‘If there are no rough patches, you may not be on the right path’ – 40 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 40 gems and insights from the week of August 26 – September 1 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights. See also our compilation of Top 50 Quotes from 2018 here.

Leaders are the flag bearers of an organisation's culture. - Tina Garg, Pink Lemonade

‘Restore connection' is not just for devices, it is for people too. If we cannot disconnect, we cannot lead. - Arianna Huffington, Thrive Global

As a leader, you have to spend time to meet people who are innovating and to learn from them e.g. from the startups. - Siew Choo Soh, DBS

As an entrepreneur, one needs to have maniacal focus on the customers that is unwavering. - Sunny Gupta, Apptio

Know who the customer is, your idea alone cannot lead you, look after the habits of the customers. - Isaac John, Inkmonk

It helps to have this mindset from the start that success comes from a good product-market fit and not from fund-raising. - Nistha Tripathi, ‘ No Shortcuts’

The best way to create a great product or service is to make something you want to use. If you are solving someone else’s problem, you are constantly stabbing in the dark. - Anirban Chatterjee, Buzzbricks

Being the voice of the customer, product excellence is key in creating a successful omnichannel strategy and executing it. - Anand Xavier, Walmart Labs

Enterprises and rising startups recognise the value of subscription businesses. Unlike transactional revenue models, subscriptions require companies to evaluate longer-term metrics and redefine KPIs for success. - Krish Subramanian, Chargebee

Organisations of all sizes and scale face the challenge of improving employee engagement and retention. - Manu Rikhye, growX Ventures

If you give consumers safe to eat food at an honest price, you can create a brand loved by thousands. - Shan Kadavil, FreshToHome

There are now close to 20,000 startups in the country. Of these, 8,000 are technology startups. - Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology

Today, the ecosystem is far more conducive for entrepreneurs to thrive than ever before. - Rajesh Sawhney, InnerChef

Having multiple players is always good for any ecosystem. - Rohan Agarwal, RedSeer Consultancy

Each village is a microcosm that has its own complex socio-cultural-economic-political milieu and incredibly more diverse than urban India. - Sharbani Chattoraj, SBI

Corporate gifting market has the larger share in the overall online gifting market. - Himanshu Chawla, FlowerAura.com,

Those wishing to set up an NGO should definitely follow their dreams. With India being such a large country with its fair share of issues, every small step is a wonderful thought. - Anil Kumble, Jumbo Fund

Right now actors are just tweeting, posing, cutting some ribbons and maybe giving a speech. We need to have a plan to make a difference. - Milind Soman

The number of pincodes and the vastness of the nation makes delivery a challenge, and most organisations have to create a mini postal service. - Sanjay Anandaram, investor

There is a lot more to the subject beyond the school syllabus. - Umang Chamaria,  Vigyan STEM Lab

There is always an audience for everything. - Kabita Singh, ‘Kabita’s Kitchen’

A good patent with solid claims can become an invaluable differentiator and one such patent can be better than 10 ordinary patents. - Vivek Mansingh, YourNest

Media and technology has broken away some of the barriers that made it difficult to launch brands to compete with the established players in the past. - Deepak Shahdadpuri, DSG Consumer Partner

The phone is like an extension of yourself. If you forget your phone, its like a missing limb. - Elon Musk

Voice is great as an input mechanism but sucks as an output mechanism. - Kumar Rangarajan, Slang Labs

As the number of digital music users goes up to more than half a billion, there is significant potential for increased advertising revenues on the back of customised branding solutions. - Prashan Agarwal, Gaana

Any business should improve cash flows before investing in scaling the business. - Kazutada Kobayashi, Canon India

Fitness and wellness is at an inflection point in India. - Nikhil Vora, Sixth Sense

On the field, it isn’t about where you are from, what you do or how long it has taken you. It’s about the grit you show. - Swapna Burman

Ultimately, one excels only at the things one truly enjoys and is willing to work hard at. - Aditi Chauhan

Support and guidance from family go a long way for any individual treading on the path to become a professional athlete. - Padma Shri Saikhom Mirabai Chanu

Study the greats, study the people you really admire. Make your own version, and make sure that you are original because authenticity is the key. - Svetha Rao

Imbibe the right combination of self-belief, a strong will and common sense. - Upma Kapoor, Teal & Terra

Ironically, while we try to understand what makes us happy, the pursuit of happiness has become less about feeling and experiencing and more about instant gratification. - Apurva Purohit, Jagran Group

Our skin is the largest organ in our body and taking care of it should be on the top of our to-do lists every day. - Naina Ruhail, Vanity Wagon

You need a strong tailwind. You may be a great sailor, but if there is no wind or if it is against you, you will only go so far. - Alok Goyal, Stellaris Venture

Predicting rain doesn’t count. Building arks does. - Warren Buffet

You win some and lose some. It's all part of the game. You have to take it in a very positive way. - PV Sindhu

If winning is God’s reward, then losing is how he teaches us. – Serena Williams

If there are no rough patches, you may not be on the right path. - Sampad Swain, Instamojo

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).

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