45+ Quotes for Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs (The Boost You Need!)

"passion led us here" quotes for small business owners & entrepreneurs

As a business owner, I get much of my inspiration from other successful people. In this article, I’m sharing the best quotes from successful people to help you find motivation to achieve or feel good about your goals.

From quotes about getting started, finding motivation, and earning money, these are perfect for aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs.

Explore quotes from thriving icons like Oprah Winfrey and even lesser-known successful people to be incredibly inspiring.

The Best Inspirational Quotes for Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs

No matter what you need right now in your business – motivation to start or keep going, inspiration to evolve, or advice on making more money – these quotes have you covered.

I recommend grabbing a few sticky notes or a notebook to jot down your favorites for immediate inspiration.

Keep reading to find:

  • Quotes to Help Your Start Your Dream Business

  • Quotes to Inspire Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs

  • Quotes About Failure as a Business Owner or Entrepreneur

  • Quotes When You Feel Like Giving Up (Motivational!)

  • Quotes About Being a Successful Small Business

  • Quotes for Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs About Money

  • Quotes to Help You Reach Your Goals

Quotes to Help Your Start Your Dream Business

"If you don't build you dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs." quotes for small business owners & entrepreneurs

“If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.” -Dhirubhai Ambani, businessman and founder of Reliance Industries

“Commit to your business. Believe it more than anybody else.” -Sam Walton, founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club

“Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen.” -Wayne Huizenga, owner of Blockbuster Video

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” -Walt Disney, film producer and entrepreneur

“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right!” -Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that. But the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” -Mark Twain, writer and entrepreneur

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” -Walt Disney, film producer and entrepreneur

“Dream big. Start small. But most of all, start.” -Simon Sinek, author and motivational speaker

Quotes to Inspire Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs

“I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” business quote

“I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” -Estée Lauder, entrepreneur and businesswoman

“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it, and eventually, the confidence will follow.” -Carrie Fisher, actress and writer

“There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas, what’s missing is the will to execute them.” -Seth Godin; entrepreneur, author, and speaker

“There’s nothing wrong with staying small. You can do big things with a small team.” -Jason Fried, co-founder and president of 37signals

“Dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.” -Shonda Rhimes; TV screenwriter, producer, and author

“To be successful, you must act big, think big and talk big.” -Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate

Quotes About Failure as a Business Owner or Entrepreneur

“Don’t worry about failure. You only have to be right once.” -Drew Houston, entrepreneur and co-founder and CEO of Dropbox

“My best successes came on the heels of failure.” -Barbara Corcoran, businesswoman and founder of The Corcoran Group

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” -Thomas A. Edison, inventor and businessman

“In my experience, each failure contains the seeds of your next success, if you are willing to learn from it.” -Paul Allen, business magnate and co-founder of Microsoft Corporation

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” -Winston Churchill, writer and leader

“It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” -Bill Gates, author and founder of Microsoft

“The real test is not whether you avoid this failure because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.” -Barack Obama, 44th United States President

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” -Thomas Edison, inventor and businessman

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” -Bill Gates, author and founder of Microsoft

Quotes When You Feel Like Giving Up (Get Motivated)

“The moment when you feel like giving up is right before your breakthrough.” quotes for small business owners & entrepreneurs

“The moment when you feel like giving up is right before your breakthrough.” -Victoria Arlen; actress, speaker, and former Paralympian swimmer

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” -Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” -Catherine Pulsifer, author     

“Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it’s not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way.” -Barack Obama, 44th United States President

“The difference between success and failure is not giving up.” -Steven Redhead, professor and author

“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” -Vincent Lombardi, football coach and executive in the National Football League

“Every problem is a gift – without problems, we would not grow. -Anthony Robbins; author, coach, and speaker

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” -Vidal Sassoon; hair stylist, businessman, and philanthropist

Quotes About Being a Successful Small Business

“If people like you, they’ll listen to you. But if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.”

“If people like you, they’ll listen to you. But if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.” -Zig Ziglar, writer and salesman

“There will be two types of businesses in the next 5 years, those that are on the Internet, and those that are out of business.” -Bill Gates, author and founder of Microsoft

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” -Vincent Lombardi, football coach and executive in the National Football League

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” -Albert Schweitzer; theologian, writer, and philosopher

“Don’t worry about being successful, but work toward being significant and the rest will naturally follow.” -Oprah Winfrey; talk show host, author, and philanthropist

“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” -Henry David Thoreau, poet and philosopher

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” -Colin Powell; United States Army officer and 65th United States Secretary of State

Quotes for Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs About Money

"Make a customer, not a sale."

“Make a customer, not a sale.” -Katherine Barchetti, owner of K. Barchetti Shops

“There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else. -Sam Walton, founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club

“Chase the vision, not the money. The money will end up following you.” -Tony Hsieh, former CEO of Zappos

“There are people who have money, and there are people who are rich.” -Coco Chanel, fashion designer and businesswoman

“If I had to run a company on three measures, those measures would be customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and cash flow.” -Jack Welch, author and former CEO of General Electric

“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” -Jim Rohn; motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and author

“You need to spend all of your time and energy on creating something that actually brings value to the people you’re asking for money.” -Gary Vaynerchuk, entrepreneur and author

Quotes to Help You Reach Your Goals

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”  quotes for small business owners & entrepreneurs

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” -Antoine De Saint-Exupéry; writer, aristocrat, and journalist

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” -Les Brown, politician and motivational speaker

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” -Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company

“A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.” -Bruce Lee, martial artist and actor

“If you build a great customer experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.” -Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon

“Customer service is the new marketing, it’s what differentiates one business from another.” -Jay Baer, marketing expert and author

“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” -Zig Ziglar, writer and salesman

“If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” -Steve Jobs, entrepreneur and co-founder of Apple Computer

“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” -Estée Lauder, entrepreneur and businesswoman

I hope you found these quotes for small business owners and entrepreneurs motivating. If you enjoyed reading, please share with your favorite business owner!

For more business owners inspiration, check out these articles:

Polly Clover

Polly is an SEO writer and consultant living in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.

Since 2019, Polly has worked with over a hundred brands to increase their website traffic and connect with their target audience. She loves working with businesses that inspire the good things in life – wellness, travel, entrepreneurship, and financial freedom.

Not only does she write blogs for her clients, but she also enjoys writing articles for her blog to help business owners learn more about marketing and how to reach their business goals.

https://www.pollycloverwrites.com
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