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50 Wise Quotes From Female Founders

Here at Ride the Sail Marketing, we’re often inspired by the words of other famous marketers and business leaders. But lately, as I’ve been scouring the internet for wise words, most of the lists I find are made up of the same 50 white men, with just one or two quotes from women thrown in here and there. 

I was honestly becoming incredibly frustrated. There are so many amazing women who are successful in business and in life, including our very own founder, Marikaye, who is living out her dream with Ride the Sail Marketing!

Rather than stew in my disappointment, I set out on a mission to bring you some much-needed wisdom from women in business! 

I searched through dozens of lists of awesome women in business and female founders to find ladies who are killing it in their industries. I compiled quotes from women who are new entrepreneurs, quotes from women who have founded multiple businesses, and even quotes from women who are household names. 

Here are 50 quotes from women who are founders of companies big and small and who inspire women to greatness every day:

Ride the Sail Marketing, Aba Schubert, women quotes, solving a problem, women in business

“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

 

 Women qutoes, Adena Hefets, women in business, Ride the Sail Marketing

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, Afton Vechery, women leadership quotes

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, Allison Robinson, women quotes, women in business

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, Ally Davidson, women in leadership

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, Amany Killawi, women in business

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, Anda Gansca, female founders

“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

 

Anita Finnegan, women in business, Ride the Sail Marketing, quotes

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, Anne Boden, female leaders

“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

 

women in business, Anne Wojcicki, Ride the Sail Marketing

“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

 

Anu Bhardwaj, female founders, quotes, Ride the Sail Marketing

“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

 

Arianna Huffington, Ride the Sail Marketing, Females in Leadership

“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

 

Women quotes, female leaders, Ride the Sail Marketing, Arum Kang

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, Beatrice Dixon, women in business, quotes

“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

 

Women in business, quotes, Benedetta Arese Lucini, Ride the Sail Marketing

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, women in business, female quotes, Beyonce Knowles

“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

 

Carolyn Rodz, Ride the Sail Marketing, Women in Business

“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

 

Women in leadership, Carolyn Witte, Ride the Sail Marketing

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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, Christine Spang, Women in business, quotes

“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

 

female founders, Cindy Mi, Ride the Sail Marketing

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

 

women in business, Colette Courtion, female founders, Ride the Sail Marketing

“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

 

Quotes, women in business, Ride the Sail Marketing, Cristina Junqueira

“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

 

Crystal Etienne, Ride the Sail Marketing, women in business

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, Danielle Applestone, women in leadership, quotes

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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, Diane Von Furstenberg, women in business

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

 

Edith Harbaugh, women in business, Ride the Sail Marketing

“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

 

Emily Weiss, Ride the Sail Marketing, women in business

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, Georgina Gooley, women in leadership

“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

 

women in business, Hadley Douglas, Ride the Sail Marketing

“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

 

Heidi Zak, Ride the Sail Marketing, women in business

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, women in leadership, Llana Ben-Ari, quotes

“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

 

women in business quotes, Iman Abuzeid, Ride the Sail Marketing

“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

 

Isa Watson, Ride the Sail Marketing, women in business

“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

 

Jasmine Crowe, Ride the Sail Marketing, women in business

“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

 

Women in leadership, Jennifer Hyman, Ride the Sail Marketing

“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

 

Jessica Ewing, Ride the Sail Marketing, women in business quotes

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

 

female leaders, Ride the Sail Marketing, Jessica Mah, quotes

“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

 

Jill Angelo, women in business, Ride the Sail Marketing

“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

 

female business owners, Julia Cheek, Ride the Sail Marketing

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, women in business, Julia Collins

“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

 

Karen Cahn, Ride the Sail Marketing, women in business

“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

 

Katie Witkop, Ride the Sail Marketing, quotes

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, women in business, Kayla Rodriguez, quotes

“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

 

Kiran Mazumdar, Ride the Sail Marketing, women in business quotes

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

 

Lisa Falzone, women in business, quotes, Ride the Sail Marketing

“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

 

women in business, Ride the Sail Marketing, Lisa Skeete Tatum

“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

 

Maha Achour, Ride the Sail Marketing, women in leadership, business quotes

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

 

female founders, Ride the Sail Marketing, Marah Lidey, quotes

“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

 

Ride the Sail Marketing, Mariam Naficy, women in business, quotes

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

 

Mariya Nurislamova, Ride the Sail Marketing, women quotes

“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

 

About Jule Gamache

Jule Gamache is a strategic marketer, communicator, and social media manager in Los Angeles. She’s a passionate intersectional feminist, explorer, and life-long learner. Learn more about her at julegamache.com.