‘The simplest formula is to focus on the customer’ – 40 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 40 gems and insights from the week of September 27 – October 3 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 your research and work hard on what you need to do. Stop at nothing to achieve what you want. And build your network. - Bhavna Suresh, 10Club

Just be at it. If you fundamentally believe in something, if you believe that you are doing something good, just be at it because goodness will show. - Vamsi Krishna, Vedantu

Call attention to yourself; if people are not paying attention to you, call it out. An entrepreneur has to call out! - Anuradha Ramachandran, Flourish Ventures

There is no shame in working as an employee and spending time on building ideas probably over the weekend. - Ankit Garg, Wakefit

It’s only when good people stand up, can you take the discourse from the negative to the positive. - Aekta Kapoor, eShe

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It’s all about keeping standards of execution high, while still putting the team’s health and well-being first. - Trishneet Arora, TAC Security

Even the junior-most employee in your company should be well versed with the company’s visions and ideas that you generally discuss in the boardrooms. - Vidit Aatrey, Meesho

Intrinsic motivation is about going on a journey because it’s inherently satisfying, rewarding, and enjoyable in its own right. - Sharath Jeevan, 'Intrinsic'

Art is an imitation of life – one can be interconnected and yet can stay individualist. - Ruchika KC, Mayinart

India is now home to 50+ unicorns and the third largest venture ecosystem globally. - Ashish Sharma, InnoVen Capital India Fund

Indian startup ecosystem is on a wealth creation spree. India added three unicorns a month over the last year, to take the total number of billion-dollar startups to 53 and 82. - Anas Rahman Junaid, Hurun India

India has the talent and the capability to build technologies of the future for the industries of the future for the entire world. - Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola

We can see a growing trend of investments in startups that are powering the India growth story, and seeing a Tier-II city startup performing competitively against a Mumbai or Delhi startup shows its capability. - Nandini Mansinghka, Mumbai Angels Network

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Alternative investments as an asset class has become a real and meaningful allocation for all sets of investors, given the nature of predictable returns with a potential upside available with venture debt. - Punit Shah, Alteria Capital

The synergy between agriculture and science should continue as it is important for India in the 21st century. - PM Narendra Modi

Contrary to popular belief, today, over 70 percent of Indians eat meat in one form or the other. - Sudarshan Boosupalli, Meamo

It is no longer a secret that a high majority of the Indian population is protein deficient. Add to it the misbelief that protein plays a major role only for athletes, weightlifters and sportsmen. - Atul Javeri, EVAN

India is one of the strongest emerging markets globally when it comes to entertainment, across formats and verticals. - Perez-Soto Alfonso Javier, Warner Music Group

Silk is the timeless heritage of India which is integral to our culture and tradition. It is also a key component of the Indian textile industry, particularly Khadi. - Vinai Kumar Saxena, KVIC

The agarbathi industry is here to stay, and is a traditional industry which has survived and thrived through the ages. It is time to relook the manufacturing strategies, and infuse innovation, keeping in mind the need to be competitive. - Arjun Ranga, Cycle Pure Agarbathi

A large part of the Indian population generally uses toxic and low-quality household accessories. Most of our kitchen, bathing, and baby products are made of plastic and similar products. - Taher Dhanerwala, Rubberfy

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Wherever the health infrastructure will be better, the tourism prospects will be better. That is, hospital and hospitality will run in tandem with each other. - PM Narendra Modi

Due to the availability of inexpensive renewable energy, India is in a unique position to generate hydrogen for its own purposes, as well as to become a global export hub. - JP Gupta, PHDCCI

India is making rapid progress in increasing the use of electric vehicles by providing mobility solutions for its people. - Sashi Mukundan, BP India

As a country our goal should be to graduate from women development to women-led development. - President Ram Nath Kovind

The Indian female user is looking for beauty brands that resonate with her, understand her, and cater to her needs. - Priyanka Gill, Good Glamm Group

Parenting is a high trust journey and the category penetration in terms of information and products is less. - Naiyya Saggi, BabyChakra

Companies with female founders perform 63 percent better than those founded by male peers. However, most women don’t receive the support to pursue this dream. - Simran Handa, Entreprenher

Breaking stereotypes and building confidence in women that ‘you can do the job equally well, if not better’ takes time and involves constantly proving yourself. - Shivangi Singh, ‘Margarita with a Straw’

We know from many studies that diversity is good for business – a diverse workforce is more innovative which, in turn, drives more revenue. And there’s the added benefit that it is the right thing to do. - Suman Gopalan, Freshworks

Dream big and talk to people who support and encourage you. Then the whole world makes way for the women who knows what she wants. - Sandeepa Kanitkar, Kan Biosys

The at-home fitness journey for the end consumer is quite broken. Content providers and equipment providers are completely separate and do not have any integration. - Rhea Singh Anand, Flexnest

There is a world of difference between a calorie deficit diet to lose weight, and a fasting mimicking diet where you eat limited calories to derive the physiological benefits of fasting. - Deepa Kannan, PFNR

As the young population is also prone to heart attack these days, it is vital that we arrange facilities for early diagnosis and treatment in rural parts of the country that don’t have easy access to modern healthcare facilities. - Gagan Singh Bedi, AstraZeneca India

Brands often have an outside-in approach to solving environmental issues rather than re-evaluating their manufacturing practices, which is where the real problem lies. - Aadi Vaidya, Zilingo

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Making sure that the product is relevant for the market and hiring the right people is critical while setting up a new venture. - Vineet Jain, Egnyte

As long as you give a good product consistently, the demand will always be there. - Diksha Pande, Samosa Party

It all boils down to quality, variety, packaging, and availability of the product. It will take time to create a [tea] brand. - Nitesh Singh, Redplum

There is no end to learning for an entrepreneur who is setting up their business. In the first 100 days, the founder must have their mind open to excessive learning — be it from external stakeholders or internal. - Devendra Agrawal, Dexter Capital Advisors

You must follow your passion and try to solve a genuine need of a consumer. A company might be big or small, but if entrepreneurs are driven and follow their true passion, the sky's the limit. - Sameer Maheshwari, HealthKart

The simplest formula is to focus on the customer. - Suparna Mitra, Titan Company

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).