‘If you build relationships, business will build itself’ – 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 September 28 – October 4 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.

Growth creates complexity, and complexity is the silent killer of growth. - Chris Zook and James Allen, ‘The Founder’s Mentality’

If you build relationships, business will build itself. - Smita Rajgopal, Smitten Worldwide

Money is the blood of all business. - Deepesh Namdeo, Cleantech Water

Creativity is the power that generates innovation. - Jeff DeGraff and Staney DeGraff, ‘The Creative Mindset’

Understanding food labels is critical to your health. - Deepa Kannan, PFNR

Elevating mind, body, and planet are key to living a healthy, happy life and plant-based nutrition is key to achieving this. - Akash Zaveri, Olena

Consumers today seek to associate themselves with a brand that has a belief system they can identify with. - Shreesh Shankar, Sukkrish Aadds

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The car rental industry is conservatively estimated at $15 billion. However, it is dominated by the unorganised sector, which accounts for 90 percent (close to $12 billion) of the market. - Gaurav Aggarwal, Savaari

If marketers want to exploit the opportunities in tier 2 and 3 cities, they are going to have to lean more on regional content and languages. - Neena Dasgupta, Zirca Digital Solutions

So now, we have momentum. Let's imagine what will happen in the next 10 years. - Bejul Somaia, Lightspeed Venture Partners

Its repercussions are evident in our daily lives - from clogging, choking animals, and effects on human health. Sadly, a lot of people are ignorant or careless when it comes to using plastic. - Aditya Mukarji

Every year in India, more than 35,000 babies are born with a cleft. This can greatly impact their ability to thrive. - Mamta Carroll, Smile Train

Demographic studies show that the rate of cardiac ailments is highest among South Asians, especially Indians. - KK Aggarwal, HCFI

Women who want to put their own needs first are always looked at as being selfish, ambitious or bitchy. We need to take a step back, and break away from that kind of boxing in. - Alankrita Shrivastava

Our education system trains us from a young age just to be obedient executors of other people’s ideas, not to come up with our own original ideas. - Aanand Srinivas, StayQrious

India is a social country where students like to go to college, tuition etc. in groups. As a result, some of our biggest learnings are from our friends and peers. - Jagrit Gupta, Subhe

While ageing is an unstoppable fact of life, it is the loss of comfort, independence and dignity that is most disconcerting to us as humans. - Meena Ganesh, Portea Medical

People usually buy jewellery without realising the value or the effort that goes behind making it. - Neeta Vijay Kumar, Stardom Accessories

Sometimes people think of funding as a constraint, and sometimes they think of idea as a constraint. - Bhavin Turakhia, Flock

Don’t chase funding. Build a successful business, and let funding chase you. – Dhruv Nath and Sushanto Mitra, ‘Funding your Startup’

Entrepreneurship is the long haul and not for those who look at the short term. - Dheeraj Gupta, Jumbo King

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When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. - Mahatma Gandhi

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems. - Mahatma Gandhi

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. - Jane Goodall

The secret to addressing fear is to understand the anatomy of it. - Paddy Upton, T20 coach

If you are convinced about something, nothing on this planet can stop you. - Deepti Sadhwani, 'Lalla Lalla Lori '

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).