There’s a special bond that exists among small business owners — as we understand the challenges, triumphs, and dedication that go into pursuing our entrepreneurial dreams.
To honor this connection and highlight the importance of small businesses, I’ve curated a list of quotes that perfectly convey the spirit and significance of building a scrappy little company.
Whether you’re a fellow founder or simply a lover of small businesses — these quotes serve as a reminder of the many benefits that come from supporting local businesses, including strengthening the local economy, fostering personal connections, and enabling the growth of unique, innovative ideas.
Let’s dive into these powerful words, which not only recognize the hard work and passion of small business owners but also encourage each of us to continue championing the entrepreneurs who make our communities so vibrant and creative.
The Best Small Business Quotes
Famous Quotes
“There’s nothing wrong with staying small. You can do big things with a small team.”
— Jason Fried, CEO of Basecamp
“It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.”
— Scott Belsky, co-founder of Behance
“Success comes from the inside out. In order to change what is on the outside, you must first change what is on the inside.”
— Idowu Koyenikan
“You never achieve real success unless you like what you are doing.”
— Dale Carnegie
“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”
— Stephen King
“You can’t be successful in business without taking risks. It’s really that simple.”
— Adena Friedman
“The heart and soul of a company is creativity and innovation.”
— Robert Iger, CEO of Disney
“Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down.”
— Charles F. Kettering
“Make something people want includes making a company that people want to work for.”
— Sahil Lavingia, CEO of Gumroad
“When you find an idea that you just can’t stop thinking about, that’s probably a good one to pursue.”
— Josh James, CEO and co-founder of Omniture
“Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen.”
— Wayne Huizenga
“Do not focus on numbers. Focus on doing what you do best. It’s about building a community who want to visit your site every day because you create value and offer expertise.”
— Cassey Ho
For Entrepreneurs
“The most successful entrepreneurs I know are optimistic. It’s part of the job description.”
— Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr
“What helps people, helps business.”
— Leo Burnett
“Find a great mentor, someone who has already been through the many challenges of being an entrepreneur...”
— Jodi Levine
“You don’t build a business, you build the people, then people build the business.”
— Zig Ziglar
“Bringing great people onto your team is about demonstrating that size really doesn’t matter — people do.”
— Jess Campbell
“I never dreamed about success — I worked for it.”
— Estée Lauder
“Entrepreneurs understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity.”
— Victor Kiam
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
— Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
“The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world.”
— Marc Benioff
“A big business starts small.”
— Richard Branson
“A small business is an amazing way to serve and leave an impact on the world you live in.”
— Nicole Snow
“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”
— Peter F. Drucker
For Inspiration
“Where do you put the fear when you choose to innovate? The fear is there, but you have to find a place to put it.”
— Seth Godin
“I don’t believe in luck, I believe in preparation.”
— Bobby Knight
“Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.”
— Wilma Rudolph
“The secret of success in any field is redefining what success means to you.”
— RuPaul
“One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals.”
— Michael Korda
“Don’t be afraid to assert yourself, have confidence in your abilities and don’t let the bastards get you down.”
— Michael Bloomberg
“Knowledge exists to be imparted.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Never ever give up! Constant effort is the key to success.”
— Xavier Davis
“Fearlessness is not the absence of fear, it’s the mastery of fear. It’s about getting up one more time when we fall down.”
— Arianna Huffington
“If we tried to think of a good idea, we wouldn’t have been able to think of a good idea. You just have to find the solution for a problem in your own life.”
— Brian Chesky, co-founder of Airbnb
“You build on failure. Use it as a stepping stone and close the door on the past. Don’t try to forget the mistakes, but don’t dwell on it.”
— Johnny Cash
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you.”
— Walt Whitman
“If we did all the things we were capable of, we would astound ourselves.”
— Thomas Edison
“We are really competing against ourselves, we have no control over how other people perform.”
— Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable
For Customers
“The best time to support small businesses is always today.”
— Gisele Barreto Fetterman
“Nearly one in four small businesses reported that their holiday sales will determine if their business can survive into next year. Remember that the next time you wonder if shopping small this holiday matters. It does. It truly does.”
— Natalie Franke
“When you do your holiday shopping this year — be sure to shop local as much as possible. When we support our small businesses, we create jobs and commerce in the communities that need it most.”
— Chris Jones
“Everyday is a good day to shop local, small, Black & brown businesses in our community.”
— Ayanna Pressley
About Customer Service
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
— Maya Angelou
“Great customer service is a critical competitive advantage for a business.”
— Steve Benson
“Customer service is an opportunity to exceed your customer’s expectations.”
— John Jantsch
“Know your communities well! Ask your customers questions and get feedback, get to know them and their needs, chat with other small businesses, work together, and above all: support each other!”
— Andrew Young, owner of Bubble and Brown Bakery
“My advice is to focus on the importance of forging a long-term relationship, whether with colleagues, partners, or customers. It is often easy to get caught up in short-term decisions.”
— Sheila Lirio Marcelo, founder of Care.com
Short Quotes
“Business is the salt of life.”
— Voltaire
“There is no finish line. There are only mile markers.”
— Michael Ventura
“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”
— Frank Zappa
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
— Helen Keller
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
— Albert Einstein
“Never let success get to your head and never let failure get to your heart.”
— Drake
“Don’t count the days, Make the days count.”
— Muhammad Ali
“In order to succeed. We must first believe that we can.”
— Nikos Kazantzakis
“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.”
— Florence Nightingale
“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”
— Bruce Lee
“By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.”
— Benjamin Franklin
“I couldn’t wait for success, so I went ahead without it.”
— Jonathan Winters
“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”
— Sheryl Sandberg
“Show up, show up, show up, and after a while the muse shows up, too.”
— Isabel Allende
More Inspirational Quotes
“Don’t worry about being successful, but work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow.”
— Oprah Winfrey
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
— Confucius
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
— Walt Disney
“Plan for what is difficult while it is easy. Do what is great while it is small.”
— Sun Tzu
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
— Mark Twain
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”
— C.S. Lewis
“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.”
— Truman Capote
“Small opportunities are often beginning of great achievements.”
— Demosthenes
“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
