founder of Google may have plenty of employees to carry out his every whim these days, but nobody starts out with an office building full of worker bees to do their bidding. All it takes to develop a good business plan is a little ingenuity, some elbow grease, and of course, funding (although mastering the first two should help you to obtain the third). From there you can grow your company to a hundred people, a thousand, or more, depending on how you play it.
- “One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you.” – Jeff Bezos. Passion is a key component when it comes to success in business. You might be tempted to go where the money is, even if it’s not a field you have any particular interest in. The problem is that running a business is hard, and without the motivation provided by a passion for what you do, chances are you won’t last long.
- “I’ve been blessed to find people who are smarter than I am, and they help me to execute the vision I have.” – Russell Simmons. In order for a business to be successful, all kinds of experts will need to play a role. You might be good at a lot of things, but you can’t possibly excel at every aspect of managing business operations. So if it turns out that you’re just the idea person, hand other tasks off to people who know what they’re doing.
- “Don’t put a ceiling on yourself.” – Oprah Winfrey. You’re the only one who can decide that you can’t do something. Sure, other people will try to tell you what you can and can’t do in business, but you don’t have to listen to them. When you believe in yourself, you make a plan, and you work hard, you can reach any goal you set for yourself.
- “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 Buffet. If you’re looking for inspirational quotes from business leaders, there are few more qualified to spout them than hugely successful investor Warren Buffet, one of the wealthiest men in the world. And this quote is right on the money, so to speak. If you don’t want to be remembered for the one horrible mistake you made, stop and think about the potential consequences of your actions before you make a move.