‘A startup evolution is a relay’ – 25 quotes on entrepreneurs and leaders
From start to scale, witness the memorable journey of entrepreneurs and leaders 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 edition here). Share these 15 gems and insights from the week of November 14-20 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.
See also our pick of Top Quotes of 2021 on Entrepreneurship, Investment, Digital Transformation, Storytelling, The India Opportunity, Pandemic Resilience, Failure Recovery, Design, and Art.
Chase your passion. Don’t chase money. If you are passionate about what you are doing, the money will come! - Dhruv Nath, 'Dream Founder'
You can always get curious, try something, even if you later realise that it’s not for you and you then try something else - and that's completely okay - Chandni Nihalani, PayPal India
The biggest challenge when you are small is the old saying—revenue is vanity, profit is sanity, cash is reality. - Shauravi Malik, Slurrp Farm
Frugality also gives birth to innovation because when you’re in a challenging environment, only innovation can help you to turn the situation into gold. - Chirag Gupta
My inner journey has come from a place of suffering, and all the negativity has given rise to learning. - Sandeep Nailwal, Polygon
Founders should operate with the right moral compass and be deeply committed to doing the right things, and influence others to do the same. - TN Hari, ‘Winning Middle India’
A leader is one who is disciplined, and driven by integrity, values and morals. A leader’s job is to make a decision, give direction to team members and show them the correct path. - Manjari Jaruhar, ‘Madam Sir’
The organisation culture evolves because of trust, which is a very important factor in a company. - Sudhakar Balakrishnan, FirstMeridian Business Services
Transparent communication to employees on the rationale for the reduction will align the expectations and bring about a consistent understanding of the reasons for the action. - Pothen Jacob, Interweave Consulting
We need to structure our material in a way that is compelling and engaging so that it's packaged well for people to process, for people to remember, and ultimately, for people to act upon. - Matt Abrahams, Stanford GSB
Hyper personalisation is one of the main reasons why consumers prefer to shop from D2C brands today; even if it means choosing small homegrown brands over legacy players. - Gaurav Mangla, Pickrr
When you are looking for a GTM strategy, pick one product range, one city, and one channel. - Sneh Jain, The Baker’s Dozen
Expanding to other countries may be the natural next step for brands that have already increased their regional market share and want to grow. - Rishi Vasudev, G.O.A.T. Brand Labs
Completing a successful IPO is not a walk in the park even for established startups. It requires clear vision, foresight, strategy, and flawless execution. - CA Jitendra Jain, TapanshiFinanziell
[Year in Review 2021] Amid COVID-19, these 10 non-profits created social impact this year
The majority of issues discovered impacting the mental health of students revolve around recurring negative thoughts, continuous anxiety, anger, mood swings, tiredness, low self-worth, loneliness, depression, suicidal thoughts. - Neeraj Kumar, PeakMind
Childhood cancer treatment can be cost-effective in all income levels if diagnosed early. - Satya Prakash Yadav, Medanta Hospital
There’s a lot of pressure from parents on students to win, which is why sometimes I feel parents are the ones who need more coaching. - Silva Storai, Embassy International Riding School
Most of the time, aggressive behaviour stems from deeper problems that can be hard to deal with. - Aamir Islam, Carry My Pet
By reducing the gender gap, industries have a higher probability of reducing gap skills, increasing productivity and enhancing overall performance. - Shalini V Nair, Ennoventure
Once discrimination prevails in an organisation, the cloud of uneasiness, dissatisfaction, and fewer opportunities renders female talent devoid of many fair opportunities. - Sumanpreet Bhatia, Exotel
While we have a lot of women entrepreneurs in rural areas, not all of them are in the formal financial system. And that is the gap that we need to address quickly. - Kalpana Ajayan, Women’s World Banking
Climate Change & Energy Transition is a business opportunity, as they demand reinvention of every segment of the industry. We are at the beginning of a new era! - Raiyaan Shingati, Transition VC
Climate justice is about not making the person that didn't create the problem pay for it, but incentivising them to become the off-setters. - Ajaita Shah, Frontier Markets
Making sustainable products is important but how to use them is something more people need to be aware of. - Arundhati Badhe, Trance Terra
Start-ups can also play a role in increasing the availability and deployment of green finance, by replicating the success of fractional real estate platforms – and shifting focus towards green assets such as solar and wind plants. - Anjali Bansal, Avaana Capital
Startups should aim to become profitable whether they are addressing a large or a niche market. - Kris Gopalakrishnan, N Dayasindhu, and Krishnan Narayanan, 'The IT Story Of India'
Viewed from an early investors’ perspective, a startup evolution is a relay, the baton of lead investor being passed on from one to another as the startup navigates through multiple funding rounds to reach scale. - Ashwin Raguraman, Bharat Innovation Fund
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).
Edited by Megha Reddy