‘When you empower people, magic happens’ – 40 quotes of the week from Indian startup journeys

Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory Media, 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 March 8-14 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.

Do not, even for a minute, think that you’ve achieved it all when there’s always room for more. - Aashka Goradia Goble, Renee Cosmetics

Changing the world can only happen when one is willing to take risks to make it possible. - Hardika Shah, Kinara Capital

You need to understand who the user is and what their motivations are. - Kabeer Biswas, Dunzo

If you wish to stand out from your competitors, choose a product that you can create with a unique touch to it. - Disha Dinakar, Digvijaya herbals

You have to look at consumer segments and personas, as well as their likes and dislikes. - Revant Bhate, Mosaic Wellness

Kids want colourful and more appealing bathroom products, and young adults prefer technology-enabled products. - K.E. Ranganathan, Roca Parryware

There is a lack of travel-fit portable snacking options without fat or cholesterol tensions. - Vijay Katta, Omay Foods

India's electric vehicle (EV) financing industry is projected to be worth Rs 3.7 lakh crore in 2030. - NITI Aayog– RMI India report

MSMEs are the bedrock of the Indian economy. - Akash Ambani, Jio

In India, early age education is yet to claim its importance. - Vivek Sinharm, SuperCubs International

Education around the good and bad of consuming alcohol should be part of the school curriculum, just as sex education is. - Kasturi Banerjee, Stilldistilling Spirits

With the increasing trend in student’s mobility across states to move to bigger cities for higher education, the demand for quality and safe student housing is rapidly growing. - Richard Rekhy

In a country that is developing at such a rapid pace, there will always be work for a truck driver. - Yogita Raghuvanshi

ALSO READ

[Women in Tech] Be a cheerleader for other women and help them face their fears, says Priya Mahajan of Verizon Business Group

Since the launch of the Startup India initiative, a total of 44,534 startups have been recognised by the DPIIT as of February 24, 2021. - Som Parkash, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry

Entrepreneur-specific groups can help with networking, mentoring, and sales coaching. This helps entrepreneurs based in smaller towns a medium to communicate with those based in hubs like Bengaluru and Gurugram. - Saloni Srivastava, HustlePost AcademyWhen it comes to grit and intelligence, India is always ahead. - Hans Tung, GGV Capital

Although in India, we are surrounded by amazing engineering talent, it takes a different attitude to work in a startup company. - Kartik Sharma, KShark Apps

Running a business from scratch is a different ball game altogether. - Aditya Bafna, Seva Group

An entrepreneur's journey is always full of challenges and that is what makes it so exciting! - Anuradha Gupta, Vows of Eternity

In today’s rapidly changing world, becoming an entrepreneur and developing an entrepreneurial mindset has no age-limit. - Yashveer Singh, Ashoka Young Changemakers

Only with equity ownership, employees are truly able to relate to the risk and reward of entrepreneurship. - Ganesh Nayak, LetsVenture

More than acquiring the funding, you will need to work harder to deliver on your promise to your investors. - Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, 9Unicorns

Remember that investors are looking at the potential exit, and that is mostly possible if the market size is big enough to allow for growth at each stage of funding. - Anurag Jhanwar, Fintrust Advisors

We need to build a strong community of investors that realise the economic, social, and environmental potential of restoring India’s land. - Kavita Sharma, Amanda Gant, and Will Anderson, World Resources Institute

The role of women entrepreneurs is critical to India’s economic growth. - Richa Sharma, PhonePe

With just one in five MSMEs being run by women, India is losing out on the globally proven superiority of women-led business. - Akshay Soni, The/Nudge Accelerator

If we are to achieve gender equality and women's economic empowerment, we need to do so not just with women in mind, but women in the room and women at the table. - Gita Gopinath, IMF

Finding a tribe of successful women to share your journey with is extremely rewarding. - ElsaMarie D’Silva, Safecity

India is now warming up to a more holistic idea of women's health and wellness characterised by the goal of being the best version of oneself in terms of health. - Gulshan Bakhtiani, Wellness Forever Medicare

Truth is that femininity and masculinity are characteristics that serve well given their right use, and these are available to all genders, should they so choose to harness. - Archana Khosla Burman, Vertices Partners

Tattooing has become mainstream. However, the profession itself is not popularly seen as a career choice. - Lokesh Verma, Devil’s Tattooz

There’s nothing worse than a manuscript just sitting around gathering dust. - Anuja Chauhan, ‘Club You To Death’

Art brings comfort and happiness in life; it gives meaning to life. - Bhapinlal DK

Knitting and stitching are essential skills that every individual should learn, whether they ultimately practise it or not. - Asha Puri, With Love, From Granny

We need to protect and not plunder the environment. - Anirban Sheth, Chitra Santhe

Mirroring is pulling out the gist of what the other person is saying using their words, whereas paraphrasing is demonstrating understanding in your words. - Amit Somani, Prime Venture Partners

What matters is not how much you sleep but the key is when you sleep. - Deepa Kannan, PFNR

Experience gives us the tests first and the lessons later. - Naomi Judd

Failure is the key to introduce new and more effective ideas. There is often a fear of failure that inhibits people from trying out new ideas. - Karthik Rajagopal, Manipal Health Enterprises

Working with a hardworking and driven team gives you an opportunity to learn at a great pace. - Pragya Priyali, Myntra

Engage more. Sharing, which is critical to innovation, is linked to engagement. The more engaged a team, the more they will share and innovate. - Vivasvan Shastri, Cisco

Always free up your time to work on growing things 10x from where you are by surrounding yourselves with great team members who can execute with trust. - Anand Prasanna, Iron Pillar

When you empower people, magic happens. - Namita Thapar, Emcure Pharmaceuticals

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).