‘Listen to the customer’ – 25 quotes from Indian startup journeys

From cultural foundations to customer focus, witness the memorable journey of Indian entrepreneurship in these excerpts and stories! StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week (see the previous post here). Share these 25 gems and insights from the week of June 12-18 with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights!

Entrepreneurship is about being obsessed with what you do. - Bhavna Suresh, StyleBank

Starting a company is a riveting roller coaster of emotions with tremendous highs and lows. - Ginny Kohli, WedWise

It’s the innovation of digital applications that will drive economic growth. At the center of this disruption is the developer. – Sandy Carter, IBM

If you want to know the reality of a place you should go to the local market. - Abhishek Chakrabarti, Linguivista

Mentors are the ‘window to the world’ for the underprivileged first-generation entrepreneurs. - Lakshmi Venkatesan, Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust

Go ‘capability forward’ and create your own market. – Pavan Soni, IIM-B

It’s endearing to see the government working on startup timelines as well. - Richa Verma, SocialCops

Women don’t just look for product and price. They are looking for the ultimate shopping experience. – Vani Kola, Kalaari Capital

When someone says you won’t do this because you are a girl, I can’t rest until I do that. - Aditi Chaurasia, EngineerBabu

Startups can only succeed with anchor customers and it is an important measure for their success. - V Ganapathy, Axilor Ventures

Listen to the customer. - Aditi Gokhale, All Things Organic

Entrepreneurs must be passionate about their ideas, have the ability to deal with setbacks, learn from mistakes, to think long term and have respect for the customer/end user. - Anisha Parikh, KoffeePlace

Giving up control is not easy for founders, but it is critical if you want a senior hire to feel trusted and succeed. - Bala Srinivasa, Kalaari Capital

Vigilance and security becomes just as important as the technology that it revolves around in our day-to-day exchanges in the world. - Prajwal Bekkyem, Chronos

Youth must learn to embody the important values of empathy, creativity, leadership, and teamwork skills to really make a difference. - Yashveer Singh, Ashoka Innovators

Brands are really hungry for a positive platform where they can engage better with their customers. – Divyansh Bajpai, Indi

Juice is the new coffee/tea in India right now. There’s some mind blowing and untapped potential in this field. - Piyush Kankaria, The Yellow Straw

The used car market is a very fragmented segment. - Niraj Singh, Spinny

The ‘Make in India’ campaign is giving a push to the already aspiring entrepreneurs and technology driven startups. - Rachit Jain, Youth4work

Karnataka ranks third in the nation in terms of women entrepreneurship in India. – Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Chief Minister

Put on your blinders. Keep focusing on your vision and remember that you are creating the future. – Varun Gupta, FinoZen

Dream big. Where there is a will, there is a way. - Bhawana Kanth, Air Force pilot

India becomes more attractive with each layer you peel back. - Davis Cutter, Studio Bagru

It is our responsibility to reduce carbon emissions. Cycling is not only fun but it also will make you healthy. - Serene Banergee, HSR Cyclist Group

The educated should take up the responsibility of solving the country’s pressing problems. - Mahesh RV, Spirulina Foundation

YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).