22 Inspiring Quotes From Famous Entrepreneurs

Words of wisdom to inspire you to persevere and find success.

Inspiration depends on where you look. Stare out a window on an overcast day and you might feel gloomy, but watch a sunrise and you might get a burst of new ideas.

These famous entrepreneurs did the hard work of building a lasting company, persevered through failures and adversity, and created something brilliant. They can provide that small burst of inspiration to help you stay with an idea and find success.

1. "I want to work for a company that contributes to and is part of the community. I want something not just to invest in. I want something to believe in." Anita Roddick, The Body Shop

2. "Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough." Elon Musk

3. "If we were motivated by money, we would have sold the company a long time ago and ended up on a beach." Larry Page

4. "It's fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure." Bill Gates

5. "I enjoy the competition and the process of learning as we compete. The whole thing is just fascinating. I don't know what I'll do when I retire. When I go sailing, I look around ... anyone want to race? I just love competing as opposed to just going out and watching the sunset."Larry Ellison

6. "Everyone has ideas. They may be too busy or lack the confidence or technical ability to carry them out. But I want to carry them out. It is a matter of getting up and doing it." James Dyson

7. "Every time you state what you want or believe, you're the first to hear it. It's a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don't put a ceiling on yourself." Oprah Winfrey

8. "If somebody 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

9. "An entrepreneur is someone who jumps off a cliff and builds a plane on the way down." Reid Hoffman

10. "The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks." Mark Zuckerberg

11. "Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It's the mastery of fear. It's about getting up one more time than we fall down." Arianna Huffington

12. "Don't let what you don't know scare you, because it can become your greatest asset. And if you do things without knowing how they have always been done, you're guaranteed to do them differently." Sara Blakely, Spanx

13. "Never give up, because you never know if the next try is going to be the one that works."Mary Kay Ash

14. "The job of a manager is to support his or her staff, not vice versa, and that begins by being among them." Bill Hewlett

15. "Avoid openly trying to reform people. Every man knows he is imperfect, but he doesn't want someone else trying to correct his faults. If you want to improve a person, help him embrace a higher working goal--a standard, an ideal--and he will do his own 'making over' far more effectively than you can do it for him." Dave Packard

16. "If you've got an idea, start today. There's no better time than now to get going. That doesn't mean quit your job and jump into your idea 100 percent from day one, but there's always small progress that can be made to start the movement." Kevin Systrom, Instagram

17. "If you're not making mistakes, then you're not making decisions." Catherine Cook, MyYearbook

18. "I think not focusing on money makes you sane, because in the long run it can probably drive you crazy." Kevin Systrom

19. "We led with our conviction rather than rational, because rational said it was impossible."Daniel Ek, Spotify

20. "You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." Walt Disney

21. "Micromanage the process, not the people." Joe Apfelbaum, Ajax Union

22. "If you don't define yourself and proactively maintain your identity, someone else will do it for you. The idea that you can be invisible is a myth." Patrick Ambron, BrandYourself.com

From Inc. Magazine

5 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Work Harder

You know success comes down to hard work. Now all you need are the tools to help you actually put in the hours.

Most of the time there's no mystery to success--it comes down to simply putting in the hours and the sweat. But as we all know, the gap between knowing what's required and actually getting yourself to do it, can be vast.

How do you cross that chasm? That's what a recent visitor to question-and-answer Quora wanted to know, asking "How can I motivate myself to work hard?" The query apparently touched a nerve, as a host of respondents piled on with several hundred answers, ranging from spiritual pep talks to nitty gritty time management suggestions. For anyone who is struggling to make sure their energy and commitment match their aspirations, it's a goldmine of assistance. Here are a few of the best responses:

1. Get clear on the end goal

The trick to keeping your motivation up through low points and exhausted periods, traveler Marie Stein insists, isn't any particular productivity technique or energy-boosting idea, it's being really, really clear about why you're doing what you doing.

"There is only one way for me to motivate myself to work hard: I don't think about it as hard work. I think about it as part of making myself into who I want to be," she writes. "The 'hard' part for me is choosing and accepting what it is that I have to do... Once I've made the choice to do something, I try not to think so much about how difficult or frustrating or impossible that might be; I just think about how good it must feel to be that, or how proud I might be to have done that."

Struggling to keep your focus on that end vision? "Just ask yourself: If you were the person that you want to be, then what would that person do?" suggests student Karl Bradley Saclolo

2. Take care of yourself physically

Sometimes the problem isn't mental, it's physical. Your willpower can be at an all-time high, but if you don't have the physical energy to complete your work, keeping your motivation up is still going to be difficult.

"Are you tired a lot? Do you get enough sleep? Do you experience some constant unpleasantness, such as poor sinuses or a constant pain? Are you sad or upset or just lethargic all the time for no reason you can pinpoint?" asks freelance writer April Gunn. If so, "get to a doctor if you can for a routine physical, just to make sure everything is working properly. Try your best to get seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Listen to your body when it's telling you things, seek out the causes of your discomfort, and deal with them as best you can."

"It's really hard to get and stay motivated to work hard if you're not feeling your best," she concludes.

3. Think habits, not motivation

Getting yourself to do something again and again by sheer force of will is extremely difficult. Getting yourself to do something out of the force of habit is easier. "Because motivation/willpower is a limited resource, it has helped me to instead try and build habits which once installed, don't use willpower," explains entrepreneur Bud Hennekes. "Start with small habits that help you be more productive and make you feel good. For example, you could aim to walk 15 minutes a day or work in short bursts of intense focus."

Entrepreneur James Clear has previously agreed with this advice here on Inc.com, though he frames essentially the same idea slightly differently. Rather than habits, he talks about the power of "schedules," but whichever term you use, the end effect is the same--automating a behavior by integrating it into your routine so you rely less on willpower.

4. Embrace discomfort

Manager Mart Nijland suggests that those struggling with motivation remember the wisdom of bodybuilders: no pain, no gain. It might sound like a cliche, but there's no way to expand your abilities without going outside your comfort zone, so stop letting a little bit of unpleasantness sap your motivation. In fact, struggling a little is a good sign.

"For anything you want to work harder for, you have to go behind that threshold," he writes, "because you grow into a totally different, much stronger person."

5. Bribe (or punish) yourself

Not all routes to improved motivation are high minded. One of the more effective would also probably work to motivate your dog--simple reward and punishment. "Make yourself an offer that you can't refuse," suggests analyst Deepak Singh (but don't go as far as the Godfather, please.)

Both positive and negative incentives can work. "For example, if you want to read a book, set a deadline and a reward. Say, if you love ice-cream, you would eat one as soon as you finish the book," suggests Singh. It might not sound very grand, but pushing yourself to complete a task by dangling treats (or the threat of public humiliation or a pay-out on a bet with a friend) appears to be effective.

From Inc. Magazine

Are You 'Should-ing' All Over Your Career?

I’d be a very rich woman if I had a dollar for every time I heard someone lament:

“I should take the job. It’s the responsible thing to do.”

“I should stay with what’s safe. Starting a business is too risky.”

“I should hold out for a better job. I deserve to have companies fight over me.”

What a powerful, limiting and sometimes hurtful word “should” has become! For many professionals, “shoulds” are limiting opportunities, relationships, choices, confidence and careers. We impose self-limiting language and beliefs over our abilities (“I should be able to play golf because I’ve taken lessons!”), our choices (“Recruiters should be looking for me, why should I have to search them out?”), our relationships (“I should be happy in my relationship. I married the ‘perfect’ man.”) and our future (“It could be worse. I should be happy.”).

When I hear negative self-talk creep into my own narrative, I remind myself:

I can control the tapes that play in my head

There is not, in fact, a little person in my brain or on my shoulder reciting this negative self-talk to me. I have the choice to let myself be limited by the beliefs I accept about my choices, opportunities and where I want to take my life and career. I can choose what I should do or I can do what I believe is in my best interest, based on my values, situation and goals.

I can evaluate my opportunities through a new filter

I choose to make decisions based on criteria that allows me to represent myself with dignity, integrity and authenticity. These filters empower me to make clear and focused choices and build my personal brand.

What someone told me I should do is outdated, wrong or misguided

I still have tapes that play of things my father told me when coaching me on college entrance interviews. That information is hardly relevant for me today, many years and experiences later.

A colleague says, “I still hear the voice of my boss who said, ‘Youshould be quiet in meetings. No one wants to hear a woman babble.’ To this day, I'm hesitant to speak up in meetings.”

A Navy veteran I worked with shared, “I am a decorated SEAL. I shoulddo something important after I leave the military. I can’t just go and start my own consulting company, which is what I’d love to do.”

I might be should-ing on my career success

Should often gets mixed into our definition of success. When I started LIDA360, I had a big question. Did I want to build a company that defines achievement and impact the way I’d learned success shouldlook – money, power, status, and “things” – or could I redefine my success to be more about personal fulfillment, having a positive and meaningful influence on others and living my purpose? 

Who wrote the book on what your career should look like: your coach, mentor, parent, professor, sibling, spouse or commanding officer? That's giving them power over your future when they don’t walk in your shoes. Instead, make choices based on what you believe you can do and want to do. 

Here are questions to ask yourself when should creeps in:

• Am I making choices because I believe they are in my best interest given my situation, values,and goals?
• Am I sabotaging my future because of mistakes not learned in the past?
• Am I representing myself with integrity and authenticity?
• What  would happen if I ignore the shoulds?
• Is my self-talk hurting me and my career?
• How do I want to be remembered? My ultimate reputation and legacy is the story I am writing today. Taking control over that legacy means I take full responsibility for my actions and behavior.

For me, leaving corporate America in 2008 was a direct refusal to accept all the “shoulds” in my life and commit to what what I believed is right for me. As entrepreneurs, I’m sure many of you will agree that often what you should do is follow your passion, vision and heart.

From Entrepreneur

6 Quotes to Power You Through a Professional Slump

In the professional pit of despair? Don't stress - this too shall pass (and these quotes will help).

Career slumps.

We've all been there. No matter how much we might love our jobs, or how great we might be at them, we all experience periods of professional dissatisfaction where we seem to be continually runningthe gauntlet of negative, unproductive emotions. Sometimes this happens because we've exhausted all our energy finishing up a big project; sometimes it's connected with parallel events going on in our personal lives; and sometimes, well, there doesn't seem to be any particular reason for our loss of enthusiasm and interest in our daily tasks.

Are you in a slump right now? Here are six great quotes to help you get through it and back on to a positive, productive path--no matter what you might be feeling.

Frustrated

"Frustration is the first step towards improvement...It's only when I face frustration and use it to fuel my dedication that I feel myself moving forwards."--John Bingham

Frustration is tricky. At first, it just makes you want to bang your head against your desk or possibly snap some pencils in half. But if you learn how to really listen to your frustration, it can clue you in onthe source of your unhappiness--and what you really want. Try to figure out if your frustration has a defined reason and end date (e.g. an onerous and ongoing task will come to a close at a particular time) or if it's rooted in other, more difficult problems to solve. We come to know ourselves better by paying careful attention to how we behave when faced with difficulties or obstacles, and learning to interpret frustration constructively is a valuable step towards that knowledge.

Of course, turning frustration into a useful tool for self-improvement is no easy task. On days when it seems too much, try this alternative strategy via Phyllis Diller:

"My recipe for dealing with anger and frustration: set the kitchen timer for twenty minutes, cry, rant, and rave, and at the sound of the bell, simmer down and go about business as usual."

Bored

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."--attributed to Dorothy Parker

Boredom is dangerous because it feeds on itself: the more bored you are, the more bored you get. So what's the best way to snap out of this self-fulfilling prophecy at work? Cultivate curiosity. Take little steps at first. Ask a question about some small aspect of your company's operations that you've never thought much about before. Find out exactly what happens to those spreadsheets after you've passed them on to marketing. Take someone out to lunch just to learn more about what they do. Just as boredom can take over, so too can your curiosity, if you give it some fertile ground to grow. Small questions lead to bigger ones, and more often than not, to a renewed interest in your work.

Tired

"Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task."--William James

I find that a big part of feeling the dreaded fog of fatigue is missing that satisfying sense of completion. When projects are fluid or ongoing, it's difficult to look back at your day with a feeling of accomplishment. One easy strategy to try? Finish a few of your outstanding tasks. Again, start small--there's no shame in crossing off minor items on the to-do list. In fact, these feel like mental clutter; get rid of them and feel that fog lift a bit. Answer that e-mail that's been flagged for three weeks. Empty and organize your bottom desk drawer. Closing the door on these little, unfinished tasks--which leach your focus and attention--will enable you to direct more of your energy towards the bigger questions and more absorbing professional issues.

"Envy comes from people's ignorance of, or lack of belief in, their own gifts."--Jean Vanier

In the middle of a professional slump, it's easy to look around at your colleagues and see only what they have that you don't. But if you feel stalled in your career, it truly has nothing to do with the abilities, talents, or satisfaction levels of anyone else. So instead of looking outward, turn your focus inward. Remind yourself of your gifts. Reflect on all the things you've accomplished in your career so far, and think about how you can use your gifts to fuel your professional future. Sometimes a simple inventory of your own assets is enough to turn envy into gratitude, which is a profoundly more motivating and productive feeling.

And however you might be feeling, simply rephrasing how you think and talk about your "slump" is sometimes all it takes to give you a much-needed boost. In the words of baseball great Yogi Berra: "Slump? I ain't in no slump... I just ain't hitting."

From Inc. Magazine

How Your Friends Influence Your Success

You can tell a lot about a person by the company that they keep. There’s a saying that goes something like: You become the average of the six people that you spend the most time with.

If you look at your professional company -- the other co-workers, colleagues, business owners and industry professionals that you most often interact with -- who are they, what do they stand for and what do they say about you?

How is your circle influencing you?

Where do you stand among your professional peers? Are you always the leader of the pack or are you making sure to surround yourself with people who will push you to be your best?

When you play tennis, the best way to improve your own game is to play with someone superior to you. This allows you to rise to the challenge of bringing your play up to the other player’s level, rather than holding back. Even if you are evenly matched with a competitor, it can be hard for you to improve.

When I learn a new skill or enter a new arena, I seek out the people at the highest level. Sometimes, this means paying for that privilege. When I trained with The Second City (the famed comedy and improvisational school that is known as the breeding ground for SNL, etc.), I had a few options. I could have started with the beginner class, but that would have made me work at the pace of the slowest learner, as the group can only go that quickly. Instead, I opted for a more efficient, albeit effective, option. I chose a custom program where I was the only student and my counterparts were the professional troupe members. This meant that I was the slowest one in the room and I had to jump in the deep end and swim with all of my might to keep up with them.

Getting to the next level

Can the people around you provide you with the opportunities you are looking for and get you to the next level? If you are only networking, masterminding and interacting with those at your level who have the same types of contacts, they may not be able to push you to step up to the next level, and they will unlikely be able to refer you to those next level opportunities that you seek.

I see it as a challenge, particularly for women who stick to women’s-only networking groups. While these groups have value, sometimes the women are missing the opportunity to connect with those individuals (which include men in higher positions) who can help recommend them for new opportunities.

Paying it forward

You can’t always be the student, so when you can, remember that there are others than can benefit from your guidance. As you improve your tennis skills, let a novice play with you from time to time to get exposure. Pay it forward, as there will always be more to learn and more to give.

From Entrepreneur

10 Stupid Things Bosses Say When They Fire People

Getting fired sucks. And getting fired sucks even worse when the person letting you go says something foolish, stupid, or even insulting.

After all, the sole goal of the people doing the firing is to treat the employee as respectfully and compassionately as possible.

Their feelings? Irrelevant.

Which is why bosses should never say any of the following:

1. "Look, this is really hard for me."

Who cares if it’s hard for you? The employee certainly doesn’t. Talk about how difficult the situation is for you and the employee immediately thinks, "Really? What about me? How hard do you think this is on me?" If you feel bad—and you will—talk through your feelings later with someone else. (If you're like me, sometimes you'll second-guess yourself too.)

Also never say, “Look, I don't know how to say this…” You do know how to say it. You’re just uncomfortable actually saying it.

Never even hint that the employee should somehow feel your pain. That's just selfish.

2. "We've decided we need to make a change."

You're not an NBA team firing an unsuccessful coach. And you're not holding a press conference either, so skip the platitudes. If you've done your job right the employee already knows why he's being fired. (Here's a straightforward guide to firing people the right way.)

State the reason for your action as clearly and concisely as possible. Or just say, "Mark, I have to let you go."

Mark should already know why.

3. "We will work out some of the details later."

For the employee getting fired is both the end and the start of another process: Collecting personal items, returning company property, learning about benefits status, etc.

It's your job to know how all that works ahead of time. Getting fired is bad enough; sitting in limbo while you figure out the next steps is humiliating for an employee who wants nothing more than to leave.

Never make an employee wait to meet with others who are part of the process. Once you let an employee go she's on her time, not yours.

4. "Compared to Juan, you just aren't cutting it."

Never justify firing an employee by comparing them to someone else. Employees should be fired because they fail to meet standards, targets, or behavioral expectations.

Plus, drawing comparisons between employees makes it possible for what should be an objective decision to veer into the “personality zone,” a conversational black hole you will struggle to escape.

5. "Okay, let’s talk about that. Here’s why..."

Most employees sit quietly, but a few will want to argue. Never let yourself be dragged into a back-and-forth discussion. Just say, "Pete, we can talk about this as long as you like, but you should understand that nothing we discuss will change the decision." While that sounds harsh, it's not. Besides, arguments almost always make the employee feel worse.

Be professional, be empathetic, and stick to the facts. Don't feel the need to respond if an employee starts to vent.

Just listen. That’s the least you can do. And the most you can do.

6. "You’ve been a solid employee but we simply have to cut staffing."

If you truly are downsizing, leave performance out and just say you're downsizing.

But if you're not actually downsizing and you're hiding behind that excuse so the conversation is easier for you then you do the employee a disservice—and you open your business up to potential problems if you later hire someone to fill the open slot.

Never play games to try to protect the employee's feelings—or, worse, to protect your own. Just be direct.

7. "We both know you aren't happy here, so down the road you’ll be glad."

Whether or not the employee will someday be glad you let her go is not for you to judge. Don't expect employees to find a silver lining in the cloud of getting fired, at least not at first. Let them find their own glimmers of possibility.

8. "I need to walk you to the door."

I once worked for a company where the policy was to immediately escort terminated employees out of the building. (And I hated it.)

Getting fired doesn't make an employee a criminal, so don’t put them through walks of shame. Just set simple parameters. Say, "Jane, please gather up your personal belongings and I'll meet you back here in 10 minutes."

If Jane doesn't come back on time, go get her. She won't argue.

9. "We have decided to let you go."

The word "we" is appropriate in almost every setting... but not this one. Say, "I."

At this moment, you are the company. So take responsibility.

10. "If there is anything I can do for you, just let me know."

Like what? Write a glowing letter of recommendation? Call your connections and put in a good word for him? (Of course if you're forced to lay off good employees due to lack of work, definitely do anything you can to help them land on their feet.)

You should absolutely say, "If you have any questions about benefits, final paychecks, or other details, call me. I'll make sure you get the answers you need." But never offer to do things you can't do. You might feel a little better, but the employee won't.

Remember, when you fire an employee it's all about the employee, not about you—and especially not about what makes you feel better.

Written by Jeff Haden (published on LinkedIn)

5 Common Entrepreneur Mistakes

If you fall into any of these traps, it could spell the end of your business.

The road to creating your own business is waylaid with possible mistakes on all sides. One wrong move, one wrong partner or contract, and everything could come crashing down around you. Since you are putting your all into your business, you should pay attention to the following list of the five most common mistakes that entrepreneurs make and how to avoid them.

1. Picking the Wrong Partner

Even though it may sound like a great idea to start your own business with your best friend, you have to take into consideration your friend's qualifications. The person may share the same passion for the idea that you have, but if he has no idea how to run a business or frequently mishandles his own money, you should not invest your capital or time with him to get a business off the ground. On the other hand, if you find a potential partner who has all the business skills in the world behind her but you cannot get along with her, you should avoid partnering with her as well, as confrontation will do nothing to help your business get off the ground. You need to find someone who has the best of both worlds: skills and personality.

2. Losing Sight of Your Market

It's true that the larger your market is, the better your sales are going to be, simply because of the law of averages. But if you try to please everybody, you are going to lose everybody. If a product is so generalized that you cannot pin down whom it should be sold to, you will not know whom to pitch to. Also, pitching to the general public takes away the sense of personal need that niche products provide. Know whom you are selling to for optimal success.

3. Not Knowing How to Budget

If you run out of money at any point in your business startup, that is a pretty good sign that your financial future is not too great either. A successful business owner will be laying down budgets from day one, in addition to finding ways to make money stretch. He or she will also realize that you need to always have some sort of financial cushion, because an emergency can strike at any moment. In that case, if you do not have anything to pull from, your only option could be to shut your doors.

4. Not Staying in Touch With Your Customers

If you do not gather feedback from your customers, especially in the early phases of your business, you will not know what is working for you and what is not. If sales start to dip down and you do not know why, it could take time that you do not have to turn the ship around. Getting feedback means that you will have a pulse on your business, and will know exactly what adjustments to make to better it.

5. Getting Your Emotions Involved

Your emotions are obviously going to be the driving factor in your business, as the passion you have for the idea or solution is going to be why you start it in the first place. But if you get too attached to what you are doing, you will open yourself to the possibility of being blind to the changes needed to further your success or to the one idea to leave behind in pursuit of a more sustainable future.

From Inc. Magazine