‘Failures are a comma, a brief pause’ – 30 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 30 gems and insights from the week of June 28 – July 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.

Before you even jump to solutions, you need to think: why this problem statement exists, where does it happen, who is impacted and what outcomes one should aim for. - Soumendra Mohanty, Tredence

The more you know of many fields, the more you can see the similarities and connections. -   Ramon Vullings, ‘Great Leaders Mix and Match’

Open innovation is an effective way to keep pace with accelerating change. - Steve Rader, NASA

The world is missing out on some of the most impactful founders as they are restricted by the lack of a co-founder, resources, time, and networks. - Esha Tiwary, EF India

Organisations should strive to create a diverse and inclusive work environment that encourages every associate to bring his or her whole self to work. - Dipti Gupta, PepsiCo

Consistent sensitisation plays a major part in how the inclusion mindset and inclusive practices reflect in people’s behaviours in the workplace. - Shilpa Sinha Harsh, Hinduja Global Solutions

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Early-stage hiring and team building are not just about getting some people to fill vacant positions but about building your cohort of future leaders. - Abhimanyu Saxena, InterviewBit

As a founder, focus heavily on employee engagement. You should build a moat bigger than salary and do a small investment to upskill freshers. - Venkatesh Gupta, Internshala

OKRs are simple and a very lightweight way to deliver 10X results. - Amit Somani, Prime Venture Partners

Establishing IP rights is essential for businesses of all sizes to differentiate their products, earn customer trust and grow their business. - Pranav Bhasin, Amazon India

India is poised to cross hundred billion-dollar companies by 2023. - Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, 9Unicorns

India is at the right stage for startups, and the ecosystem in cities beyond metros is becoming stronger for creating wealth through startups. - Sushil Sharma, Marwari Catalyst Ventures

Hemp can solve India’s three biggest problems: farmer suicides, malnutrition, and unemployment. - Vignesh Murthy, Hemp Wildleaf

Establishing a cold chain network, which is a requirement for vaccine supply, would aid the transport and storage of perishable goods, helping the MSMEs manage their inventories better despite the time delays. - Pushkar Mukewar, Drip Capital

India is blessed to have a really rich variety of arts and crafts. - Shibani Jain, Baaya Design

Music is an eternal living flame that knows no boundaries. - Eugene Clifford Suboh, O-HA Soul Band

Women’s health, particularly in a country like India which has cultural taboos about menstrual health, has been neglected for far too long. - Vindi Singh Banga, Banga family office

Our education system is not conducive to women speaking about [feminine health] issues in a classroom setting. - Navya Nanda, Aara Health

Every year, 8000 -10,000 Thalassemic babies are born in India, because 3-5 percent of the population of every State are carriers of this disease. - Shobha Tuli, Thalassemics India

Existing ready-to-cook food in the market contain artificial flavours and preservatives to have an extended shelf. - Aakanksha Satnalika, JustCook

If you want to consider baseline supplements for yourself, always introduce one at a time and be mindful of reactions and shifts. - Deepa Kannan, PFNR

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You have to be persistent and ride along. It's important to build a supportive ecosystem to thrive and grow - be it friends or family, an incubator or an online community. - Keerthi Priya, Nurture Fields

What you focus on grows. Hence, if the desired outcome is to succeed and thrive in one’s field, then it does not make sense to focus on difficulties and hurdles. - Srividya Kannan, Avaali Solutions

As a founder, it is important to build resilience into your business model, and to avoid succumbing to the challenges that exist, and instead pursuing opportunities for exploration and expansion via a differentiated strategy. - Sajan Pillai, Season Two Ventures

Expectations are always there from family and friends. You just have to zone in when you are failing at what you want out of life, and stay true to that. - Tejas Goenka, Tally Solutions

You simply cannot let rejections affect your self-confidence. - Sharib Hashmi, ‘The Family Man’

Life is a continuum of being able to overcome and transcend setbacks. - Vani Kola, Kalaari Capital

Failures are a comma, a brief pause. - Ronnie Screwvala, ‘Skill It, Kill It’

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).