In every endeavor of life, people are always looking for a source from which to tap inspiration. Doctors study and listen to the advice of other great doctors, artists draw inspiration from the paintings of other great artists, athletes practice to be like other great athletes and when it comes to building a business; we also have great business leaders to look up to.
As an entrepreneur, I have great entrepreneurs I look up to for business advice and inspiration. These successful entrepreneurs are great business leaders and some of them are drop out billionaires whose entrepreneurial paths were filled with challenges. But despite the business challenges they faced; they broke barriers and reached the pinnacle of success in the business world.
The utmost reason why I am compiling this list is because success is replicable. There is no business challenge you are facing now that other entrepreneurs have not faced and surmounted. Just as a saying goes, “you don’t need to re-invent the wheel.”
If you are ready to learn from the masters of the art of building a business; if you want to learn from those who have successfully passed through the entrepreneurial process, then below are 50 great business leaders whose entrepreneurial lifestyle and business advice will inspire you.
below are 50 Uncommon Small Business Advice from 50 Great Business Leaders
1. Sam Walton – Wal-Mart
“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” – Sam Walton
2. Richard Branson – Virgin Group
“When people are placed in positions slightly above what they expect, they are apt to excel.” – Richard Branson
3. Larry Ellison – Oracle
“When you innovate, you’ve got to be prepared for people telling you that you are nuts.” – Larry Ellison
4. Jack Welch – General Electric
“If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings and put compensation as a carrier behind it, you almost don’t have to manage them.”- Jack Welch
5. Bill Gates – Microsoft
“The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competitors, the best way to put distance between you and the crowd is to do an outstanding job with information. How you gather, manage and use information will determine whether you win or lose.” – Bill gates
6. Henry Ford – Ford Motor Corporation
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford
7. Alfred P. Sloan – General Motors
“There has to be this pioneer, the individual who has the courage, the ambition to overcome the obstacles that always develop when one tries to do something worthwhile, especially when it is new and different.” – Alfred P. Sloan
8. Steve Jobs – Apple Inc
“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It’s best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations.” – Steve Jobs
9. Aliko Dangote – Dangote Group
“I built a conglomerate and emerged the richest black man in the world in 2008 but it didn’t happen overnight. It took me thirty years to get to where I am today. Youths of today aspire to be like me but they want to achieve it overnight. It’s not going to work. To build a successful business, you must start small and dream big. In the journey of entrepreneurship, tenacity of purpose is supreme.” – Aliko Dangote
10. Andrew Carnegie – Carnegie Steel
“The men who have succeeded are men who have chosen one line and stuck to it.” – Andrew Carnegie
11. Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Dad Company
“There are fast ideas and slow ideas, just as there are fast trains and slow trains. When it comes to money, most people are on the slow train looking out the window watching the fast train pass them by. If you want to become rich quickly, your plan must include fast ideas.” – Robert Kiyosaki
12. Warren Buffett – Berkshire Hathaway
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and only five Minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you will do things differently.” – Warren Buffett
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13. Ingvar Kamprad – IKEA
“If there is such a thing as good leadership, it is to give a good example. I have to do so for all the IKEA employees.” – Ingvar Kamprad
14. Donald Trump – Trump Organization
“Well yes, I have fired a lot of people. Generally I like other people to fire because it’s always a lousy task. But I’ve fired many people.” – Donald Trump
15. Rich Dad
“The ability to sell is the number one skill in business. If you cannot sell, don’t bother thinking about becoming a business owner.” – Rich Dad
16. Henry Ross Perot
“Business is not just doing deals; business is having great products, doing great engineering and providing tremendous service to customers. Finally, business is a cobweb of human relationship.” – Henry Ross Perot
17. Jeff Bezos – Amazon.com
“There are two ways to extend a business. Take inventory of what you are good at and extend out from your skills. Or determine what your customers need and work backwards, even if it requires learning new skills. Kindle is an example of working backwards.” – Jeff Bezos
18. John D. Rockefeller – Standard Oil
“The ability to deal with people is as purchasable as a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other thing under the sun.” – John D. Rockefeller
19. Mary Kay Ash – Mary Kay cosmetics
“People are definitely a company’s greatest asset. It doesn’t make any difference whether the company’s product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps.” – Mary Kay Ash
20. Oprah Winfrey – Harpo Studios
“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know if you did it or not.”
21. Thomas Edison – General Electric
“Anything that won’t sell, I don’t want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility and utility is success.” – Thomas Edison
22. Thomas J. Burrell – Burrell Communication Group
“The most important thing is to enjoy yourself and continue to work. I know life is a journey, not a destination. That’s also true in business. Your objectives keep moving.” – Thomas J. Burrell
23. James Cash Penny – J.C Penny
“Courteous treatment will make a customer a walking advertisement.” – James Cash Penny
24. Thomas Watson – IBM
“Lying dead in the water and doing nothing is a comfortable alternative because it is without risk, but it is an absolutely fatal way to manage a business.” – Thomas Watson
25. Steve Case – AOL
“If you are doing something new, you’ve got to have a vision. You’ve got to have a perspective. You’ve got to have some north star you are aiming for and you just believe somehow you will get there, which kind of gets to the passion point.” – Steve Case
26. Michael Dell – Dell Computers
“Our business is about technology, yes. But it is also about operations and customer relationships.” – Michael Dell
27. Barry Diller – Expedia, Fox Broadcasting Company
“We want to be able to sell you anything, anywhere, anytime you want it.” – Barry Diller
28. Debbi Fields – Mrs. Field Cookies
“I’ve never felt like I was in the cookie business. I’ve always been in a good feeling business. My job is to sell joy, my job is to sell happiness and my job is to sell an experience.” – Debbi Fields
29. Harvey S. Firestone
“I believe fundamental honesty is the keystone of business.” – Harvey S. Firestone
30. Lee Iacocca
“I hire people brighter than me and I get out of their way.” – Lee Iacocca
31. Dave Thomas – Wendy’s
“It all comes back to the basic. Serve customers the best tasting food at a good value in a clean restaurant, and they will keep coming back.” – Dave Thomas
32. Madame C.J. Walker – Walker Cosmetics line
“I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them” – Madam C.J. Walker
33. Anita Roddick – Body Shop
“Nobody talks about entrepreneurship as survival, but that’s exactly what it is and what nurtures creative thinking. Running that first shop taught me business is not financial science; it’s about trading: buying and selling.” – Anita Roddick
34. Victor Kiam –
“In business, the competition will bite you if you keep running. If you stand still, they will swallow you.” – Victor Kiam
35. Nolan Bushnell – Atari and Chuck E. Cheese’s
“The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week, but today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.” – Nolan Bushnell
36. The Mafia Manager
“The best thing to invest in your business is your time. To schedule, plan and use time effectively, know your turf and know your objectives. Assess the obstacles and opportunities, then devise your strategies.” – The Mafia Manager
37. Candice Carpenter – iVillage.com
“Success is about creating value.” – Candice Carpenter
38. Howard Schultz – Starbucks
“Dream more than others. Think practical.” – Howard Schultz
39. Martha Stewart – Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
“It is within everyone’s grasp to be a CEO.” – Martha Stewart
40. Pierre Omidyar – Ebay.com
“It is not really work if you are having fun.” – Pierre Omidyar
41. Simon Cowell – American Idol
“Good is not enough. You’ve got to be great.” – Simon Cowell
42. Walt Disney – Walt Disney Co
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney
43. Trip Hawkins – Electronic Arts
“You are nuts and you should be proud of it. Stick with what you believe in.” – Trip Hawkins
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44. Terry Matthew – Mitel
“Persistence is the single most important thing for success.” – Terry Matthew
45. Jenny Craig – Jenny Craig
“If I make a commitment to something, I will stick to it no matter what.” – Jenny Craig
47. Giorgio Armani – Giorgio Armani
“Remain true to yourself and your philosophy.” – Giorgio Armani
48. Akio Morita – Sony Entertainment
“It had to be different. Something nobody else was making.” – Akio Morita
49. Li Ka Shing – Hutchison Whampoa Limited
“Reputation is your key to success. You have to be loyal to your customers.” – Li Ka Shing
50. Ray Kroc – McDonald’s
“Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Ray Kroc
