‘Strike too early or too late, and you risk striking out’ – 35 quotes from Indian startup journeys

From teamwork to timing, 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 35 gems and insights from the week of June 18-24 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.

Experience is always the best teacher. - Anukeerthy Vas, Miss India 2018

Only by listening to your soul will you be able to move forward. - Natasha Diddee

A good mentor is nothing short of a blessing, literally – so find one! - Megha Sharma, Adrift Communications

If you do something that’s extremely sincere and put in your best effort, you will not fail. - Swapna Dutt, 'Mahanati'

If there is one customer who has a need that you can satisfy, that’s where you begin the product-market fit. - Subrata Mitra, Accel

Without resonance, there is no relevance. - Nathalie Bondil, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Structured learning is hampered critically if it is entirely based on social media content. - Randhir Mishra, IFIM Business School

AI in education is all set to improve student experiences and ensure better learning possibilities. - Anjli Jain, EVC Ventures

Lack of education is the core of all the problems in our country. - Kapil Dev

Capitalising on the ingenuity of young entrepreneurs can help develop productive businesses in India. - Rahul Bahukhandi, LaYuva

Indian companies are making a beeline to offer anything and everything as a subscription service. - Greg Moran, Zoomcar

Managed smart workspaces are likely to grow rapidly as the large commercial real-estate market in India becomes more service-oriented. - Sandeep Singhal, WestBridge Capital

The working capital gap is quite pronounced in India, where SMEs contribute to 40 percent of exports. - Pushkar Mukewa, Drip Capital

Indians love books – no matter what the format. - Yogesh Dashrath, Storytel India

Customers are the key driving force for every business, and mobile is the platform they’re all on. - Limesh Parekh, Enjay IT Solutions

The future of HR is loaded with digital mindsets and practices, and they are going to be real agents of digital transformation for smart businesses. - Abhishek Agarwal, The Judge Group

As we are traversing into a new age of fast-paced technological innovations, our electrical appliances are gradually becoming smarter and have added more functionality. - Pulak Satish Kumar, Puresight Systems

Metropolitan landscapes can be completely transformed with the help of smart bikes. - Akash Gupta, Mobycy

When companies need to develop a detailed action plan, spending on quality primary research is absolutely essential. - Jasal Shah, Markelytics

There is a better chance of initial stage startups getting merged in case the alumni knowing each other than in case the founders don’t know each other. - Vikram Gupta, IvyCap Ventures

Nothing comes easy in life. - Chinu Kala, Rubans

Self-care is not being selfish but being empowering towards oneself. - Jenisha Shah, Mpower

Acting in movies is like running a venture, where every decision and buck stops at you. - Shraddha Srinath, Milan Talkies

Startups in the consumer business need to focus on creating a strong customer engagement platform and ensure regular usage of services. - V Ganapathy, Axilor Ventures

Clients don’t want partners. They want leaders. - Girish Balachandran, ON PURPOSE

For any social impact initiative to have sustained impact, it must have strong business fundamentals and be profitable as a business. - Aparna Challu, CraftsBazaar

Unlike a few years ago, today there is an openness to serve the under-served market need. - Harish Arnezath, SEED

Large chunks of human endeavour lack a formal and satisfying definition yet maintain a steady and fervent practice. - Siddarth Pai, 3one4 Capital

Missed opportunities to prevent disease can magnify into massive public health problems, leading to increased adverse events, higher mortality, and spiralling costs. - Sushant Shankar, HealthPals

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that football is a team sport – each goal is a credit to the whole team, not just the guy who gets the final touch. - Sunil Chhetri

Passion comes from action. It comes from trying out a zillion things. - Geetika Saigal, 'Finding Your G Spot in Life'

Winning a war doesn’t mean killing the enemy, but winning the enemy. - Nihari Mandli, Burn Survivor Mission Saviour Trust

Turn every 'no' into a 'yes'; Use every 'no' as a stepping stone to success. - Kanika Tekriwal, JetSetGo

Strike too early or too late, and you risk striking out. - Shalini Prakash, 500Startups

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).