50 Wise Quotes From Female Founders

“Our investors recognise the commercial value in the way we act – solving a problem that exists, rather than building a solution and then looking for a problem.”
Aba Schubert, Dorae

“While having a clear definition of success is key to scaling a business, having a purpose-driven mission is what motivates me to wake up each morning to build something that’s making a positive impact on the world.” Adena Hefets, Divvy Homes

“A lot of founders have these amazing morning productivity hacks, like meditation. For me, the single greatest motivating factor is to just be doing something I love. And so, uh, that translates to emails in bed when I wake up.” Afton Vechery, Modern Fertility

“Saying ‘no’ to overload is a sign of strength, not weakness. It signifies that moms feel empowered to advocate for what they need to be more successful and productive in their day-to-day. It’s a ‘no’ that aligns with organizational goals of having a productive workforce.” Allison Robinson, The Mom Project

“You have to learn to let the little things go, pick a few things to really focus on, and always make sure you have good harmony in your life to give yourself the breaks you deserve.” Ally Davidson, Camp Gladiator

“I think a lot of people glamorise entrepreneurship. It’s certainly the most intense school you can go to. But it’s very very hard, and a big amana; especially when you’re growing a team and have people on the payroll. You have to make sure you’re leading the ship the right way.” Amany Killawi, LaunchGood

“The most important traits of a leader are boldness, sticktoitiveness and empathy. It’s only with a big sense of mission, combined with a dedication to never give up and an understanding that you’re only as good as those around you that a leader can truly succeed.” Anda Gansca, Knotch

“You should build the right processes, or build security into your products early as opposed to bolting something on at the end.” Anita Finnegan, Nova Leah

“You’ve got to change. People talk about the project and the product iterating and pivoting, but you have to add your own personality and your own learnings have to do that as well. Because as an entrepreneur, as a leader, you are part of the product, you have to think, you have to absorb things and you have to evolve.” Anne Boden, Starling Bank

“I think it’s important to have flexibility to work wherever is best for you. I actually encourage people to work at the café — or from home or wherever works best for them.” Anne Wojcicki, 23andMe

“When people see that you’re after excellence, that’s when they want to follow, ultimately. It’s not about what you say, it’s about what you do.” Anu Bhardwaj, Women Investing in Women Digital

“We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post

“It makes a huge difference for young people to see representation of their own kind working in a particular industry. If we really want equality, we have to get everyone equally represented on the table.” Arum Kang, Coffee Meets Bagel

“Don’t look at your business as your baby. Sure, it’s your baby and I get that, but it is a business and it is meant to transact, that’s what businesses do. Don’t be so married to your business that you don’t think you can duplicate it again.” Beatrice Dixon, The Honey Pot Company

“I admire commitment and ownership. The people that have inspired me the most are those that have always been true to what they believe in and have never given up, no matter how many struggles they have faced, and those that have built something amazing, starting from scratch.” Benedetta Arese Lucini, Oval Money

“When I’m not feeling my best I ask myself, ‘What are you gonna do about it?’ I use the negativity to fuel the transformation into a better me.” Beyonce Knowles, House of Dereon

“Be transparent about the challenges you’re facing and how you’re addressing them. You also have to be clear on priorities. You might hear about 10 different needs and you have to decide which are most important — and say ‘no’ to some. If you are transparent, people are more receptive.” Carolyn Rodz, Hello Alice

“I think the best partners can bring very different perspectives and processes versus reinforce the same ones.” Carolyn Witte, Tia

“I’m the person who believes what you say and who, if you’re in charge of something I will totally let you fail at that thing if that’s what you need and I think that giving this high trust by default helps establish that as a quality that exists at the company. I also think that having high trust and psychological safety is really the core of a well-functioning team.” Christine Spang, Nylas

“What keeps me up at night is not growth, it’s quality.” Cindy Mi, VIPKID

“I don’t let anything stop me from achieving what I know is reasonable for the business. Female founders must support each other and lift each other up as this is not an easy path and we need each other.” Colette Courtion, Joylux

“You can’t dream of what you can’t see. I want my daughters to grow up in a world where they can dream of being whoever they want to be.” Cristina Junqueira, NuBank

“You hear a lot about female founders and entrepreneurs and being the first of your kind. I want to take out all that fluff. I think if we take all the fluff out and focus on the core of the mission, we will be successful.” Crystal Etienne, Ruby Love

“What you have to do is bring your whole self to the job and be willing to be vulnerable.” Danielle Applestone, Daughters of Rosie

“There’s no shame in admitting you are in trouble. It kills me, but it kills everybody.” Diane Von Furstenberg, DVF

“I think a good product person understands that you’re not building for yourself, but for your customers. And I think you really become the voice of the customer. So when I think about the company, I think about how we serve the needs of our customers.” Edith Harbaugh, LaunchDarkly

“I learned to push the envelope when it comes to asking questions or making requests. And if you hear ‘that’s not possible,’ then to ask ‘what is possible,’ instead of just saying thank you and leaving. But also to think creatively about problem-solving.” Emily Weiss, Glossier

“We look for people that are self-motivated, quick learners and have a good attitude – when a company is so young, every team member has to be able to wear multiple hats, problem solve on-the-go and have a laugh along the way.” Georgina Gooley, Billie

“I see a lot of women who are scared to ask for what they want in business. I’m always telling women who work with me or who are my mentees to believe in themselves and their products and to directly ask for business. We are allowed to engage, we are allowed to speak highly of ourselves, we are allowed to believe we are the best, we are allowed to believe that we provide the best service or product. If you don’t have the confidence for that on day one, there’s nothing wrong with a little fake it ’til you make it.” Hadley Douglas, The Urban Grape

“Greatness stems from hard work — from setting your mind to something and following through. It doesn’t come from just rolling with the punches and figuring out how to do the bare minimum. But hard work gets a lot easier when you’re actually interested in what you’re doing.” Heidi Zak, ThirdLove

“Starting a new business is one of the hardest things you can do. It’s hard to create, it’s hard to finance, it’s hard to convince others to come for the ride, be your first customers and supporters, and it’s hard to have everyone watching you while you’re doing it. It’s even harder when you’re not what people expect a founder and CEO to look like.” Ilana Ben-Ari, Twenty One Toys

“Personally, I think entrepreneurship is the epitome of what you can do with a career in business. You have an insane amount of autonomy and responsibility. The impact you can have on your clients, your team, on the world, on an entire industry is massive. There are very few other jobs in business that enable you to do that.” Iman Abuzeid, Incredible Health

“Being a founder can be isolating. Few people can relate to the challenges of building something from scratch or the feeling of getting rejected day after day. Because of this, it’s even more important to have a strong circle that is there for support, to pick you up when you’ve been knocked down and give you real talk when you need it. ” Isa Watson, Squad

“Be driven by the fact that you can pave the way for others and that your success will open up more doors and shatter preconceived notions.” Jasmine Crowe, Goodr

“Business leaders have a moral responsibility to positively impact the communities that they’re a part of and the people who have brought their companies to where they are.” Jennifer Hyman, Rent the Runway

“The journey of entrepreneurship really begins when you are willing to break from the pack.” Jessica Ewing, Literati

“This will take a really long time and you will suffer a lot along the way, so stop being anxious and try to have some fun.” Jessica Mah, inDinero

“Our soul’s purpose doesn’t just involve listening to what our heart is telling us or dreaming about what we would do if money were no object; it must be matched with the confidence and the comfort that you’ve got what it takes to pull it off.” Jill Angelo, Gennev

“Part of what I’ve learned as a founder is that you can’t be everywhere at once. I’ve worked hard to build an incredible team that I can rely on to handle any bump or hurdle that comes our way.” Julia Cheek, Everlywell

“Even in the beginning of a company, it’s important to have that early commitment to building a great culture, because it gives you an unfair advantage as you grow and scale.” Julia Collins, Zume Pizza

“Employees will support your mission, and be so much more effective at their jobs if they know why they’re compensated the way they are.” Karen Cahn, iFundWomen

“I believe that all great companies are built on great brands. When brand experiences are undeniably compelling, and undeniably well-designed, they become central to a company’s value.” Katie Witkop, Faire

“In business, crises are the ultimate equalizer and level the playing field in industries. Large companies need and want to adapt but struggle to do so quickly. This creates a strategic opportunity for startups — we are nimble and uniquely equipped for innovation.” Kayla Rodriguez Graff, Sweetbio

“I really believe that entrepreneurship is about being able to face failure, manage failure and succeed after failing.” Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biocon

“I’m looking for people who aren’t just looking for a job. I’m looking for people that really care about the mission.” Lisa Falzone, Athena Security

“Life is a series of many steps forward and a few steps back. It’s up to you to decide whether adversity causes you to retreat, or makes you into a stronger leader.” Lisa Skeete Tatum, Landit

“Don’t search for opportunities ­— instead learn, observe and dare to ask the first simple question.” Maha Achour, Metawave

“If you’re constantly striving for the next thing, I promise you, and we have felt this firsthand, when you get there, you won’t appreciate it. You will be striving for the next thing.” Marah Lidey, Shine

“Have courage. An idea rarely works on its first try.” Mariam Naficy, Minted

“I feel as women we put a lot of pressure on ourselves and always put the needs of others first like our family, our friends and even our co-workers. I believe we should learn to fill our cup first and take the time, despite the daily pressures, to do what makes us truly happy.” Mariya Nurislamova, Scentbird