Being an entrepreneur or small business owner is not only challenging but can also be a lonely existence. Day in and day out, we pour ourselves into our dreams and our passions feeling like winners some days and, other days, like losers. Words of wisdom from people who have been in our shoes can often serve as mental and emotional motivation and as a catalyst to action. You are not alone! Take a deep breath, read some golden nuggets of thought, and get back in the arena – good or bad, it always has a better view than a seat in the stands!
QUOTES
Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.
— Napoleon Hill, author
In every success story, you will find someone who has made a courageous decision.
— Peter F. Drucker, management consultant and author
Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen.
— Wayne Huizenga, owner of Blockbuster Video and the Miami Dolphins
When times are bad is when the real entrepreneurs emerge.”
— Robert Kiyosaki, founder of Cashflow Technologies
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
— Thomas Edison
The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.
— Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies
The most dangerous poison is the feeling of achievement. The antidote is to every evening think what can be done better tomorrow.
— Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA
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
‘Someday’ is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. Pro and con lists are just as bad. If it’s important to you and you want to do it ‘eventually,’ just do it and correct course along the way.
— Timothy Ferriss, author
When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure.
— Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics
It’s important to be willing to make mistakes. The worst thing that can happen is you become memorable.
— Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx Inc.
The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can’t do.
– Dennis Waitley, speaker, writer, and consultant
Once you free yourself from the need for perfect acceptance, it’s a lot easier to launch work that matters.
– Seth Godin, entrepreneur and author
Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! And powerful things at that, when mixed with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be translated into riches.
– Napoleon Hill, author
It doesn’t matter how many times you fail. It doesn’t matter how many times you almost get it right. No one is going to know or care about your failures, and neither should you. All you have to do is learn from them and those around you because all that matters in business is that you get it right once. Then everyone can tell you how lucky you are.
– Mark Cuban, owner of Landmark Theaters and chairman of AXS TV
You don’t need to be a genius or a visionary, or even a college graduate for that matter, to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream.
– Michael Dell, founder of Dell
How many people are completely successful in every department of life? Not one. The most successful people are the ones who learn from their mistakes and turn their failures into opportunities.
– Zig Ziglar
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
If you want to be an entrepreneur, it’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle. It defines you. Forget about vacations, about going home at 6 pm – last thing at night you’ll send emails, first thing in the morning you’ll read emails, and you’’ wake up in the middle of the night. But it’s hugely rewarding as you’re fulfilling something for yourself.
– Niklas Zennstrom, founder of Skype and Kazaa
TAKEAWAYS
Sometimes, you have to go out on a limb to move your business forward.
Failure is an inevitable roadblock on the path to success. But sometimes, success is merely one more step beyond your last failure.
Hard work is what will yield results.
Your ability to handle failure is a key indicator of whether or not you are cut out to be a successful entrepreneur.
Failures are not final – don’t be too hard on yourself.
With every chance you take, failure is a possibility. But you will never reach success without trying.
The feeling of failure can be a positive thing if you can see where it came from and how to improve next time.
Entrepreneurs are motivated people, they don’t wait.
The “best” time to start a business or make any change in your life will never come. If you want to start a business, now is the time.
The work you put in will pay off. Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow, but some day it will pay off.
Risky decisions can evolve into mistakes. But often the consequences of the best-case scenario far exceed the consequences of the worst.
The team at Strategy Driven Marketing understands the realities of entrepreneurs because we live them. We’ve struggled through the challenging days and have embraced the successful ones, too. Whether you are looking for an amazing new website, an interactive social media plan with engaging content, or whatever your marketing needs may be, we are here to help you realize your dreams. Contact us today – let’s get started!