Words of Wisdom from Entrepreneurs

No entrepreneur starts off with a bang. Before they tasted success, they too, like everyone else, put in the hours. Here are some words to live by from successful entrepreneurs from around the world.

“What makes you better than your competitors? I believe they are smarter than me, but they have a messy nightlife, while I work hard; my horses run faster than theirs.” – Robert Kuok, Malaysia’s richest man.

“What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone, know your customer and have a burning desire to succeed.” – Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s.

“Always think outside the box and embrace opportunities that appear, wherever they might be.” – Lakshmi Mittal, chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal.

“You don’t need to be a genius or a visionary or even a college graduate for that matter to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream.” – Michael Dell, founder of Dell.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison, the greatest inventor/ entrepreneur of the 20th century.

“If you can do it, you can dream it.” – Walt Disney, founder of The Walt Disney Company, creator of Mickey Mouse.

“I only know of the kerbau (buffalo) way, that is, to work hard and to wait for the rain.” – Mark Chang, founder of JobStreet (a Malaysian company), Southeast Asia’s largest online recruitment site which currently serves 80,000 corporate customers and 11 million job seekers.

“I never think I am successful. If I am successful, then I should be retired. If I am not retired, then that means I should still be working hard, keeping the company running.” – Terry Gou, founder and chairman of Foxconn, the world’s largest contract manufacturer of electronics.

“I talk a lot about taking risks, and then I follow that up very quickly by saying, ‘Take prudent risks.’” – Irene Rosenfeld, chairwoman and chief executive officer of Mondelēz International, one of the largest snack companies in the United States.

“It is not the strongest species that survives, nor the most intelligent but the most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin. He was not an entrepreneur but a scientist famous for the Theory of Evolution. But what he said is good advice for any business or entrepreneur.