Inspirational Quotes from Shark Tank
Friday, September 30, 2016.
As an entrepreneur, I can't help but be fascinated and inspired by ABC's hit show Shark Tank. Between the ideas presented by the budding entrepreneurs and the advice shared by the "sharks," the series forces me to soldier on when I feel like I'm in danger of becoming stale or I'm in a rut.
But, what if you don't have time to watch the show or missed an episode?
No problem. I've compiled 60 of my favorite inspirational quotes from the cast of Shark Tank.
Barbara Corcoran Quotes
1. "All the best things that happened to me happened after I was rejected. I knew the power of getting past no."
2. "I had twenty-two jobs before I started my own business at the age of 23 and I didn't want one more boss telling me what to do. So I was motivated simply because I didn't want a boss."
3. "People want to do business with someone they like. If people like you, they're going to want to do business with you. And if they don't, you're going to have an almost insurmountable obstacle to overcome."
4. "Make sure you pick good people to build your business with, as they'll determine 80 percent of your success."
5. "I built the business exactly the way my mother built and ran her family. I wanted a replication of the big, happy family I grew up in. I wanted happy people having fun."
6. "The difference between the real winners is how long they take to feel sorry for themselves. My winners feel it... but they come back up and say 'hit me again.'"
7. "Most great entrepreneurs I know are nothing like the other kids. They're almost like tangent lines--those lines that seem to go nowhere. Nothing connects them, until they get out in the real world. Then they connect just fine."
8. "Finding opportunity is a matter of believing it's there."
9. "Always choose attitude over experience. Always." 10. "Don't you dare undermine the power of your own instinct."
Kevin O'Leary Quotes
11. "I actually think being an entrepreneur is a state of mind. If you're going to be an entrepreneur, my thesis is that you have to sacrifice everything for some period in your life to be successful. You have to be myopic and completely focused and unbalanced in every way. Once you've achieved success, you're free to do whatever you like."
12. "Don't cry about money, it never cries for you."
13. "The road to riches is never straight and narrow. It can be riddled with financial land mines."
14. "My partners ... taught me that in order to create wealth, I needed to pair up with people whose strengths compensated for my weaknesses."
15. "I have met many entrepreneurs who have the passion and even the work ethic to succeed - but who are so obsessed with an idea that they don't see its obvious flaws. Think about that. If you can't even acknowledge your failures, how can you cut the rope and move on?"
16. "I have had some great successes and great failures. I think every entrepreneur has. I try to learn from all of them." I personally have found this very true.
17. "It pains me to see good entrepreneurs chase bad opportunities."
18. "Downturns are the best time to start businesses, because you develop discipline that's very lean and mean in terms of how to spend money. And those habits serve you very well in good times."
19. "Business is war. I go out there; I want to kill the competitors. I want to make their lives miserable. I want to steal their market share. I want them to fear me and I want everyone on my team thinking we're going to win."
20. "Nobody has a monopoly on good ideas."
Robert Herjavec Quotes
21. "A goal without a timeline is just a dream."
22. "Don't ever be enamored by what something sells for. It's more important what you get to keep in your pocket."
23. "If you are under the illusion that you can start a business and run it at your life's schedule, you are mistaken. The business is like a starving puppy-when it needs to eat, then it needs to eat regardless of what you have going on personally."
24. "Don't start a business. Find a problem. Solve a problem. The business comes second."
25. "I think the best investment is in yourself, and I'm running a living, breathing, high-growth company."
26. "Without the ability to visualize a goal and believe it will be reached, nothing of substance will be achieved. Not by anybody. Not at any time. Not in any place."
27. "Tough times never last; tough people always do."
28. "I am a pretty motivated guy. Fear of failure keeps me going, I wake up everyday and want to do better everyday...How can you not wake up and not want to do better everyday."
29. "If you're emotional and you're great at something, the money will follow."
30. "Life is about real world experience and risk. It's only risky when you start out. It's less scary the second time."
Daymond John Quotes
31. "Don't wait for the 'perfect time,' you will wait forever. Always take advantage of the time that you're given."
32. "In entrepreneurship, you decide to give up your day job at the point where either (A) the hobby or new business is at least making some form of ends meet, or (B) you feel that you need to dedicate yourself for a certain amount of time to it and give yourself the last hoorah."
33. "Everyone has an idea, but it's taking those first steps toward turning that idea into a reality that are always the toughest."
34. "Make it. Master it. Matter."
35. "Learn as many mistakes and what not to do while your business or product is small. Don't be in such a hurry to grow your brand. Make sure that you and the market can sustain any bumps that may occur down the road."
36. "Every problem can be solved as long as they use common sense and apply the right research and techniques."
37. "As an entrepreneur, you love your business like a child, and you're taught to be laser-focused on the business."
38. "If you don't educate yourself, you'll never get out of the starting block because you'll spend all your money making foolish decisions."
39. "An entrepreneur must pitch a potential investor for what the company is worth as well as sell the dream on how much of a profit can be made."
40. "Five days a week, I read my goals before I go to sleep and when I wake up. There are 10 goals around health, family and business with expiration dates, and I update them every six months.
Lori Greiner Quotes
41. "Dear optimist, pessimist, and realist--while you guys were busy arguing about the glass of wine, I drank it! Sincerely, the opportunist!"
42. "A brilliant idea doesn't guarantee a successful invention. Real magic comes from a brilliant idea combined with willpower, tenacity, and a willingness to make mistakes."
43. "I roll out of bed in the morning, whenever I want, and I work right away because, to me, that's the life. That's freedom. The whole point for me is that I love the freedom of being an entrepreneur, that I do what I want to do when I want to do it."
44. "In business, it is most often all about getting your foot in the door, and once you do, everything opens up and things start to naturally progress into bigger and more opportunities."
45. "When I had challenges, it taught me to be more on top of it for the future. Things go wrong all the time when you are running your own business, but it's how you perceive it and deal with it that matters."
46. "I learned that nobody's better than you at getting your business off the ground. The experience you get is priceless."
47. "There are no 'no's,' just 'how can I?' "
48. "Entrepreneurs are willing to work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours per week."
49. "Entrepreneurialism is supposed to be fun!"
50. "As an entrepreneur, you can always find a solution if you try hard enough."
Mark Cuban Quotes
51. "It comes down to finding something you love to do and then just trying to be great at it."
52. "What I've learned is that if you really want to be successful at something, you'll find that you put the time in. You won't just ask somebody if it's a good idea, you'll go figure out if it's a good idea."
53. "Don't start a company unless it's an obsession and something you love. If you have an exit strategy, it's not an obsession." This is something I always get asked about my eBank company. This is what keeps me going.
54. "It doesn't matter how many times you have failed, you only have to be right once."
55. "All you need is a laptop or a PC and an internet connection and you can pretty much do almost anything and create almost any type of company."
56. "It's not about money or connections--it's the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone...And if it fails, you learn from what happened and do a better job next time."
57. "Most people think it's all about the idea. It's not. Everyone has ideas. The hard part is doing the homework to know if the idea could work in an industry, and then doing the preparation to be able to execute on the idea."
58. "Sweat equity is the most valuable equity there is. Know your business and industry better than anyone else in the world. Love what you do or don't do it."
59. "You gotta crawl before you ball!"
60. "It's not whether the glass is half empty or half full, it's who is pouring the water. The key in business and success at any endeavor is doing your best to control your destiny. You can't always do it, but you have to take every opportunity you can to be as prepared as--and ahead of--the competition as you possibly can be."