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We’ve compiled 10 quotes from famous startup founders and leaders, offering advice about early stage startups.
Paul Graham, Co-founder of Y Combinator:
"Make something people want. The best startup ideas seem at first like bad ideas."
Reid Hoffman, Co-founder of LinkedIn:
"The only way to scale is by doing things that don't scale. Handcraft the core experience. Get your hands dirty."
Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple:
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work."
Marissa Mayer, Former CEO of Yahoo:
"Find the smartest people you can and surround yourself with them. Work as hard as they do."
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla:
"When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor."
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook:
"The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks."
Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx:
"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."
Eric Ries, Author of 'The Lean Startup':
"The only way to win is to learn faster than anyone else."
Peter Thiel, Co-founder of PayPal:
"Competition is for losers. If you want to create and capture lasting value, look to build a monopoly."
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook:
"What would you do if you weren't afraid? And then go do it."
For more advice on your early stage startup and how you can go from idea stage to early traction and beyond, sign up for the Startup Activator here.