5 Inspirational Quotes Every Entrepreneur Needs

Print them out, pin them to your vision board, save them on your phone, or memorize them. Whatever you do, these are the five quotes every entrepreneur needs in their life!

1. 

Did you know that women often only apply for jobs if they think they meet 100% percent of the criteria listed, but men will apply for those same jobs if they only meet 60% of the qualifications? Sheryl Sandberg tells us in her best-selling book, Lean In, that women need to shift their thinking from "I'm not ready to do that" to "I want to do that - and I'll learn by doing it."

I've adopted this mentality from the get-go and attribute 99% of my personal success to the ongoing decision to repeatedly show up and put my name in the hat for things that are "out of my league." This simple act has shaped my life in profound ways: it landed me a spot on a reality TV show in high school. It empowered me to successfully appeal a rejection to my dream school and turn it into an admissions offer. It led me to my first full-time job by pitching a role that didn't exist at a company I discovered on Instagram. And perhaps most importantly, it pushed me to start and bootstrap my own business. 

I promise if you make yourself available, the right opportunities will come. When you jump, the net will appear - but not a moment before. Trust yourself to find (or create) the path if you start walking.

2. 

As entrepreneurs, we sometimes lose ourselves to "the hustle" and "the grind." We say yes to everything and everyone, prioritizing other people's needs above our own, even at the cost of our peace and sanity.

Don't become a doormat in your own business.

Here's a few tangible ways to practice that:

Fire the nightmare clients who don't respect or value you.

Cut out the energy vampires in your life who only bring you down.

Stop taking on projects that don't align with your goals.

Unfollow the people whose posts always leave you feeling insecure rather than inspired. 

Stop feeling guilty for turning down invitations to hang out, volunteer, and meet up for coffee so they can "pick your brain" for free. 

Say no more often so you can say yes to the things that truly matter to you. 

You can't be everything for everyone, all the time. 

When we're stuck in survival mode as entrepreneurs, it's so easy for us to reduce the qualifications of our idea customer/client to "anyone who breathes and will pay me." This is the quickest way to run your business into the ground because all of your time will be monopolized by a select few who overstep boundaries, ask for more work without more pay, and keep you running in circles to please them. 

Remember, money is a renewable resource. Your time is not, so spend it wisely. Don't waste a single moment on people, situations, or work that steal from your peace. 

If you find yourself constantly in the client chasing cycle and getting matched with less than ideal prospects, I have good news for you!

I created a FREE, on-demand training on how to use my step-by-step client attraction system to create your first $10K month, WITHOUT a large audience or complicated marketing strategies!

You'll finally feel empowered to go from just surviving to actually thriving, so you can be more picky about who you work with (and what you say yes to).

Claim your bonus gift by watching now: ellenyin.com/class

3. 

Truth bomb: there is no such thing as perfect timing! If you've been waiting around for the perfect time to start, you'll be waiting forever. 

The reality is, you're going to suck at first.

AND THAT'S OK. Really, it is.

Say it with me: "done is better than perfect." Internalize and believe it as truth.

You can't have the fourth version of a project if you never had the first. You can't run five miles if you don't tie up your laces and finish the first. You won't learn or improve by perfecting and re-perfecting something in the privacy and secrecy of your own safety bubble because you can't see your own blind spots. 

So, launch the dang thing. Hit publish on that post. Rejoice when only one person watches your YouTube video for the first 50 videos because that 51st video could be the game-changer. 

Let this be your permission to STOP waiting, and START doing. 

You with me?

4.

Such is the law of reciprocity my friend. 

If you've been wondering why people haven't knocked down your door asking about your business when was the last time you asked about theirs?

There's an old saying that claims "your network is your net worth" and I can say with full confidence that this has been true in my life. 

My business would not be where it is today without my amazing network - the mentors, clients, team members, and connections all over the globe who have poured into me, made referrals + introductions, offered a seat at (literal and figurative) tables that were out of my league, and offered dream-fulfilling opportunities. 

When I reflect back on how I've built rich relationships through the course of my life, it came down to these 5 simple lessons:

• You're only six degrees removed from anyone. This is the theory that anyone in the world can be connected to any other person through a chain of no more than 5 shared connections. SO powerful when you realize no one is outreach (especially in the Internet age.)⁣
  
  
• It’s not about who you know, it’s who knows YOU. You have to put yourself in the rooms where conversations are happening, even if your hands are shaking.⁣
  
  
• The fortune is in the follow-up. Be consistent, check in with people when they change professional roles, and make it your mission to find ways to use your existing skills, resources, and knowledge to make OTHER people’s jobs easier.⁣
  
  
• You become interesting by first being interested. Stop worrying about what other people think of you, and start focusing on what you can learn about other people. Be endlessly curious, ask questions to the leads you are the given WITHOUT an agenda, and invest in others with your time, money and support. Value is a 2-way street.⁣
  
  
• People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. The best way to do this is to end every conversation with this simple question: how I can help or support you today?⁣

5. 

Speaking of oxygen, take a second right now to breathe in for a count, hold space for two, and exhale slowly for three counts.

Feel better? 

I wanted to end with this one because in the world of entrepreneurship, it sometimes feels like you against the world. We are responsible for so much, and it can make any hiccup - big or small -  in our plans feel like a full-blown disaster. 

Look, I get it. I really do. Ever seen that meme where it depicts the life of an entrepreneur as an up and down roller coaster of emotions? The accuracy is uncanny.

But everything in life comes down to perspective, which is why I love this thing our podcast guest Adrienne said so much (she's a master of productivity and time management, so if you haven't listened to her episode yet, do yourself a favor and tune in HERE). 

When things get hard in your business, remind yourself that you're not battling a life or death situation. As important as the work you're doing feels (and is!), you are not literally creating oxygen. Life will go on if   when you fail. Failure is inevitable for us as entrepreneurs - really, as humans. 

The good news is, resilience is like a muscle - the more you use it, the stronger it gets. And trust me, you'll get a good workout over the course of your journey running a business. 

So next time something feels like it's crashing and burning and you want to throw up your hands and just give in, take a deep breath. Oxygen is all around you. You're not responsible for creating it. This too shall pass. Perspective check!

I want to know: what was your favorite quote of this round-up?

Tell me which one resonated most with you in the comments below or share a screenshot of your favorite one and tag me @missellenyin and @cubicletoceo on Instagram!