Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our earlier articles. Share these gems and insights with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.
From ideation to implementation, the changemakers in this compilation have memorable words for us all. We have divided these 50 quotes into eight sections: Startup foundations, Learning, Leadership, Diversity, Customer engagement, Branding, Talent, and The road ahead.
Check out YourStory’s Book Review section with over 350 titles on entrepreneurship, innovation, startups, leadership, and tech trends. See also our list of Top 10 Books of the Year for Entrepreneurs for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.
Check out our annual quotes compilations for 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018 as well. We hope these quotes inspire you as well to do your bit (and more!) to make India and the world a better place.
YourStory wishes our readers all the very best for the holiday season, and a year of successes and progress ahead in 2023!
Startup foundations
Start up only if you feel the need to solve a problem deep in your soul and have the strength to rough it out. – TN Hari, Artha School of Entrepreneurship
As a startup, you’re always on the treadmill. – Vivek Saxena, Thinkly
There is a fine line between stubbornness and perseverance. – Deep Kalra, MakeMyTrip
An entrepreneur should take pride and also have fun in the journey of value creation. – Sourjyendu Medda, DealShare
Entrepreneurship is not a job. It’s a mindset. It’s about fundamentally questioning a problem statement, and owning it. – Ujwal Kalra, ‘Startup Compass’
At a broad level, there are only three basic value propositions. The product or service can be cheaper, better, or faster. – Vidur Vyas, NorthSide
Don’t build a business model to raise money, actually build a business model to solve problems, and the money will follow. – Vishal Gupta, Gynoveda
Success of a business isn’t just in the financial numbers as we are often made to believe. – Vishwajyoti Ghosh, ‘WE Mean Business’
Define your own success, your biggest competition is you, strive to be a better version of yourself … and feed your strengths. – Shalini Chaudhari, Infosys
Learning
Make time for learning because in this world, your only advantage is to learn faster than the rest. – Jowita Michalska, Digital University
You just have to be passionate and you’ll automatically learn so much. – Vani Murthy, ‘Worm Rani’
A naturally creative person is adaptable, resilient, a lifelong learner, and drives innovative thoughts and ideas. – Somak Mitra, Art Exposure Gallery
Starting up is not easily coachable but scaling up certainly is. Entrepreneurs have an unmistakable bias for learning from individuals who have been through their journeys successfully. – Pavan Vaish, Artha School of Entrepreneurship
Learning is the process of a healthy mental state. Adore things around. Don’t stay stagnant, think and visualise more to exercise your creativity. – Sujata Sah Sejekan, MayinArt
There is no perfect and only way to achieve your dreams. Don’t be discouraged by comparing yourself to others, never stop learning. – Pratibha Hooli, Team Yuva Artists Collective
Open innovation is the future. – Rajiv Mukherjee, IncubateHub
Leadership
Culture is a leader’s job. – Daniel Strode, ‘The Culture Advantage’
You learn to be a leader in a crisis. – Nadir Godrej, Godrej Industries
Being powerful is having the ability to empower others. The more you empower others, the more powerful you actually are. – Arundhati Bhattacharya, Salesforce
Leaders must send the message and show by example that delivering quality solutions are important across all levels. – Subodh Parulekar, AFour Technologies
Better corporate governance is a shared responsibility between founders, management and the board. And to get there the ecosystem needs to come together and commit to some changes. – Sequoia Capital India
Valuations can vary, but values are forever. – Divya Gokulnath, BYJU’s
Integrity is the key to running a sustainable business. – Payeli Ghosh, JIFFY.ai
Profits and revenues are secondary to integrity – integrity towards the company, the customer, and every stakeholder. – Priyanka Kheruka, Borosil
Diversity and empowerment
Entrepreneurship is more than starting companies; it’s empowerment. – Lisa-Marie Fassl, Female Founders
Women need more sponsorship, not just mentorship. – Janelle Estes, UserTesting
Don’t worry if you’re the only woman on the team, use your voice with courage and conviction. You are only limited by your own imagination. – Ruby Tomar, HP
The concept of diversity itself is evolving. – Moulee C, Queer Chennai Chronicles
The journey to success is often long and arduous. Injury, poor attitude, and poor career decisions can often derail the promise. – Sudheesh Venkatesh, Azim Premji Foundation
Customer engagement and branding
The more you interact with your customers, the more your product will be refined – this means you can make it more market-friendly and acceptable. – Abhishek Bardia, MP Startup Centre
The only metrics that matter is your buyer’s feedback and if you can retain your existing customers. – Vishesh Khurana, Shiprocket
If you won’t change, the consumer will change you. – Aman Gupta, boAT
Every brand that cares is going sustainable. – Anjana Pasi, MiniKlub
Retention is the new acquisition. – Kedar Parikh, Netcore Cloud
It’s also vital to create a brand identity and stick to it because in the beginning you can get really confused. Doing more of what works for you is the key. – Rishika Nayak Shetty, The Sass Bar
You need to find your way into trust especially when you are a new brand. – Gaurav Dadhich, Razorpay
Showing respect to your competitor’s success will speak about your integrity and open up the opportunity to serve your secret sauce on a hot plate. – Donna Griffit
Talent
You have to hire people oriented towards learning as opposed to those who only have the right skill set. – Srikanth Velamakanni, Fractal
The listening-to-speaking ratio in sales has to be 60:40, and as a salesperson, you have to listen to the customer requirements. – Chitra Singh, Sales Womentoring
People are most effective when they identify what they are good at and find happiness in doing it. – Akriti Chopra, Zomato
People work for good leaders. Leaders are themselves brands. – Suresh Anubolu, Aragen Life Sciences
Class attracts class and out-performs form. – Virendra Gupta, VerSe Innovations
The road ahead
If you’re on a purpose, the world will come to support you. – John Kuruvilla, BrigadeREAP
Anything which is optimised only for profit will tend to ignore humanity. – Umakant Soni, ARTPARK
Sustainable growth and profit need to go hand in hand. – Harsh Mariwala, Marico
Success is a byproduct of consistent efforts. – Bharathi Senthilvelan, Reminiscenses
The focus should be on recovering quickly and moving on – it’s not about how far you fall, but how high you bounce back. – Anjali Joshi, Take Two
Take risks and acknowledge the fact that risks can go either way. A risk, however, will always be a learning experience. – Shruti Kashyap, Hindustan Unilever
Yesterday’s wow is today’s ordinary. – Puneet Chandok, AWS
YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).