Epic Mindset Quotes To Keep You Motivated

The truth about doing business is that it's not easy. There are good days and so many awful ones. 

Now, what do you need to keep motivated and strive harder every day? A positive mindset. 

Today, we've got a list of some of the most powerful mindset quotes for all small business owners who need them.

So let's jump to it!

25 Powerful Mindset Quotes for Small Business Owners

Having a consistent positive mindset is a challenge, especially for small business owners.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• 20% of small businesses fail in their first year.
• 50% of small businesses fail in their fifth year.
• 70% of small businesses fail in their 10th year.

These stats make me sad.

It makes me sad because the numbers are shockingly HUGE! I've even been there myself once before. 

Being a business owner can be very isolating, but know you are not alone, and if you need help, it IS out there.

With that said, here are some epic mindset quotes to inspire you to become the winner we know you are!

1. Tony Robbins

Here's a positive mindset quote from a well-known author, philanthropist, and life coach...

“Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions.”

Issues in business will happen, but as long as you focus on solving them instead of dwelling on them, then you'll be in great shape.

2. Thomas J Watson

Here's another positive mindset quote from a businessman who was at one point, the CEO of a famous company called IBM...

“If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.”

Excellence is not a talent; it's a skill that you need to hone regularly.

3. John Wooden

Here's a quote about having a positive outlook from a famous basketball player and head coach...

“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.”

I firmly believe that success doesn't happen overnight. You need to put your best foot forward 110% of the time if you want to succeed.

4. Winston Churchill

Here's a quote about success from a famous statesman, army officer, and writer turned Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...

“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

In business, success is not a guarantee. You are more likely to fail nine times out of ten. But if you don't let failures get in the way, then you're already on the road to success!

5. Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and political activist who had this to say about turning your dreams into reality...

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

If you ever doubt that your business will be a success, then stop. What's the point of going further if you have a negative mindset? Always remember that you can, and you will succeed.

6. Stuart Wilde

Stuart Wilde was a British writer who said this about doing business...

“Generate so much loving energy that people want to just come and hang out with you. And when they show up, bill them!”

It's true that in business, there's always an exchange. You make products that customers buy. You render services that clients pay for.

But, people do business with others they like, so be someone everyone wants to hang around.

7. Maya Angelou

Here's a positive mindset quote from a well-known famous poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist...

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”

Doing business isn't always about money. A lot of companies revolve around passion. If you do what you love and love what you do, then success will follow.

8. Napoleon Hill

Here's a positive mindset quote from a successful American self-help author...

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! And powerful things at that, when mixed with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be translated into riches.”

In business, if you think negatively, then negative things will happen. If you stay positive and work hard to achieve your goals, then success will come knocking on your door.

9. Ayn Rand

Here's a quote about self-confidence from a famous writer and philosopher...

“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”

That's right! Having the right amount of confidence will get you from zero to hero. It applies not just in business, but in everything we do.

10. Pete Cashmore

Here's a quote about self-esteem from the CEO and founder of the popular blog Mashable...

“We are really competing against ourselves. We have no control over how other people perform.”

If you want your business to succeed, then you have to stop comparing yourself to your competitors. Instead, learn from their mistakes and successes.

11. Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was a business magnate and investor who founded Apple Inc. This is what he had to say about believing in yourself...

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Never let what others say about you or your business get you down. This is your life, so don't live it doing what someone else wants for you. Do what YOU want.

12. Mary Kay Ash

Mary Kay Ash was a businesswoman who built Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. from the ground up. This is what she had to say about going the distance.

“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.”

That's right! Business opportunities become limited only if you limit yourself or your business by your way of thinking.

13. Jim Rohn

Here's a positive mindset quote from a successful American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker...

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”

Don't overcomplicate your life. Focusing on the basics will get you really far. You don't have to be extraordinary, you just have to do the basics extraordinarily well.

14. Marie Beynon Ray

Here's a positive mindset quote from another popular author...

“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand – and melting like a snowflake.”

If you have a business idea and a passion, do it! Turn it into reality. You'll never know if you won't try.

15. Cher

Here's a quote about taking risks from a famous American singer and actress...

“Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great.”

I agree! You won't succeed if you won't take risks. Doing business is all about taking risks. There's no secret formula to achieve success. Just jump, and have the confidence that you'll figure everything else out.

16. Eleanor Roosevelt

Here's a quote about being courageous from a famous American political figure, diplomat and activist...

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

When you face your fears, you expand your comfort zone and continually get better and better.

With that in mind, no problem, big or small, can ever stop you from succeeding.

17. Sarah Ban Breathnach

Sarah Ban Breathnach is a best-selling author, philanthropist, and public speaker who said this about new beginnings.

“What if you began to expect the best from any situation? Isn’t it possible that you could write new chapters in your life with happy endings? Suspend your disbelief? Take a leap of faith? After all, what have you got to lose but misery and lack?”

Compelling quote, right? I know!

In business, you always have a second chance in making things right. Learn from your mistakes and work on becoming a better business owner.

18. Dennis Waitley

Dennis Waitley is an American motivational speaker, writer, and consultant who said this about winning in life...

“The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can’t do.”

NEVER think and act as if you've lost. You can succeed, you will succeed, and you are successful.

19. James Broughton

Here's a positive mindset quote from an American poet and poetic filmmaker...

“The only limits are, as always, those of vision.”

Business ideas will remain as ideas if you don't act on them. If you don't put in the work to turn your ideas into reality, then go back to sleep or daydream.

20. Oprah Winfrey

Here's a positive mindset quote from an American media executive, actress, talk show host, television producer, and philanthropist...

“I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.”

Miss Winfrey didn't become a billionaire out of luck. She worked hard and persevered to become who she is now.

21. David Rockefeller

Here's a quote about success from an American banker who was the chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Corporation...

“Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.”

What did I already tell you about business success? You need hard work and discipline to grow your business. 

And don't forget, there is opportunity in every market no matter what is going on in the economy!

22. Carlos Castaneda

Here's a quote about strength from this famous American author...

“The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”

You're only wasting time in misery. Use your time to come up with a strategy and tactics to improve your business.

23. Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi was an American football player, coach, and executive in the National Football League (NFL) who said this about winning...

“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”

Forming the right habits is really hard, but will propel you to success. Forming the wrong habits is easy, but will lead you down the wrong path.

24. Mark Twain

Mark Twain was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer who said this about taking risks...

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

I'm pretty sure you don't want to regret business decisions you didn't do. You don't want to regret why you didn't innovate. You don't want to regret why you didn't acquire this or that. 

The lesson is to take a risk but make sure that you calculate every decision you make.

25. Arthur C. Clarke

Finally, here's a positive mindset quote from a British science fiction writer, science writer and futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host...

“The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them … into the impossible.”

Everything is possible when it comes to business. If you want to increase sales, sell more. If you want to improve your business, plan better. If you want to crush the competition, innovate. Simple, right?

Here are other articles to help bring out the winning entrepreneur in you:

Recommended Resources

• The Top Small Business Challenges & How to Overcome Them
• Increase Productivity: The Small Business Owner’s Guide to Making More Money With Less Stress
• 15 Ways to Become Astonishingly Productive

I'm pumped up now! How about you?

Which one is your favorite? Don't be shy, leave a comment below, we'd love to hear from you.

It would also be an honor if you think this article is worthy of being SHARED.

Header courtesy of Pexels.

About the Author Tim Fitzpatrick

Tim Fitzpatrick is the President of Rialto Mobile Marketing. At Rialto Mobile Marketing, we help take the guesswork out of marketing so your small business can grow. Marketing your business shouldn't be a constant challenge. If you are ready to eliminate the uncertainty and confusion of marketing your business, we can help.