‘A North Star metric captures the fundamental value created by your business’ – 25 quotes from Indian startup journeys

Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week (see the previous post here). Share these 25 gems and insights from the week of June 7-13 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights. See also our special compilation of quotes related to India’s coronavirus responses here.

Know and remember to build your brand with longevity, permanency, and consistency. - Masoom Minawala

Your story is your birthright. - Murray Nossel, ‘Powered by Storytelling’

Keep things simple, but keep things research-backed. A good way to ensure this is by being original, sticking to your own data. - Forum Sheth, WebEngage

Collaboration only succeeds if you are able to create safe spaces for open and inclusive conversations. - Dave Malouf

What you learn through education should be manifested in your everyday lives. - Ritesh Rawal, ‘Gullies of India’

Invention is not accidental. There is a process that results in innovation. And that is design. - Suresh Eriyat, Eesaurus Productions

Design is a serious career, perhaps as important as a doctor and definitely as an engineer. You can play a role in saving lives, in creating a safe environment, in designing systems for fewer accidents, and in disease management. - Nandita Abraham, GUS Global Services

Design by definition is meaningful and purposeful. We get to create, generate, and ideate. The world is ready for a Renaissance 2.0. Our time is now. - Preethi Gopinath, Parsons, The New School

Do not copy the work of other artists. Produce your own work that will give you recognition and fame. - Rashmi Soni, MayinArt

Success comes from appreciation and being able to provide motivation and hope to society in bringing out the values of humanism – or making humanism great again. - Nugroho Heri Cahyono, MayinArt

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It’s imperative to promote STEM education for girls early on, thus opening up better opportunities going forward. - Dhanya Ros Mathew, Fujitsu Consulting

So far, there have only been grooming kits for men at hotels, but there is nothing on menstrual hygiene. - Madan Mohit Bharadwaj, SheWings Foundation

It is heartening to see several organisations taking a step in the right direction to make the workplace more women-friendly. - Neha Bagaria, JobsForHer

About 80 percent of agricultural work is done by women and people in rural India. For their livelihoods, rural households depend on resources from the local environment. - Crispino Lobo, WOTR

It is not enough to say that you are concerned about the disadvantaged. Concern must be translated into action, and action into results. - AM Naik, Larsen & Toubro

The narrative must change, else the forest depletions under the garb of development will always be pursued. - Govind Gorur

In today's rapidly evolving circular economy it is critical to implement innovative solutions to improve our collective environmental footprint. - Mainak Dhar, Kimberly-Clark India

Intense running and workout wear out shoes in a couple of months. This generates a lot of waste as damaged shoes aren’t properly disposed of. -Shriyans Bhandari, Greensole

Just imagine bio-wastes being converted into diesel for our cars, commercial vehicles, and industrial applications and that too without any retrofit or modification required. - Satya Bansal, Blue Ashva Capital

We have a choice today to consume consciously and responsibly. We are, at the end of the day, what we eat. - Shweta Thakur, Wildermart

Healthy living is not just about the body, but also includes the things around us. What we breathe and smell has an impact on our day-to-day life. - Satish Patronia, Applefall

Time-pressed lifestyles coupled with the easy availability of snacks is fuelling snacking frequency among Indian consumers. - Mintel report

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If you want to build scale, there's nowhere better to go than India. And if you solve problems with the Indian perspective of ‘low-cost high-value,’ you're going to have a real edge. - Will Poole, Unitus Ventures

The worse things got in the big cities, the more people wanted to get out. We have witnessed many Indians putting in place a backup plan to move abroad, if necessary. - Prashant Kalra, The Penthouse Boutique

The Government of India's revisions to FAME-II subsidies is a welcome step that will only add zeal to the adoption of electric vehicles. - Jeetender Sharma, Okinawa Autotech

In our country, sadly, there are two extreme sides, nothing in the middle. - Saloni Gaur

If so many IT companies can get listed, then why can’t a farmer’s company? Satyajit and Ajinkya Hange, Two Brothers Organic Farms

Private equity and public investors look at a company with a completely different lens, unlike a VC. - Rahul Khanna, Trifecta Capital

Ideals are like the stars: we never reach them, but like the mariners of the sea, we chart our course by them. - Carl Schurz

The joy is in learning what is it to be an entrepreneur, what is it to be a leader, to be a manager. - Paras Chopra, Wingify

Being an entrepreneur sounds fantastic to others. However, what others do not see is the battles you fight every day and every minute to grow the business. - Lakshitaa Khanna, Bodh

A North Star metric captures the fundamental value created by your business. It is the core unit that fundamentally shows the direction you need to pursue your business. - Amit Somani, Prime Venture Partners

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).