big ideas bigger dreams: quotes from 45 top entrepreneurs of 2016

2016: Year of the Entrepreneurs Big Ideas Bigger Dreams

Quotes from 45 top entrepreneurs of 2016

Lauren ConradCo-founder of Little Market"There is never just one thing that leads to success for anyone. I feel it always a combination of passion, dedication, hard work, and being in the right place at the right time."

Marcela SaponeCofounder of Hello Alfred"Life is a second and everyday you wake up and you get one day to do something important."

Andrew GertlerCofounder and CEO of AG Artists"Success is in the eyes of the beholder… My simple definition is that success is whatever makes me and those around me happy. "

Xavier DolanDirector and producer"I think anything is possible to anyone who dreams, dares, works and never gives up."

Jewel BurksCEO and Cofounder of PartPic “You are going to get knocked down all the time, so it’s incredibly important to be diligent and determined to persevere through the hard times of entrepreneurship."

Tyler HaneyFounder and CEO at Outdoor Voices"I think being young without experience was helpful at the time because I'd ask to be in people's offices all the time, and if I had more experience I wouldn't have. But that was the beauty about being a little bit naïve — there weren't boundaries."

Vicente FernandezSportsManias Co-founder and COO"If you're truly passionate about your business and you are persistent and flexible, you can make it with your start-up."

JEROEN CAPPAERTSpire Global (Co-founder and Lead Engineer)Do crazier stuff earlier. Take more chances and go study, live or work abroad earlier. Be creative, try a lot of different things you think you might want to do with your life, and fail early and a lot, because this is the only way to figure out what you really want to do.

VLAD TENEVRobinhood (Co-founder and Co-CEO)"It's our job as leaders to nurture those ideas that are really powerful, to pour gas on them and watch them blossom into something that actually gets shipped out into the product."

Ross McCrayVideoAmp Cofounder and CEO

“I have never done well following standards and obsess in finding better ways to do things. I thrive in highly competitive environments and love pushing myself out of my comfort zone. ”

CHRISTOPHER GRAYScholly (Co-founder & CEO) "When you’re an entrepreneur, you can work eight months on a deal and it may not go through. Markets change. Investors change their minds. When that happens, be resilient."

DAKIN SLOSSTachyus (Co-founder & CEO)

"One of the hardest parts about starting something is being very firm in your big picture vision, and being extremely adaptable to pretty much everything else."

AJEET SINGHThoughtSpot (Co-founder & CEO)"The most important thing is to come up with an idea that solves a big problem. Your solution has to be 10x to 100x better, compared to what is out there. People already have an existing way of solving the same problem."

JOSH BRUNOHometeam (Founder & CEO)

"I used to spend a lot of time with entrepreneurs and companies and I recognized that the strongest individuals and institutions focused on their teams and on employing committed team members with low egos and high drive. "

JORDAN MARONAKA CAPTAINSPARKLEZXREAL (Co-founder)"Do something you’re interested in; otherwise it’s going to be ‘grindy’ and not that fun. Make sure you’re adding some sort of unique twist onto whatever you’re doing, so you can catch the attention of whoever might be stumbling by."

TIMOTHY HWANGFiscalNote (Co-Founder, CFO and CEO)

“The motivation…is a willingness to make a difference—not just in the abstract sense, but actually to make a tangible difference on humanity, whether that’s having some sort of interest in politics or doing something in technology.”

ANNIE LAWLESSSuja Juice (Co-Founder)Creator of Blawnde.com"If you are building the courage to start your business, start with small steps. Register your domain name. Set up a coffee with a mentor. Prototype your product with a roll of duct tape! Whatever the step, commit and complete."

IAN CROSBYBench (Co-Founder & CEO)

“There’s no such thing as boring industries, only boring companies. More boring an industry is, the more opportunity there is for business.”

ANNA MACKENZIECuckoo Bircher (Co-Founder)"As an entrepreneur it’s crucial to be analytical but there are some situations which need to be let go, and moved on from."

KATERINA SCHNEIDERRitual (Founder & CEO)"My advice on finding great team members is finding people that share your values but have the skills & knowledge that you feel like you are lacking yourself."

CHET KANOJIAStarry (Founder and CEO)"I am an engineer and because of that, I see the world through a different lens than most people. To me, engineering is the art of the possible. You imagine something and then you try to create it. Hopefully, along the way, you create something that has a meaningful and positive impact on people’s lives."

AMBER ATHERTONMy Flash Trash (Founder)"Money gives you freedom. Time is the most valuable thing in life and money buys the ability to spend your time as you wish. "

ANGELICA MALINAbout Time (Founder & Editor-in-Chief)abouttimemagazine.co.ukWeb editorial needs to be engaging, short and picture-led. I’m often asked what my business plan is and I say ‘people like photos of cake’. Although it’s a joke (kind of), I do genuinely believe there’s a power in the imagery for food and lifestyle websites. All the photos on the site are professional and usually ours.

BIANCA MILLER-COLEThe Be Group (Founder & CEO)Bianca Miller London (CEO)"I have learnt a lot in business about what it takes to succeed - the importance of having a vision, accepting feedback, the ability to negotiate, how to turn no into yes, being determined and so on. "

RACHEL MCCOUBRIELRM Goods (Founder & Co-Owner)"Find your passion and let nothing stop you. There will be times when you will feel completely out of your comfort zone, but embrace this and absorb all the new skills and experiences you can. Don't ever be intimated by obstacles or challenges - you will look back and realise they were put in place for a reason. "

REBECCA WINCKWORTHWhite & Green (Co-Founder)"There will be mistakes and you might even have to change fundamental parts of the business model, but it's impossible to know this until you catapult your idea from pen and paper to the real world."

JUSNAH GADIYoung Music Boss (Music Entrepreneur)"If I had to give advice to anyone wanting to start their own business I would say 'just jump', you can spend the rest of your life assessing risk, thinking the time is not right but the reality is you need courage and the audacity to believe in your capacity to be great."

PIPPA MURRAYPip & Nut (Founder)"I've had to learn everything from the ground up and I've done this by surrounding myself with the best mentors, investors, team, suppliers and agencies who share their knowledge and expertise to develop my own and grow the brand.“

MORGAN DOWLERLove Me And My Secret (Director)"Starting your own business is always a difficult process and biting the bullet and taking your idea forward is the first huge hurdle. You will hit many road blocks that need to be assessed and overcome, but passion will always increase your determination."

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IFEYINWA FREDERICKChuku (Co-founder)You don't need all the answers to begin. Make a start in some way, and then become a sponge. As you approach something you're inexperienced in, soak up guidance from all sources: read books, attend workshops, Google!

MARGOT RADICATI DI BROZOLOYourMind (Founder)“You can – and should – start with a minimum viable product (MVP) and invest as little as possible to test your concept. If it works, then you can invest more.”

PHOEBE GORMELYGormley & Gamble(Founder & Tailor-in-Chief)"This life, of 7-day weeks, 14-hour days, it's not for everyone and it's never going to be easy. It's not for the faint-hearted, and you absolutely have to back yourself, and believe in yourself, or you can't expect anyone else to do so."

ROSHNI ASSOMULL Bella Kinesis(Co-Founder)"Whatever your idea is, strip it down to the basics and start from there. We really believe that everything is achievable if you take it in small steps."

LUCY COLEMANPostcards Home(Founder)"I've learned that in the early years when you're ploughing all your time into your business – you have to love what you sell and really believe in the people you work with. "

DANIEL GANDESHAProperty Partner(Founder & CEO)"As the internet continues to expand into our day-to-day lives, there will be more and more opportunities to challenge the status quo, and empower people to do things more easily and effectively."

DR. ALI PARSABabylon Health(Founder and CEO)“In a way, and with the benefit of hindsight, that difficulty of being pushed out from a comfortable life into something that was highly uncomfortable was perhaps desirable, because it gave me the ability to stand on my own two feet.”

ANDREW STALBOWSeriously(Founder & CEO)"The biggest challenge was getting started. You have to ignore the job offers, and people telling you it’s too hard to raise money; that you won’t be able to cut through, that marketing costs are too high and there’s too much competition."

LINA GADIShear & Shine Grooming (Co-founder & Marketing Director) "I strongly believe that we underestimate just how much fear of failure can prevent us from taking the risks necessary to achieve extraordinary things.“

LUCY CHOILucy Choi London(Founder & Designer)"You have to put your money where your mouth is in business, throw everything you’ve got at something, and overcome any fears of failure. For me it’s all or nothing."

JOANNE THOMPSONCookoo (Co-founder) "Be clear and passionate about the problem that you are solving. "

HAYLEY SMITHFlowAid(Founder)Boxed Out PR (Owner)"Play to your strengths. Choose something that you have experience in and contacts, and spend a good quality of time building your network. They will be your net worth. "

JASMINE EILFIELDExpoCart (Co-founder) "I've learned you have to be resilient – you will get knock backs, but it's the passion for what you're building and the team around you that keeps you going and helps you to jump over those hurdles.“

DANIELLE SCOTT-HAUGHTONWONDERLONDON FILMS (Founder)"Just have more patience, understand that Rome wasn’t build in a day.Not run into long term financial decisions with short term understanding and trust my instincts.They’re never wrong."

ARRAN RICEWIZZED MEDIA FOUNDER"Entrepreneurship is a massive talking point just now and there is more support out there for businesses than ever before. If you believe in your idea and have the drive and passion to make it success I think you need to take that leap of faith. Taking risks is so important in business."

ANNA GARCIAdiscoverMe(Founder)Relationships Intensive (Founder)" I know it was my fear of growth and letting go of what didn’t serve me anymore that was holding me back. And I also know there will be many more of these times of growth but I now face them with a lot more self love, self trust, faith & wisdom"