Some may call you a dreamer or a fool, but one thing is for sure … you are a natural-born entrepreneur and business leader.
You have the natural aptitude for inventive ideas to fill a product or service gap and the adventure and drive to take you there.
Whether you are an aspiring small business owner looking to launch your first venture in the coming year or having been riding the entrepreneurial train for a decade, here are some inspiring quotes to ring in your New Year with success and good fortune.
From innovation and passion to perseverance after failing, the list compiles quotes from successful business leaders, intellectuals, Internet visionaries, and even rappers so you have hope in the hard times and can latch on to words of wisdom for optimal success in your business.
On Innovation
- “The best use of life is to spend it on something that outlasts it.†â€" William James
- “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.†â€" Thomas Edison
- “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.†â€" Albert Einstein
On Passion
- “I daydreamed for motivation. I didn't lie to myself and talk about my passions and how if I was passionate enough about something I could be successful at it.†â€" Mark Cuban
- “The clothes are an extension of me. The music is an extension of me. All my businesses are part of the culture, so I have to stay true to whatever I'm feeling at the time, whatever direction I'm heading in. And hopefully, everyone follows.†â€" Jay Z
- “I can't imagine a person becoming a success who doesn't give this game of life everything he's got.†â€" Walter Cronkite
On Failing
- “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.†â€" Thomas Edison
- “I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.†â€" Steve Jobs
- “Show me a person who never made a mistake, and I will show you a person who never did anything.†â€" William Rosenberg
- “If you fail let it be your fault â€" Don't let someone else fail for you.†- Joe Griffin (CEO of iAcquire)
On Motivation
- “You can want success all you want, but to get it, you can't falter. You can't slip. You can't sleep. One eye open, for real, and forever.†- Jay-Z
- “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.†- Vidal Sassoon
- “If you ain't making waves, you ain't kickin' hard enough.†- Unknown
On Relevance
- “So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.†â€" Caterina Fake (Co-founder of Flickr)
- “How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.†â€" Yvon Chouinard (Founder of Patagonia)
- “I think when you move past your fear and you go after your dreams wholeheartedly, you become free. Know what I'm saying? Move past the fear.†- LL Cool J
On Excellence
- “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.†-- Aristotle
- “Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I'm not there, I go to work.†-â€" Robert Orben
- “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.†â€" Chinese Proverb
Use these quotes for small business owners to go out and have a prosperous year.