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10 Quotes to Inspire Startups & Small Business !!!

from Entrepreneur.com 03/15 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz

2015 means new goals, new challenges, new opportunities & new milestones to make. Here are 10 great Quotes from successful Entrepreneurs, to inspire you to come out swinging in 2015, whether that involves growing your current business or starting a new one.
Q1. “I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big”. — Donald Trump. No successful entrepreneur starts something with the goal of being mildly successful, especially not Trump. If you truly believe that you have an amazing idea or think you can expand your business, then go for it. The “go big or go home” mentality has worked very well for many. Will you be next?

Q2. “Move fast & break the mold. Unless you’re breaking stuff, you’re not moving fast enough — Mark Zukerberg. Sometimes, windows of opportunity don’t remain open for too long. If you have an idea or see an opportunity, strike & move fast. It is impossible to tiptoe along and avoid all mistakes or pitfalls. Those that wait, or move slow – due to being over cautious – will sometimes miss out. Facebook was struggling with monetization when the majority of its user base became mobile, but its team moved fast and now the company is beating Wall St expectations.

Q3. “When you’re first thinking through an idea, it’s important don’t get bogged down in complexity. Thinking simply & clearly is the best approach. — Richard Branson, Virgin Co’s. Look how most successful startups get off the ground. The companies set specific milestones that must be met, in order for the concept to advance to the next stage. The longer it takes to hit each milestone, the greater the odds of the startup failing. Don’t make things harder than they need to be in the beginning.

Q4. “What are some of the problems that are likely to most affect the future of humanity?” Not from the perspective, ‘What’s the best way to make money?’ — Elon Musk. When your product or service impacts people and changes the way we do things, it can be extremely rewarding. The best ideas always come from truly passionate individuals that started their company because they wanted to solve a problem.

Q5. “I wrote off my personal life to make headway on my Startup. I moved back in with my parents and went to work seven days a week, 20 hours a day.. — Nick Woodman, GoPro. You have to be willing to make sacrifices, and in Woodman’s case those sacrifices paid off big on June 2014 -when his company went public.

Q6. “Money doesn’t buy you happiness, but I always – in the back of my mind – I figured a lot of money will buy you a little bit of happiness, but mainly it gives you more choices. — Sergey Brin, Google. There is nothing more rewarding than doing something you absolutely love.

Q7. “Don’t start a company unless it’s an obsession and something you love. If you have an exit strategy, it’s not an obsession. — Mark Cuban, Shark Tank. You have to love what you do and become completely obsessive with every aspect of your business. If not, you will get burnt out quickly, leading to failure. Nobody is going to care about your company more than you, so be prepared to set the bar high and work harder & longer than anyone else. The only way you will remain sane is by enjoying every minute of it.

Q8. “Being customer focused allows you to be more pioneering”. — Jeff Bezos, Amazon. Keeping your sights set on your competition will actually slow your growth. Constantly watching them, takes your focus away from the one thing that is responsible for your success — your customer. Put all of your energy into creating happy customers and you won’t have to worry about the competition, because they will be behind you.

Q9. “Don’t be threatened by people smarter than you”. — Howard Schultz/CEO, Starbucks. I love speaking with people that are smarter than I am. Anyone who truly believes that they are the “know-all” authority within their industry is delusional. Every entrepreneur has strengths and weaknesses, with room to grow. Embrace every opportunity to speak with fellow entrepreneurs that are smarter, more established and more successful. That is a priceless education.

Q10. “Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles”. — Steve Jobs. This couldn’t be any more accurate. Focusing on quality traffic over quantity always produces better results. Less is often more.

Comments: What do you have planned for 2015 — growing a current business or embarking on a new entrepreneurial venture? Let us know in the comments section.