Workful | Your Small Business Resource

Your Small Business Resource

25 Inspirational Quotes for Small Business Owners

smiling florist reviewing orders on a laptop

As a small business owner, you might feel uninspired or discouraged sometimes. Every small business owner feels that way sometimes. To be successful, you have to push past those feelings and keep working toward your dream. When you feel down, check out these 25 inspirational quotes to motivate you.

On getting started and making it happen

  1. “The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing.” Walt Disney, co-Founder of The Walt Disney Company
  2. “Waiting for perfect is never as smart as making progress.” Seth Godin, author and entrepreneur
  3. “It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.” Scott Belsky, author
  4. “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” Colin Powell, former U.S. National Security Advisor
  5. “Start today, not tomorrow. If anything, you should have started yesterday.” Emil Motycka, founder of Emil’s Lawns
  6. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Wayne Gretzky, hockey player
  7. “Luck is preparation meeting opportunity.” Oprah Winfrey, TV personality and CEO of Oprah Winfrey Network
  8. “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc.
  9. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” Vidal Sassoon, co-founder of Paul Mitchell Systems
  10. “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 and Chuck E. Cheese
  11. “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” Muhammad Ali, professional boxer
“Waiting for perfect is never as smart as making progress.” Seth Godin

Read also: 9 Reasons to Start a Business

On leadership and teamwork

  1. “The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.” Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister
  2. “There’s nothing wrong with staying small. You can do big things with a small team.” Jason Fried, co-founder and CEO of Basecamp
  3. “Everyone has an idea, but it’s really about executing the idea and attracting other people to help you with the idea.” Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square
  4. “If people like you, they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.” Zig Ziglar, author
“There's nothing wrong with staying small. You can do big things with a small team.” Jason Fried

Read also: How to Be a Better Manager: 8 Areas to Improve

On failure

  1. “Show me a person who never made a mistake, and I will show you a person who never did anything.” William Rosenberg, founder of Dunkin’ Donuts
  2. “Failure and invention are inseparable twins.” Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon
  3. “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn
“Show me a person who never made a mistake, and I will show you a person who never did anything.” William Rosenberg

Read also: 9 Reasons Small Businesses Fail and What to Do About It

On motivation

  1. “Chase the vision, not the money, the money will end up following you.” Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
  2. “Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly, I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.” Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. President
  3. “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group
  4. “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” Lou Holtz, football coach
  5. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.” Dr. Seuss, author
  6. “So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.” Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr
  7. “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist
“Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, ‘Certainly, I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.” Theodore Roosevelt

You may also like...