Entrepreneurs resolve to be the strongest versions of themselves and accept with unnerving faith and commitment that while the odds of succeeding are limited at best, many succeed because of their unwavering determination and focus. Hence, they know to expect the toughest, steepest climb up the ladder to success. But when that ladder is full of booby traps and obstacles, the going gets a little too tough. This is why even the best of us need to take a step back sometimes to breathe and look for inspiration and advice from those successful before us.
On being effective at business:
- “[Intelligence is] an elusive concept. There’s a certain sharpness, an ability to absorb new facts. To walk into a situation, have something explained to you and immediately say, “Well, what about this?” To ask an insightful question. To absorb it in real time. A capacity to remember. To relate to domains that may not seem connected at first. A certain creativity that allows people to be effective.”
Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft - “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway - “Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.”
David Rockefeller, CEO of Chase Manhattan Corporation
On finding motivation:
- “My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long University education that I never had — everyday I’m learning something new.”
Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Group - “If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.”
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook - “The difference between winning and losing is most often not quitting.”
Walt Disney, founder of Disney
On being innovative:
- “I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others… I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent.”
Thomas Edison, inventor - “You can’t ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”
Steve Jobs, founder of Apple
On taking the leap of faith:
- “The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.”
Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies - “If you’re not a risk taker, you should get the hell out of business.”
Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s - “Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical.”
Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks - “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.”
Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn
ThunderQuote is the most comprehensive business services portal in Singapore, Australia and ASEAN , where hundreds of thousands of dollars of procurement contracts are sourced every month by major companies like Singapore Press Holdings, National Trade Union Congress and more.