‘You never lose; you either win or learn’ – 35 quotes from Indian startup journeys
From setbacks to success, witness the memorable journey of Indian entrepreneurship in these quotes, excerpts and stories!
Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from , 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 August 17-23 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.
A company can only be as big as its market. - Ashmeet Sidana, Engineering Capital
A business needs to integrate sustainability as it grows. It cannot be separate from your business. - Ishteyaque Amjad, Coca-Cola
Eco-entrepreneurship is helping people become responsible professionals while also ingraining sustainable living as a new normal. - Bhrigu Seth, Responsible Whatr
There are challenges but if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, you figure out the way. - Pooja Rai, Anthill Creations
Not every founder is an expert in everything. The ability to identify your personal gaps and hiring the right people to fill in those gaps is a very important quality of a founder. - Chris Sirisereepaph, Saison Capital
A VC pitch is a sales meeting. - Sanjay Swamy,
Understanding how a cash flow statement works is essential to entrepreneurship. - Varun Agarwal, Mento
As a nation, we are becoming more and more confident in creating brands. Many of these can also become international. - Japan Vyas,
We need leadership at all levels to be asking questions and the right kind of questions. We need a culture where being wrong is acceptable, but being willfully blind isn’t. - Prof. Abhijit Banerjee, Nobel laureate
The average Indian household spends nearly 24 percent of its total annual income on children’s education, placing financing of education fees top-of-mind for parents. - Rishab Mehta,
India is a taste sensitive country. If the product doesn’t taste good, people won’t buy it. - Varun Sheth, NOTO
Clean drinking water is a basic right and yet an unsolved problem for millions of Indian households. - Badri Pillapakkam, India
The large, unorganised textile market impacts the pricing power of organised players. - Dhirajlal Shah, Shahlon Group
Electric mobility not only helps cut down harmful discharges but also reduces running costs. - Deepak MV,
The government is a significant source of capital; private capital is also coming in. But what is missing is entrepreneurial engagement. - Geeta Goel, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
Access to ‘friendly’ Japanese capital is paramount to long term growth of Indian start-ups. - Sachin Bid, Nippon India Alternate Investments
The preference of consumers in a country like Nepal is very similar to India. - Dev Iyer,
Try to stay authentic to your instincts and original vision so that it does not get lost. - Chaitanya Tamhane, ‘The Disciple’
Mixing junior with senior artists creates an environment of participative learning and inculcates responsibility. - MG Doddamani, ''
Astrophotography is a peep into the past. - Navaneeth Unnikrishnan
Peace of mind is something that two generations in a family needed – the parents who wanted to live independently, and their concerned children who are worried about the same. - Asheesh Gupta, Samarth
You have immense power within yourself to bring anti-ageing or longevity strategies into your life, through targeted food and lifestyle modification. - Deepa Kannan, PFNR
Many herbal teas are known to aid in digestion and improve your metabolism while some are said to aid in weight loss and relieve stress. - Nagendranath Chiluvuru, Teabox
If your food is good, it’s okay but it might not be able to withstand the test of time. All that can help you survive in a food business is great food. - Arushi Sachdeva, Dohful
Always, always be gracious to those in the service industry who work hard to make your dining experience comfortable. - Aparna Shewakramani, Indian Matchmaking
Not much of significance is placed when it comes to saving or offering medical aid to animals. - Pradeep Nair, Animal Warriors Conservation Society
The problem is not just with infrastructure availability, the level of knowledge amongst the students regarding menstruation is also very low. - Purvi Tanwani, Anahat for Change
Attaining gender equality is very important to encourage women and to get equal opportunities and rights. - Ananya Kamboj
Adolescence is the formative years of life, and there are needs and demands of teenagers that we cannot ignore. - Dipali Mathur,
Every child, irrespective of economic background or location of birth, should have access to an excellent education. - Sumeet Mehta, LEAD School
It’s not wrong to be scrappy when you launch. But once you start gaining traction, you can invest the necessary resources to refactor and rearchitect some components. - Rajat Shikhar,
Great things happen when you take up a cause and start living it every day. - Rayna Singh
There is no substitute for hard work and hard work never goes unrewarded. - Princepal Singh
You may get a lot of compliments online, but with their honest opinions, it’s your friends and family who keep you sane and focused. - Bhuvan Bam, BB Ki Vines
Working towards financial freedom is the best way to lead a stress-free and happier life. - Preetha Wali, Pay It Forward
Take charge of your journey, it's yours and yours alone! ― Kemi Sogunle, author
You never lose; you either win or learn. - Madhusudan Ekambaram, KreditBee
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).
Edited by Javed Gaihlot