‘Leading is about learning to be a facilitator’ – 35 quotes from Indian startup journeys
From launch to leadership, witness the memorable journey of Indian entrepreneurship in these excerpts and stories! 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 30 gems and insights from the week of February 5-11 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.
When designing a startup there are generally two approaches: to be interesting or to be interested. - Sathya Raghu V. Mokkapati, Kheyti
The problem with VCs is that they are finance guys, not entrepreneurs. - Saurabh Srivastava, IAN
E-commerce is at an interesting confluence of Digital India, Make in India and Start Up India. – Kunal Bahl, Snapdeal
The time for a digital India with a truly digital financial ecosystem has come. - S. Kumar Srivatsan, OptaCredit
Retail works on very thin margins, but apparel is a category that is always priced more than five times the production cost. - Prem Kumar, SnapBizz
A better product always wins no matter what. Freebies create small-term advantages, but they do not create your moat. - Kabeer Biswas, dunzo
In 2015, Indian consumer internet companies spent around Rs 500 crore or more on marketing and advertising activity. - Sandeep Aggarwal, Droom
Leading is about learning to be a facilitator. - Ashif Shaikh
Success is more a function of consistent common sense than it is of genius. – An Wang
Projections do matter. But it is mandatory to have a Plan B. - Manoj Krishnan, Compass Team
There is this misconception that cancer will kill you. Many equate it with death. - Arun Kumar
I’m amazed at how many times people are willing to accept mediocrity. - Bob Iger, Disney
Advertising via television, newspapers and hoardings is, at times, not in everybody’s reach. - Tilkesh Bhatia, Money4Drive
Games and play is how you can best teach. Not with lectures. – James Altucher
We could completely transform the education system if we helped connect alumni with their institutions. - Paresh Masade, Vaave
Universities provide accommodation to only 25 percent of the total students enrolled. - Saurabh Arora, University Living
Whether it is winter, spring, or summer, enough stuff is happening in the AI space in India. There is enough critical mass now. - Manish Singhal, Pi Ventures
Data is paramount in alleviating farmer woes. Any data that can improve lives of farmers also adds value to the consumer in terms of great produce. - Kishore Biyani, Future Group
More than 90 percent of the rivers in India are polluted and in a sorry state. - Gautam Bandhopadhaya
The manufacturing industry is fast moving towards automation, and different skill sets are required now. - R.V. Deshpande, Karnataka Industries Minister
The next decade will be defined by the automation of the automobile. - Mark Fields, Ford
The role of ridesharing in helping tackling congestion and pollution makes it too important not to. - Amit Jain, Uber
With the emergence of the sharing economy business models, there may be a need to re-examine the regulations around them. – NASSCOM-EY report
50 percent of our food is wasted even before it reaches us. We need ways to produce healthy local food. - Deepak Srinivasan, Crofters
No waste is ever a waste. There’s always a way to find some use for waste. - Rajagopalan Vasudevan, Thiagarajar College of Engineering
People tend to suggest the best places from their memories, which in turn leads to planning and creation of high-quality user trips. - Satyajeet Jadhav, HopBucket
It is imperative to accelerate the pace of adoption of innovation and disruptive technologies in the industry. - Nirupa Shankar, Brigade Hospitality
Networking is a must learn skill. - Mathew J Maniyamkott, FitVersity
At its core, progressive work ultimately means open systems. - Steven Deobald, Nilenso
We believe that the government should make it easier, rather than more difficult, for the world's brightest and best to start and grow their companies here. – Tech companies’ open letter to Donald Trump
Giving is much, much more than just charity or signing a cheque. - Roshni Nadar, HCL
Whatever you earn, try to give back a little to your native place. - Girindra Nath Jha, ‘Isha Main Mati Sona’
As a woman, it becomes a bit more difficult to convince some people of the worth of your ideas. - Tanvi Kataruka, Tickled Pink
Collectively, we can fight and build a better tomorrow so that our children will be proud of us. - Savita Hiremath, Endlessly Green
All human beings are entrepreneurs. From problem solvers, we have become order takers. That needs to change. – Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus
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).