As the halfway point of the year speeds by, New Year's resolutions have become a distant thought of the past.
Does that mean you should throw in the towel on 2017? We're here to tell you that it’s not too late to turn it around.
To help you get inspired and finish the year strong, we talked to several Grasshopper customers to find the best entrepreneur quotes to get you motivated and ready to go. Each of these entrepreneurs has found a piece of the success we all strive for while starting our own business.
Let's learn from them.
1. "Just be nice to people." – Kylie Sullivan, Executive Director of Salem Main Streets
We asked Joey Nicotera – Grasshopper customer and founder of Retonica – what he considered to be the best entrepreneur quote to live by. His response:
Just be nice to people.
Much of Joey’s success stems from this very statement: just being nice. It may seem too good to be true, but we can all agree that just being nice isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Especially after a long morning full of meetings or being stuck in traffic on the work.
With that in mind, Joey found that in order to replace those large companies with long-standing contracts with his potential clients, his attitude is the key asset that stood out and got him hired.
2. "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, CEO of Facebook
Lucky for you, you've most likely already taken on one of the biggest risks in the startup world – actually starting. Congrats.
But don't stop there. It’s easy to get comfortable at times – the company's doing well, you’re bringing in steady cash flow. But that isn’t enough.
Mark Zuckerberg found success by centering his decisions in life around that very word: risk. He took the biggest risk of all by dropping out of Harvard. But it was that very decision that led to a net worth of $68.8 billion at the age of 33.
As seen by Zuckerberg and other wildly successful entrepreneurs, growth and success only stem from one thing... risk. So don’t be afraid – be fearless.
3. "Don’t compare yourself with anyone in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself." – Bill Gates, Cofounder of Microsoft
The key to success here is one thing... confidence. Not cocky, but confident.
There's no better example of this than Bill Gates. From a young boy with a deep interest in coding and computer programming, Gates took his passion to a new level by cofounding Microsoft.
Gates could’ve easily allowed himself to stay at Harvard University and study along side his peers, but instead he dropped out and followed his gut by continuing to work with computers. With a mindset similar to Bill Gates, you’re ready to conquer the world... or at least your industry.
4. "Lots of companies don’t succeed over time. What do they fundamentally do wrong? They usually miss the future." – Larry Page, Cofounder of Google & CEO of Alphabet Inc.
Page is speaking directly to the times right now. Technology is changing at a rapid pace, and every day you sit and get comfortable, someone else is passing you. As the cofounder of a company that constantly adapts and changes with the times, Page does in fact live by these words, and he's found great success in them.
The key takeaway is to never settle – think futuristic and make plans. Constantly adapt, and you'll never become outdated.
The world is changing every day, don’t let it leave your business behind.
5. "I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the unsuccessful ones is pure perseverance." – Steve Jobs, Cofounder and CEO of Apple
Nothing happens overnight. Good things take time and lots & lots of work – that's what most people forget. Instant gratification is the name of the 21st century game, and that makes it hard to carry through on the toil and grind that startup success requires.
From a college dropout, to a video game designer, to a man searching for his spiritual enlightenment in India, Jobs took quite the path to success. It was pure perseverance that resulted in the founding of one of the largest and most successful companies to this day.
We all crave gratification at the click of a button (or the tap of a thumb.) But that simply isn’t realistic when it comes to growing a successful business. Stay patient and persevere through adversity, and the path through entrepreneurship will emerge.
6. "Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you." – Oprah Winfrey, American Media Proprietor
Passion is everything, because without it, nothing truly special is accomplished. Without passion, it's pretty hard to follow Jobs' advice and persevere, too.
There's no better person who embodies that passion than Oprah Winfrey. If you've ever watched Oprah’s "favorite things" segment on her talk show then you know exactly what I mean.
It's that passion that brought Oprah the success she enjoys today – success she found doing all the things she loves most.
It's passion that makes waking up each day worth it and that enables the long hours & tough, thankless work that entrepreneurship demands.
7. "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." – Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father of the United States
It was impossible not to include one of our Founding Fathers on this list. Ben Franklin was a diplomat, writer, and scientist – just one of the many entrepreneurial minds that founded our nation.
It's a combination of all of those things that made Franklin the well-versed, knowledgeable man he was and led him to drafting such monumental documents as the Declaration of Independence, the U.S Constitution, and the Treaty of Paris.
Don’t let your desire to learn or grow fade as soon as someone hands you a diploma. Devote yourself to lifelong learning. It's that willingness to grow and adapt that will help you stand out from the rest.
So what now?
After hearing from these undeniably successful entrepreneurs, it may be hard to think of yourself in the same vein. But you and the entrepreneurs listed above are one in the same – the only difference is where you are along the path of entrepreneurship.
So take what they have to say, and hold tightly to it. Keep these entrepreneur quotes in the back of your head and you'll be well on your way to entrepreneurial success.
