As the staff at Startup Southerner brings its much-deserved holiday break to a close—we’ll be back to regular, original programming next week—we took some time to comb the archives looking for some of the most powerful quotes from the founders we interviewed this year. May these nuggets of wisdom help you in your entrepreneurial journey in the new year.
On failing, because let’s face it, it could happen
“As long as you learn from all your experiences and reflect on what you could have improved on, it’s not truly failure. It’s a time when you took a risk regardless of the outcome and worked to make something incredible.” – Hannah Moyer
“You are your worst enemy, no one else is. Conquer your demons, make the best use of your time. Don’t accept failure, accept learning lessons. When your success is temporarily impeded by your own mistakes, place yourself in the best position to learn and succeed.” – Kela Ivonye
On lifting up others in your startup community
“You have to build your community by not only promoting yourself and your products, but promoting the people in your city and the people you hope to partner with to build a relationship. And the more you share their story with your contacts, the rest of the community will be much more willing to tell your story to their contacts around the world.” – Jim Roberts
On getting more women to participate and engage in tech
“Just as being stereotyped can be inhibiting at work or school, seeing women in great positions can bring out the best. Women encourage and embolden each other to not hold themselves back. By being the face of startups, they also present a message to the wider community about how women can lead progress in tech.” – Erin Spiceland and Charlotte Ellett
On leadership growth
“Staying up on best practices doesn’t happen naturally; it takes reading new journals, being active in the industry community, staying fresh on research. It’s a great way to challenge yourself and mature personally, as well.” – Spencer Jones
On realizing your limits as a founder
“It takes a village when starting or owning a business. Nobody can do it alone.” – Tanika Harper
“Obviously relationship are important in everything, but I think for an entrepreneur they can be more important than anything. I think a lot of entrepreneurs feel like they have to do everything themselves, and the reality is working with others and partnering with others is part of what will help a business flourish.” – Karen Lee Ryan
On the hard work of starting a business
“My biggest tip to fellow founders would be to realize that it’s not easy and it’s going to take a lot of work. It requires 80-hour weeks, working nights and weekends. Passion will drive your willingness to invest the time.” – Brian Fengler
“Business is not about money, it’s about solving a problem… If you’re solving a problem, a problem that people will pay for whatever you’re doing to fix it, then money’s going to follow. If you’re solving a problem, everything is going to be easier. It’s not going to be easy, but it’ll be easier.” – Kipkosgei Magut
On being a Startup Southerner
We are committed to making information accessible to anyone who wants to be a part of the ever-changing economic landscape. Let’s stop chastising others for not having made it. You can’t bootstrap if you don’t have money to buy bootstraps, or know where to get them.” – Ayumi Fukuda Bennett
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