Let’s face it – starting a business is tough…

So is running one…

And growing one!

It can take its toll; not just financially – but emotionally too.

Since is it the beginning of the New Year, I wanted to sit down and look at some of the top quotes of successful entrepreneurs.  It’s a habit I’ve developed after the holidays.  I find their wisdom very inspirational and motivating – able to help me power thru the tough times and exceed goals in the great times!

This is why I sat down and wanted to share my top 19 quotes for 2019.

I broke these quotes into 4 segments: motivation to take action, not being afraid to take risks, having the perseverance to overcome fear, and remembering that there’s more to business life than just making a profit.

I hope you enjoy these quotes.

Motivation / Action

• “My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long university education that I never had — every day I’m learning something new.” — Richard Branson
• “Knowledge without action is meaningless” — Abu Bakr
• “Waiting for perfect is never as smart as making progress.”  –Seth Godin, Author
• “If you don’t have big dreams and goals, you’ll end up working for someone that does.” — Unknown
• “Chase the vision, not the money; the money will end up following you.”  — Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO

Risk / Mistakes

• “An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he’ll quickly learn how to chew it.” — Roy Ash
• “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Walt Disney
• “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” — John A. Shedd
• “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” — Albert Einstein
• “Don’t worry about failure; you only have to be right once.” — Drew Houston, Dropbox Co-Founder and CEO

Perseverance / Overcoming Fear

• “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” — Steve Jobs
• “Fear is the disease. Hustle is the antidote.” — Travis Kalanick
• “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” — Babe Ruth

More Than Just Money

• “Dear entrepreneurs, you can start a thousand businesses, launch 100 projects, and take dozens of companies public, but you only have one shot at being part of your kid’s childhood. Your kid doesn’t care about your platform, they care about your presence.” — Jon Acuff
• “Don’t worry about being successful but work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow.” —  Oprah Winfrey
• “The question I ask myself almost every day is, ‘Am I doing the most important thing I could be doing?’” — Mark Zuckerberg
• “It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” — Bill Gates
• “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
• “Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time.” — Marian Wright Edelman

Got some favorite quotes you’d like to share? Leave them below!