Other17 Best Quotes from Oregon Entrepreneurs in 2013
All entrepreneurs have wisdom to gain and impart. That’s why we try to get entrepreneurs talking to one another, whether on stage, online, or over beer. Our entrepreneurs talked a lot in 2013, and we at OEN did our best to furiously document the kernels of wisdom they exchanged.
Here are our 17 favorite quotes from 2013; please share what we missed in the ‘comments’ section below!
I like to think that vision without execution is hallucination.”
Jay Haladay, CEO, Viewpoint Construction Software
Tweet this | Learn more from Jay
I am janitor and CEO. It’s pretty cool.”
Tyson Hart, Founder, Civilian Bicycles
Tweet this | Learn more from Tyson
You have to feel comfortable periodically having your dreams dashed from your hands and stomped on by cold, hard reality. You have to get back up again.”
Luke Kanies, CEO & Founder, Puppet Labs
Tweet this | Learn more from Luke
No business plan survives the initial encounter with customers.”
Paola Moretto, Co-Founder & CEO, Nouvola
Tweet this | Learn more from Paola
We work our butt off for the customer. Really, it’s that simple. I don’t think there’s any special magic.”
Larry Drebes, Founder, Janrain
Tweet this | Learn more from Larry
I view giving up as not owning the problem. You have to look at everything as, ‘What’s the way forward here?’ ”
Mat Ellis, CEO, Cloudability
Tweet this | Learn more from Mat
Innovate and delight your customer. The recipe for delight is pretty simple. Satisfaction of our customer is the delivery you give them minus the expectation that you set for them.”
Andre Wolper, CEO, Embodee
Tweet this | Learn more from Andre
Don’t try to prove that what you’re doing is going to work. Figure out the most cost-efficient test to prove that your idea is not going to work, and do that first.”
Mark Frohnmayer, Founder of Arcimoto
Tweet this | Learn more from Mark
I’ve learned to take the advice of people who are smarter than me. Because if you think you’re the smartest person in the room, you probably should go to a different room.”
Lisa Sedlar, Founder & CEO, Green Zebra Grocery
Tweet this | Learn more from Lisa
Anyone who’s in business wants to have a good relationship with their banker.”
Dave Weiss, President, SLU Agency
Tweet this | Learn more from Dave
You have to be able to put the knife in your idea before anyone else does.”
Michael Morrow, Founder & CEO, Nutcase Helmets
Tweet this | Learn more from Michael
Most entrepreneurs are highly unreasonable. However, since a good entrepreneur is not so much the fabled risk taker as a risk-reducer (within a risky milieu), the trick seems to be to have reasonable people around. And to listen to them from time to time.”
Peter Herring, Co-Founder, trovi, Shareconomy
Tweet this | Learn more from Peter
Figure out how you’re going to sell it before you make it.”
Scott Hamlin, Looptworks
Tweet this | Learn more from Scott
You only fail when you don’t learn from your mistakes.”
Molly Lindquist, Founder, Consano
Tweet this | Learn more from Molly
Business is pretty simple: make sure the amount you have coming in is more than the amount going out.”
Sarah Pool, Co-founder, Pacific Northwest Kale Chips
Tweet this | Learn more from Sarah
Find a niche. Find something that’s going to solve a problem. Then go for it.”
John Marick, CEO, Consumer Cellular
Tweet this | Learn more from John
Failure is the most common outcome for businesses, but our brains remember the winners and not the losers. We are built to survive, and hopefully thrive. We have to celebrate the mastodon that we did kill for the tribal feast, not all of the arrows that hit rocks.”
Matt Morse, Founder, CrowdLever
Tweet this | Learn more from Matt
What quotes did we miss? Please share below!
