30 Inspirational Entrepreneurs Quotes to Motivate Them for Greatness

Running a successful ecommerce business requires a lot work, and some days you might feel like you won’t see the fruits of your labor.

That’s why we’ve gathered 30 inspiration quotes from BigCommerce merchants to help you push through rough patches and gray days to the brighter moment ahead.

We asked each merchant:

What is your favorite inspirational business quote?

And, what about it inspires you?

We hope you can draw inspiration from these quotes as you continue to build and grow your business.

1. Walt Disney: “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

Submitted by April Williams, Owner of Peach Blossom:

You have to have the courage to follow your dreams because there will always be obstacles you have to face before you reach your dream.

2. 37 Signals: “Instead of freaking out about these constraints, embrace them. Let them guide you. Constraints drive innovation and force focus. Instead of trying to remove them, use them to your advantage.”

Submitted by Corryn Barakat, CEO of Milk and Love:

When you’re an ecommerce start up, there are so many constraints: time, money, energy. It can be easy to feel as though you can never achieve your dreams and desires.

This quote reminds me that our constraints inspire creativity.

It helps me to think outside the box and come up with new, innovative solutions to my problems.

3. Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Our chief want in life, is someone who shall make us do what we can. This is the service of a friend. With him, we are easily great.”

Submitted by Gene Constant, Owner of True to Size Apparel:

From the moment that I read this from Emerson, I felt a hunger for someone who I would have hoped to be there for me.

I could have been greater sooner if I only knew what I could do. Too many people lack vision.

An employee could be more than they know if someone would only provide doable yet difficult goals and show them how to attain them.

4. Robert H. Schuller: “Tough times never last, but tough people do.”

Submitted by Leighshop:

Whatever the bad situation right now, it will just pass by, don’t just give up.

5. Oprah Winfrey: “Don’t worry about being successful but work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow.”

Submitted by Lisa Baumgartner, Founder & CEO of MyFunkins Ltd.:

I find this to be one of the most inspirational quotes because it provides perspective: if you are significant in your arena, results will follow, whether it be sales, followers or whatever KPI you define to measure your personal success.

Trust your journey, invest in the end game.

6. Unknown: “Remember why you started.”

Submitted by Lynda Houston, Owner of Salvage & Bloom:

Building my business has been grueling, exciting, inspiring and exhausting.

Remembering this quote keeps me centered while I struggle.

7. Mandy Hale: “There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.”

Submitted by Kiefer Micallef, Digital Marketer at Etiko:

A life without a passion has no solid foundation, always remember why you started.

8. Walt Disney: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

Submitted by Antennagear, LLC:

It inspires me that “doing” takes a lot of hard work but its worth it in the end.

9. Bo Schembechler: “The Team! The Team! The Team!”

Submitted by Sassa Akervall, CEO & Owner of Akervall Technologies Inc.:

The success of a company is always about the team.

All pieces that come from the team are necessary to bring the company forward and to reach new heights.

10. Theodore Roosevelt: “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with dust and sweat; who strives valiantly, who errs and may fall again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming.”

Submitted by Scott Anderson, Director of Marketing at Ball Chain Manufacturing Co., Inc.:

This quote inspires me to continue to move forward and that business as well as life will be filled with set backs, challenges, failures as well as successes.

That there will always be people who get in your way, are negative, and arm chair quarterback from the sidelines, however, they are just a footnote in the lives of the successful and embody the other famous quote “the world needs ditch diggers.”

11. Unknown: “You have to believe it before you see it.”

Submitted by Kimberly Michaels, Co-Creator of Montana’s Heart:

It’s all about faith & believing the evidence that is seen with your heart and not your eyes. 

12. Steve Martin: “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”

Submitted by Maria Taverner, Founder of iGift Pty Ltd:

It implies that you should be the best you can so others cannot ignore what you are doing.

Focus on being the best you can and not what your competitors are doing. 

13. Unknown: “Never underestimate the power of a t-shirt.”

Submitted by Jeff McCormack, President of T-shirt.ca:

You might host a perfect event, but if mess up your t-shirts that’s all people will talk about.

14. Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Submitted by Jaclyn Miramontes, Creative Director at Gia Monae:

This quote inspires me because it keeps me grounded and reminds me to stay unique and not do what everyone else in my industry is doing.

What works for someone else may not work for me and this quote reminds me to stay true to me if I expect to see a difference in my business and in the impact i make.

15. Roy Ash: “An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he’ll quickly learn how to chew it.”

Submitted by Dennis Christo, Owner of Karambit.com:

This reminds me that even though i don’t always know what I am doing, I must be confident in my intelligence and abilities to figure it out.

Most people are too scared to even try, and that’s what separates entrepreneurs from everyone else.

16. Mi Oon: “We all have things we must do that we don’t really care to do and things we must do that we don’t mind doing, then there’s the goofing off.”

Submitted by Towt Wwiff, Big Fish of Mischief at Beada Beada:

Keeps the ennui of mundane automation at bay and presents a pretty nifty goal.

17. Jon Acuff: “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.”

Submitted by Jackie Martin, Co-Founder of Option Gray:

I think a lot of business quotes focus on the end result or the success.

Instead, we should see the journey to the end as part of the process as well; and, if we like it or not, our family is along for the ride as well.

It’s important to have people speak these truths into your life so you don’t get lost along the way.

18.  John A. Shedd: “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”

Submitted by Matt English, Digital Marketing Specialist at atlasRFIDstore:

This quote is a great reminder that stepping out of your comfort zone and experiencing new things is the best way to learn.

You can research, plan, and educate yourself, but the only true way to improve is to put yourself or your business out there and learn from what you experience.

19. Unknown: “If you don’t have big dreams and goals, you’ll end up working for someone that does.”

Submitted by Naseem Dalal. Owner of Rhinoleather:

Everyone has an idea – its those who are focused and work hard that make those ideas come to life.

20. Thomas Edison: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” 

Submitted by Robert Ellis, CEO of Massage Tables Now:

This quote inspires me to persevere past setbacks.

Whenever I run into a difficult roadblock with my business, it reminds me how important it is to have a growth mindset as an entrepreneur.

A growth mindset means you don’t view mistakes as failures, but instead as learning opportunities.

Staring a business venture is an arduous process that is full of challenges. You will never get everything right the first time.

The key is to adapt and evolve over time.

Mistakes can expand your knowledge and help you become a more resilient person and business owner.

21. Jeff Bezos: “Because, you know, resilience – if you think of it in terms of the Gold Rush, then you’d be pretty depressed right now because the last nugget of gold would be gone. But the good thing is, with innovation, there isn’t a last nugget. Every new thing creates two new questions and two new opportunities.”

Submitted by Earl Choate, CEO of Concrete Camouflage:

I find this quote motivating.

Anytime I think I’ve run out of new ideas or feel stuck with my business, this quote reminds me that the potential for innovation is infinite.

There is always the opportunity to invent something completely new or build something that is better or cheaper than what already exists.

There is no limit on what entrepreneurship and ingenuity can create.

22. Drew Houston: “Don’t worry about failure; you only have to be right once.”

Submitted by Ronna Moore, Owner of Fairy Homes and Gardens:

It inspires me because it’s simple but dynamic, and completely embodies the risk and the reward that’s inherent in business.

If you focus on failure, then you won’t be in the right mindset to learn from your mistakes and improve.

After all, at the end of the day, all you need is one good idea, one product that an underrepresented audience wants, one service that an industry needs, and you’re set.

Houston’s quote reminds me that I don’t have to be right all the time – once is enough.

23. Jack Ma: “In carrying out e-commerce, the most important thing is to keep doing what you are doing right now with passion, to keep it up.”

Submitted by Harrison Doan, Director of Analytics at Saatva:

I like his mention of passion, because that’s what drives us and makes us want to be better and do better.

We live in a culture where people sometimes strive towards goals without any meaning or passion, and we’ve all seen the result of that: uninspired work that isn’t created to serve.

When teams and companies are passionate, their work speaks for themselves.

24. Warren Buffett: “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

Submitted by Stephanie Pope, Partner at Hope and Harmony Farms:

This quote by Warren Buffett is a powerful reminder of our reason for carrying on the century-old legacy of farming the finest Virginia peanuts available.

In business and in life, success is a long-game in which you must nurture and sustain your brand/product; it’s not a “one and done” journey.

I reflect on this quote as a way to re-focus on our ‘why’ and to remember to follow our credo: “Love the land. Respect Your Roots. Give Your Best.”

The seeds you sow today will grow to bring value to generations down the road.

25. Albert Einstein: “Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.”

Submitted by Tahnee Elliott, Founder & CEO of T.C. Elli’s:

I set out to launch my brand, T.C. Elli’s.

While providing an Omni-channel marketing experience (before it was a thing), offering high-quality products, and an excellent user experience were key pillars, serving with integrity was my North Star metric.

This quote by Albert Einstein resonates with how I strive to live my life both personally and professionally; value and integrity over the traditional markers of success.

Serving with integrity and leading with humility are core values I hold close in my business.

26. The Backroads Bosslady: “Don’t risk more than you can afford to lose!”

Submitted by Jessi Roberts, Partner and Brand Manager at Cheekys:

It reminds me to continue to take risks and to try new things but also to be wise and prepare just in case things don’t go the way I expect.

27.  Abu Bakr: “Knowledge without action is meaningless”

Submitted by Sabina King, Co-founder of VeppoCig:

In this day and age of information overload, we can learn just about anything for free.

But what is the point if we do not DO anything with that knowledge?

Did you really mean to do loads of research on how to start a business…and never act upon it?

What was your original intention?

Certainly it wasn’t just to read about starting a business, so get out there, overcome the fear of failure and the fear of success…and get going!

28. Unknown: “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it.”

Submitted by Angela Pronger:

The time will pass anyway. It’s just so true. Time passes and we can miss opportunities. 

29. Marian Wright Edelman: “Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time.”

Submitted by Sebastian Mitchell Tarver, President of Boybeads:

This quote constantly reminds me that I am not working solely to gain wealth for myself, but to share wealth with others who are in need.

Being of service to others and to the planet makes me feel good about myself.

I know that I am adding value to the universe and not just selfishly taking things away.

When I first realized this, I started looking for small ways to make a positive difference in the world around me.

This completely changed my life for the better!

30. Unknown: “Life’s too short to learn from your own mistakes. So learn from others”

Submitted by Akosua Asare, CEO and Founder of Essence Luxe Couture:

Reminds me to quickly learn form my mistakes, and be attentive to the lessons from others mistakes.

It helps me to never repeat the same mistakes again.