‘To be one’s own boss is the best thing in the world’ – 35 quotes from Indian startup journeys
From outcome to ownership, witness the memorable journey of Indian entrepreneurship in these quotes, excerpts and stories!
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 35 gems and insights from the week of January 11-17 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.
There needs to be a revival of local economies. You need to create green jobs that can create employment and also help mitigate climate change. - Nithin Kamath, Rainmatter Foundation
Business should be a lot more than just profit; it should be about social impact. - Kunal Kapoor, Ketto
The burgeoning population puts considerable pressure on the food system, which makes adopting sustainable agriculture imperative — to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. - Swaran Singh, SST
Tree planting is not only a need of the hour as a solution to climate change but also to protect the wildlife. - Priyanka Mandal, Clan Earth
We need to move with speed and scale if we have to fulfil the vision of making India the skill capital of the world and from there, the industrial capital of the world. - R K Singh, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
In order to provide initial capital for startups, the nation is launching a Rs 1,000 crore Startup India Seed Fund. This will help in setting up new startups and promote their growth. - Prime Minister Narendra Modi
India holds an important place in the global education industry. The country has one of the largest networks of higher education institutions in the world. India is also the second largest market for e-Learning after the US. – KPMG report
Finding the right manufacturing vendor is a tedious and time-consuming process. The industry is still highly fragmented. - Sonam Motwani, Karkhana.io
With higher disposable incomes, people are getting more experimental with meat beyond chicken. - Siddhant Wangdi, Meatigo
There is almost zero unbiased information about pet nutrition and medical treatments in India. - Julia Pape, Canine India
It is a myth that tasty food can’t be healthy. But, at the same time, consumption too has to be wholesome. - Manish Aggarwal, Bikano
They (Indian consumers) look for value for money and that's even in a high-end product. - Martin Schwenk, Mercedes-Benz India
The dedication that the Indian-American community has shown to public service over the years has been recognised in a big way at the very start of this administration! - M R Rangaswami, Indiaspora
Everyone knows that China is the king of sustainable packaging, and sourcing from China is difficult. - Karishma Kriplani, Shake It
Practicing art is like a journey in a spiritual space, and it is more important to travel through it, to face its mystery, than to finally know it and reach the destination. - Dariusz Kaca
I personally believe that a nation's culture is embedded in its visual and performing arts, but also in its sciences. - Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Biocon
Creativity is for everyone. If you stop creating, you stop evolving. - Archana Patil, Chitra Santhe
The cultural and creative economy comprises more than 3 percent of the global GDP. - Abhishek Mukherjee, NICE
Great design is hard to copy. - Joe Heapy, Oliver King and James Samperi, ‘Customer-Driven Transformation’
While women entrepreneurs face formidable challenges, the combination of new market platforms, peer-support networks and role models will make women entrepreneurs a force to reckon with before the end of the decade. - Madan Padaki, GAME
As more women take on entrepreneurship, it serves as a catalyst for socio-economic transformation, by enhancing women's agency and status. - Amitabh Kant, NITI Aayog
Strategise, give time to your idea, nurture it, and then go for it. Be a priestess. Trust your intuition. - Aanchal Jaura, Chicmomz
What we have learnt about diversity and inclusion is that while it is the right thing to do for sure, it is also responsible for our ability to innovate. - Vernā Myers, Netflix
Failure is a feeling long before it becomes an actual result. It’s vulnerability that breeds with self-doubt and then is escalated, often deliberately, by fear. - Michelle Obama
The right cofounder should have a similar mindset, and an aligned thought process for a great chemistry. - Anurag Jhanwar Anurag, Fintrust Advisors
Culture breeds innovation and incorporating innovation as part of everyday work life and making it part of the organisational culture is a responsibility that rests with leaders. - Samir Modi, Modicare
A great market will make an ordinary team perform really well, while a bad market will make an extraordinary team perform really badly. - Anshuman Bapna, Mygola
When a D2C brand is starting out, it has to search and get details of the trademarks already filed and registered by businesses of similar nature. There are 45 classes of trademarks. – Pallabi Kalita Dey, IPRinn
The future will belong to those who are uniquely able to see what others miss. – Rohit Bhargava, Non-Obvious Company
It is in the best interests of the investors to seek advice and proper handholding from stock market experts while investing or trading rather than relying on their gut feelings or unsolicited tips. - Ajay Menon, Motilal Oswal Securities
There are only two ways to make money in startups. One is to create something valuable, and the other is to invest in and back those people who are creating something valuable. - Ashish Bhatia, India Accelerator
Entrepreneurs must understand that funding is an output of the solution they have created and not an input to create a solution. - Bharat Damani, FLAME University
Till you get a very clear message from the market that your idea is not going to set sail, please do not think of Plan B. - NR Narayana Murthy, Infosys
At the end of the day what pays is tenacity. - Subramani Ramachandrappa, Richcore Lifesciences
You should never compromise who you are personally to become who you wish to be professionally. - Janice Bryant Howroyd, The ActOne Group
To be one’s own boss is the best thing in the world. You can never go on a holiday and be turned off from work completely. - Alicia Souza, Auntie Alie
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).
