Celebrated annually on March 8, International Women’s Day lauds the social, economic and political achievements of women globally.
Emphasizing this, we’ve assembled ten quotes from inspiring women entrepreneurs who’ve achieved success against all odds.
Women’s rights have made significant strides, with 31% of US small businesses and franchises now owned by women.
These trailblazers, ranging from artists to business magnates, provide invaluable insights and motivation for current and future women entrepreneurs.
Success in entrepreneurship today necessitates ambition, resilience and the ability to overcome adversity.
The inspiring examples of successful women entrepreneurs can motivate anyone towards achieving their own success.
Reading about their journeys can empower women to contribute to society, regardless of the challenges they face.
These luminaries provide motivation and empowerment, encouraging women to seize opportunities fearlessly, thereby fostering global growth.
Women Entrepreneurs Quotes
Be amateur. Not everything you do has to be good especially at first. ~ Ann Handley.
Having great work culture is not an option, it is a necessity. ~ Vani Kola, Kalaari Capital.
Find the smartest people you can and surround yourself with them. ~ Marissa Meyer, CEO, Yahoo!.
Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently. ~ Marie Forleo, Entrepreneur, Writer and Philanthropist.
No matter what, expect the unexpected. And whenever possible, BE the unexpected. ~ Lynda Barry, Author.
The most successful entrepreneurs I know are optimistic. It’s part of the job description. ~ Caterina Fake.
Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great. ~ Cher, Recording Artist and Philanthropist.
If you are giving a lot of value, if you are making an impact in people’s lives, it will be reflected in your bank account. ~ Millie Leung, Entrepreneur, Author, and International Speaker.
Best Women Entrepreneurs Quotes
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~ Anne Bradstreet, America’s First Published Poet.
Lean in, speak out, have a voice in your organization, and never use the word, ‘sorry’. ~ Trish Bertuzzi, CEO of The Bridge Group Inc.
People don’t take opportunities because the timing is bad, the financial side insecure. Too many people are overanalyzing. Sometimes you just have to go for it. ~ Michelle Zatlyn, Co-founder of CloudFlare.
People respond well to those that are sure of what they want. ~ Anna Wintour, editor-in-Chief, American Vogue.
The key to success is to start before you are ready. ~ Marie Forleo, Entrepreneur, Writer and Philanthropist.
Successful people understand that you don’t need to make things complicated. ~ Anne McKevitt, Entrepreneur, TV Personality, Author and Philanthropist.
Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs Quotes
My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment. ~ Oprah Winfrey, Entrepreneur, Producer and Philanthropist.
I believe in quiet, strong and grounded leadership. I think some of the best leaders are those whose work is widely known and respected but who, themselves, are relatively unknown. ~ Rachael Chong, founder and CEO of Catchafire.
Women shouldn’t be afraid to put themselves forward. ~ Sarah Wood, Cofounder & COO, Unruly Media.
True leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed… Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection. ~ Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook.
A strong woman believes that she is strong enough to face her journey, and a woman of faith believes that it is in this journey that she will become strong. ~ Millie Leung, Entrepreneur, Author and International Speaker.
Follow your passion – and if you don’t know what it is, realize that one reason for your existence on earth is to find it. ~ Oprah Winfrey, Media Personality.
Dear optimist, pessimist, and realist: While you guys were busy arguing about the glass of wine, I drank it! Sincerely, the opportunist! ~ Lori Greiner, Inventor, QVC host and ‘Shark Tank’ investor.
Inspirational Quotes from Women Entrepreneurs
If you are strong, focussed and passionate about what you want to do, everything falls into place. ~ Richa Kar, Zivame.
Treating people with kindness and respect seems elementary but is not always reciprocated. I often run into people who tell me a story about how I impacted their life – most often by an act of kindness that they never forgot. ~ April Uchitel, chief brand officer, Spring.
I never dreamed about success. I worked for it. ~ Estée Lauder, Founder of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
Nobody talks about entrepreneurship as a 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, Founder of The Body Shop.
If you are starting your own business, the best shortcut is to find a good mentor. ~ Kim Kiyosaki, Entrepreneur, Author and Financial Educator.
This is what will change the world…a ground swell of people pouring their energy into manifesting their preferred future instead of being worn down by disillusion and disappointment. ~ Molly Carlile, International speaker and Author.
Related Quotes: Successful Women Quotes on Strength and Leadership and Independent Women Quotes for Strong Women
Quotes from Successful Women Entrepreneurs
A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want. ~ Madonna, Recording Artist, Actress, and Entrepreneur.
It is within everyone’s grasp to a CEO. ~ Martha Stewart.
In whatever you do, you’re not going to stand out unless you think big and have ideas that are truly original. That comes from tapping into your own creativity, not obsessing over what everyone else is doing. ~ Sophia Amoruso, Founder of Nasty Gal.
With every experience, you alone are painting your own canvas, thought by thought, choice by choice. ~ Oprah Winfrey, Entrepreneur, Producer and Philanthropist.
You only live once but if you do it right, once is enough. ~ Mae West, Actress, Playwright, Screenwriter.
Growth and comfort does not co-exist. ~ Ginny Rometty.
If you are committed to creating value and if you aren’t afraid of hard times; obstacles become utterly unimportant. A nuisance perhaps; but with no real power. The world respects creation; people will get out of your way. ~ Candice Carpenter, Founder of iVillage.com.
If you are committed to creating value and if you aren’t afraid of hard times, obstacles become utterly unimportant. A nuisance perhaps, but with no real power. The world respects creation; people will get out of your way. ~ Candice Carpenter Olson, Co-CEO, Fullbridge.
There is no better personal development tool than running your own business. ~ Ali Brown, Award-Winning Entrepreneur and Business Coach.
Motivational Quotes on Success from Women Entrepreneurs
Life-fulfilling work is never about the money – when you feel true passion for something, you instinctively find ways to nurture it. ~ Eileen Fisher, Fashion Designer.
Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness. ~ Oprah Winfrey, Entrepreneur, Producer and Philanthropist.
What I wanted was to be allowed to do the thing in the world that I did best–which I believed then and believe now is the greatest privilege there is. When I did that, success found me. ~ Debbi Fields, the creator of Mrs. Fields.
Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else. ~ Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx.
I wake up every morning and think to myself, ‘How far can I push the company forward in the next 24 hours?’ ~ Leah Busque, Founder and CEO of TaskRabbit.
We need to get women to the point where they aren’t apologizing. It is time to take ownership in our success. ~ Tory Burch, CEO and Designer of Tory Burch.
I really love what I do. It’s extremely motivating to me. ~ Jenny Craig, Founder, Jenny Craig.
Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve. ~ Mary Kay Ash, Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics.
Whatever it is that you think you want to do, and whatever it is that you think stands between you and that, stop making excuses. You can do anything. ~ Katia Beauchamp, co-founder, and CEO, Birchbox.
Motivational Quotes by Women in Business
What I have learned is that people become motivated when you guide them to the source of their own power and when you make heroes out of employees who personify what you want to see in the organization. ~ Anita Roddick, Founder of The Body Shop.
Stay on your game and keep going for your dreams. The World needs that special gift that only you have. ~ Marie Forleo, Entrepreneur, Writer and Philanthropist.
Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth. ~ Julie Andrews, Actress, Singer, Author.
Don’t let others define you. Define yourself. ~ Ginni Rometty, Chairman and CEO, IBM.
You are going to often find that to step into your biggest opportunity, you will be asked to move through your biggest fear or insecurity. ~ Ali Brown, Award-Winning Entrepreneur and Business Coach.
Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway. ~ Mary Kay Ash, Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics.
Build something you’re passionate about. As an entrepreneur, you have to have the passion and drive to stay the course. ~ Alexandra Chong, CEO and founder, Lulu.
Whatever you do, be different – that was the advice my mother gave me, and I can’t think of better advice for an entrepreneur. If you’re different, you will stand out. ~ Anita Roddick, Founder of The Body Shop.
Quotes To Inspire Entrepreneurial Women
So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard. ~ Caterina Fake, Co-founder, Flickr and Hunch.
I never dreamed about success. I worked for it. ~ Estee Lauder, Founder of Estee Lauder Cosmetics.
With kids, they don’t do what you want them to do when you want them to do it. Organizations don’t necessarily, either. You’ve got to listen. You’ve got to learn how to influence. ~ Ellen J. Kullman, formerly Chair and Chief Executive Officer of DuPont.
It was a risk. I had my husband and I was pregnant with my oldest son. But I don’t look at risk the way other people do. When you’re an entrepreneur, you have to go in feeling like you’re going to be successful. ~ Lillian Vernon, founder, Lillian Vernon Corporation.
One of the most important things I have learned is that businesses don’t fail, entrepreneurs give up. Now sometimes, giving up is the right decision. But usually, you just need to dig in and figure out how to make things better. Remember: Every day is a new opportunity to get up and do it better than yesterday! ~ Adda Birnir, founder and instructor, Skillcrush.
Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing. ~ Harriet Braiker, Author and Stress Management Expert.
It’s our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. ~ J.K. Rowling, Author.
Invite people into your life that don’t look or think like you. ~ Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments.
Quotes from Women Entrepreneurs
Stay true to yourself and your vision. Don’t let any one person’s opinion move you; listen, but be confident. ~ Amanda Kahlow, Founder of 6Sense.
In any business, it is impossible to do it half-heartedly and succeed. ~ Millie Leung, Entrepreneur, Author and International Speaker.
Surround yourself with a trusted and loyal team. It makes all the difference. ~ Alison Pincus, co-founder, One Kings Lane.
As a leader, it’s a major responsibility on your shoulder to practice the behavior you want others to follow. ~ Himanshu Bhatia Founder and CEO, Rose International Inc.
Don’t just stand for the success of other women- insist on it. ~ Gail Blanke, President and CEO, Lifedesigns.
Motivational Women Entrepreneurs Quotes
I know society says you should be a certain way, but I think [you should] stop and look at what is your natural way of being who you are. ~ Ari Horie, founder, Women’s StartUp Lab.
Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live. ~ Anne Sweeney, President, Walt Disney.
Build your business success around something that you love – something that is inherently and endlessly interesting to you. ~ Martha Stewart, businesswoman, writer, and TV Personality.
If I hadn’t had mentors, I wouldn’t be here today. I am a product of great mentoring and great coaching. ~ Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo.
Your job as a leader is to stay as close in touch as possible with those closest to the action. ~ Kat Cole, president, Focus Brands.
If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore. ~ Michele Ruiz, President and CEO of Ruiz Strategies.
Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It’s the mastery of fear. It’s about getting up one more time than we fall down. ~ Arianna Huffington, editor in chief of The Huffington Post.
Famous Quotes from Women Entrepreneurs
If you don’t know what your passion is, realize that one reason for your existence on earth is to find it. ~ Oprah Winfrey, Entrepreneur, Producer and Philanthropist.
I want every little girl who’s been told she’s bossy to be told again she has leadership skills. ~ Sheryl Sandberg, COO at Facebook.
The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud. ~ Coco Chanel, Founder of Chanel.
Luck is where preparation meets opportunity. – Robin Chase, Founder, Zip Car.
The difference between successful people and others is how long they spend time feeling sorry for themselves. ~ Barbara Corcoran, real estate magnate and ‘Shark Tank’ investor.
You never lose in business, either you win or you learn. ~ Melinda Emerson, the “SmallBizLady”.
My best successes came on the heels of failures. ~ Barbara Corcoran, American Entrepreneur and ‘Shark’ on ABC’s Shark Tank.
Leadership is the ability to guide others without force into a direction or decision that leaves them still feeling empowered and accomplished. ~ Lisa Cash Hanson, Snuggwugg CEO.
So these were the 80 quotes about Women Entrepreneurs.
If you like these quotes and sayings, then you can also read my other popular blog posts on the topics of Never Too Late quotes and Meant To Be quotes and Mean People quotes.
