My favorite

quotes for Entrepreneurs!

Alok Rodinhood KejriwalFounder – therodinhoods.com

January 2014

Quick introduction

I am a digital entrepreneur who has been around the block for a few years now.

These are MY personal favorite quotes. Some of them have been paraphrased to suit the presentation.

Each quote is explained by a real life case study as a link. Do read the links patiently – they will be worth your time!

Extras

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It will be GREAT if you can comment and give me feedback. It always helps!

If you have a favorite quote with a really great example, please add a comment! I will be happy to include the same as an update!

“Let the cat out of the bag.”- Anonymous

Take away: Entrepreneurs MUST immediately disclose bad news and never delay sharing it with people that matter. It builds credibility, strength of conviction and long term business relations!

Case study: How I told my socks buyers some really bad news and how they reacted. Read here

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” - Nietzsche

Take away: Nothing is ever ‘the end’. There is always something left from a bad outcome that can make you stronger, better and more successful than you have ever been before.

Case study: How I was told to get lost from my own Company and how that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Read here

“Trust Yourself.” - Rodinhood

Take away: When you are building a business from scratch, you will come across a lot of bad advisors who will not think of your best interest. They will act selfishly. You will have to train to only trust yourself.

Case study: How my employees in my China office tried to mislead me and how I reacted. Read here

“Know when to hold ‘em; know when to fold ‘em.” - Kenny Rogers

Take away: I heard these lyrics in Kenny Rogers’ epic song ‘The Gambler’ when I was 13 years old and have never ever forgotten the key message – Know when to keep trying and know when to walk away.

Case study: Despite being a pioneer and having a head start in the mobile consumer business, when the tables turned, I decided to walk away from my business that I spent sweat, blood and tears building. Read here

“Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.” - Yoda

Take away: If you can’t accept failure, then forget trying to be an entrepreneur. It’s only when you have the courage to lose will you have the courage to win.

Case study: How monks are trained in the art of losing everything, to enable them gain what is really important for them. Read here

“Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.” - Plato

Take away: Everyone may not appreciate you, but if you are doing something with sincerity, passion and 100% commitment, then chances are that someone else, unknown and unexpected WILL find your effort valuable.

Case study: How I attracted a key partner in my business without having the courage to even speak to him. Read here

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” - Joseph Kennedy (JFK’s dad)

Take away: If this sounds like a neat ‘pep’ proverb, wait till you try it out on yourself. Entrepreneurs who win have to learn to walk on fire, and usually they manage very well.

Case study: How I almost became bankrupt in the dot com bust of 2000 and how my VC did nothing to help, except give one piece of profound advice. Read here

“Always pass on what you have learnt.” - Yoda

Take away: If you want to be really successful, then you must discipline yourself to give away everything you know. The more you give, the more you get.

Case study: How a single conversation with my spiritual teacher made me start giving and how that act of giving transformed me. Read here

“Keep talking.” - Rodinhood

Take away: Talk to as many people as you can and try and have a conversation with one new person every day (including the snob sitting next to you in the plane). People and their conversations will teach you everything.

Case study: 9 of the most amazing conversations I’ve had in my life; how they helped and changed me. Read here

“Vyaapari woh jo bechta bhala.” (He who sells is a real businessman) – Anonymous.

Take away: You can be the greatest genius in the world, but if you can’t sell, then you will not be able to achieve much. Learn to sell, sell, sell…

Case study: Some of the important entrepreneur lessons I have learnt as a sales person. Read here. Also check out my idea on How to sell Ice to an Eskimo !

“Helping people is the only real job on earth.” - Rodinhood

Take away: Beyond a certain point, you will get stuck in your upward climb. That’s when it will occur to you that the only way to advance will be helping others. In helping, you will find new ideas to succeed.

Case study: How Shashi Ruia (One the richest individuals in the world today) helped me 28 years ago, for no real reason. Read here

“Your University is your home.” - Rodinhood

Take away: No one denies that a great education is important and can be a life-changing move. However, that does not mean that learning is only found in classrooms. Entrepreneurs can learn from ANYONE and ANYTHING; especially from their personal situations.

Case study: I am a Marwari (Business community in India). I’ve learnt some incredible lessons in life and business by merely observing what was around me. Read here

“All that glisters (glitters) is not gold.” - Shakespeare

Take away: There is NOTHING that comes easy. If you are being lured into making very quick money, it’s probably a trap or an illegal activity. In my belief, it takes 10 years to become great at something and another 10 years to become a master. In that process, if you become wealthy, you are ‘lucky’.

Case study: The ‘Qnet’ scam (like Tulip Mania or Madoff’s swindle) exemplifies this point. There is no shortcut to riches and if you take that path, you will most certainly be in trouble. Read my Qnet inquiry before the scam broke.

“Never negotiate out of fear but never fear to negotiate.” - JFK

Take away: JFK (John Fitzgerald Kennedy) said these immortal words in his inaugural address as the President of the USA, and these words are equally true for entrepreneurs today. If you are building a business, you will have to negotiate almost all the time and you must do so with fearlessness, tact and strategy.

Case study: Check out the 10 negotiation tips that have worked well for me in my entrepreneurial career so far. Read here

“What’s in a name?”- Shakespeare

Take away: Juliet made this eloquent point in Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ saying, “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Interpreted, it means: “The names of things don’t matter, only what things ‘are’.”

Using this quote, I urge entrepreneurs NOT to WASTE their time and energy ‘naming’ and ‘branding’ their companies because it doesn't matter. What matters is execution.

Case study: Would you have called yourself Creedence Clearwater Revival if you were starting a Rock Band? Read this argument

“To boldly go where no man has gone before…” - Star Trek

Take away: It’s self-explanatory and remains my most favorite phrase.

Case study: I still do not have a case worthy of this phrase! I hope to have one, one day… and wish the same for you!

Connect with me!

e-mail - alok@rodinhood.com

Facebook - facebook.com/rodinhood Twitter - @rodinhood

My social network for anyone enterprising! therodinhoods.com

Presentations – http:slideshare.net/rodinhood