Quotes from Famous Female CEO’s

from Inc.com Zine 11/15 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz

Female Entrepreneurs are the biggest demographic in the 35-55-year-old range. While it’s common to see twenty-something & early-30 millennial males at the helm of startups – particularly in places like Silicon Valley – it’s actually women who are creating and leading some of the most promising companies overall.

Regardless of your gender, it’s a good idea to hear what these female leaders have to say. After all, women have more obstacles to overcome than men in the world of entrepreneurship. From dealing with the Old Boy Club mentality to being at a financial disadvantage when coming from corporate America, here are Quotes by famous female CEOs & Entrepreneurs to keep you motivated.

1. Melinda Gates on Voice & Strength [Wife of Bill, MicroSoft]”A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.” This “voice” is your best tool in the board room, when talking to investors, when finding partners and when pitching to clients. Once you find your voice, hone it and practice it.

2. Barbara Corcoran (Shark Tank) on the benefits of Failure. “My best successes came on the heels of failures,”. However, failures have no silver linings if you don’t learn from them. Find the lesson in each stumble when creating a new business or coming up with a Marketing Plan.

3. Debbi Fields (cookies) on following your Passion. “What I wanted was – to be allowed to do the thing in the world that I did best. I believed then and believe now this is the greatest privilege there is. When I did that, success found me.” She stuck by her guns, and passion for cooking, from day one. That’s what gets you through the tough times.

4. Jenny Craig (diets) on Commitment. “My husband always tells me that I’m the most unrelenting person he’s ever met – and it’s true. If I make a commitment to something, I will stick to it – no matter what.” This is good advice for both weight management & entrepreneurial or business success. Nothing is more important than dedication

5. Amanda Cookson (Coach) on Empowerment. “Running my own business is empowering. I get to set my own hours, call the shots, & contribute to my family.” The founder of “Be My Guest” keeps all the upsides of many entrepreneurial details in mind to keep her motivated. There are downsides, too, but they shouldn’t be the details that linger.

6. Indra Nooyi (CEO, PepsiCo) on Making Plans. “There is nothing like a concrete Life Plan to weigh you down. Because if you always have one eye on some future goal, you stop paying attention to the job at hand, miss opportunities that might arise, & stay fixedly on one path – even when a better, newer course might have opened up.” The adamantly lives in the present–because there’s no other way to live.

7. Sheryl Sandberg (COO, Facebook) on Leadership. “Leadership is about making others better, as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” You want to make the company better, and leave it that way for your successor. That should be the goal of any executive.

8. Robin Chase (CEO, ZipCar) on $$$. “I have never been motivated by money”. That might not sound quite right given the immense and lucrative nature of Zipcar, but she maintains that passion comes first and the money follows.

9. Candice Carpenter (CEO of iVillage) on Obstacles. “If you are committed to creating value, and if you aren’t afraid of hard times, obstacles become utterly un-important. A nuisance perhaps, but with no real power. The world respects creation; people will get out of your way.” She sees obstacles as a natural occurrence, but not something to be feared. It’s simply the ebb & flow of life & business.

10. Sophia Amoruso (CEO, Nasty Girl) on Inclusion.
“It’s not about just being included. It’s about creating your own space and including yourself, then finding other people that are like, ‘okay.’ ” This is about hiring for company culture, which is a major perk of being a founder. There’s a reason this approach is doing so well.

11. Irene Chang Britt (CSO, Campbell Soup) on making Mistakes. “Not that I would have listened, but I wish I’d known that it was okay to make mistakes earlier in my career. I went on to make some real doozies. I wish that, rather than being embarrassed – which I was – I appreciated it was all part of learning & developing.” The company has that sorted out now, but the grief she could have avoided is immense. The best thing any woman can do is, try and learn from the mistakes of others. It saves you time, headaches & $$. However, just like most people, it’s likely that the “best” lessons will be learned the hard way.

Comments: Do you have some Quotes about starting & growing a business?