40 Inspiring Quotes About Business Growth — and Tips for Success

Some days, being a small and medium-sized business (SMB) owner feels like catching a perfect wave. Other days, it’s like getting wiped out before you even stand up. In moments like those, a few inspirational quotes or words from someone who has been there can lift your mood and help you move forward.

The quotes in this collection come from people who have built businesses and navigated the ups and downs of growth. They speak to the mindset and leadership it takes to turn an idea into something real. This article gathers their wisdom to help you find perspective and reconnect with the reason you chose this journey. Let’s get started.

What you’ll read:

• Quotes on building the right mindset for growth
• Quotes on inspiring leadership and strong teams
• Quotes on fostering innovation through technology
• Quotes on elevating the customer experience
• Quotes on choosing the right tools for lasting success

Quotes on building the right mindset for growth

A growth mindset is not about always feeling confident. You have to be curious enough to figure things out when you don’t have all the answers. Business owners with this mindset see problems as signals to adjust, not signs to quit. They ask, “What can I learn here?” instead of “Why is this happening to me?” That small shift opens doors to solutions you might have missed before.

It also changes how you approach big decisions. You stop waiting for the “perfect moment” and start testing ideas early. You learn from each result and improve as you go. Over time, these small experiments build momentum. Your business grows not just because of the market or the tools you use, but because you keep showing up and trusting yourself to figure it out. 

The quotes in this section are from people who have been in your shoes. They know the doubts, the risks, and the rewards. Let their words remind you that growth starts in how you think, long before it shows in what you do.

1. “You must always be able to predict what’s next and then have the flexibility to evolve.” — Marc Benioff, CEO and Founder of Salesforce

2. “Play by the rules, but be ferocious.” ‌ — Phil Knight, Founder of Nike

3. “Every problem is a gift — without problems we would not grow.” ‌ — Tony Robbins, Entrepreneur, Author and Leadership Coach

4. “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t — you’re right.” ‌ — Henry Ford, Founder of Ford Motor Company

5. “How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.” — Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia

6. “If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.” ‌ — Dhirubhai Ambani, Founder of Reliance Industries

7. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over.” ‌ — Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group

8. “Have the end in mind and every day make sure you’re working toward it.” ‌ — Ryan Allis, entrepreneur and Co-Founder of iContact

9. “If you must doubt something, doubt your limits.” ‌ — Price Pritchett, Management consultant and author

10. “The only thing worse than starting something and failing… is not starting something.” ‌ — Seth Godin, Entrepreneur and author

Quotes on inspiring leadership and strong teams

Strong businesses are built on strong teams, and strong teams grow under leaders who care about more than just the bottom line. Inspiring leadership is about setting the tone. You have to create trust and give people the space to do their best work. When team members feel seen and supported, they bring more ideas to the table and take more ownership of results. That is how you turn individual skills into collective success.

Leadership is also about listening as much as guiding. The best leaders know they don’t have all the answers. They invite different perspectives. They give credit where it’s due. They stepped in to remove roadblocks. When you focus on helping your team succeed, you build a culture where people stay motivated.

The quotes here capture what it means to lead with both vision and heart — because the right leadership can turn a good team into a great one.

11. “Advancing in rank should not be the sole reason for wanting to become a manager. Management demands a shift in responsibilities, including inspiring teams and adopting a broader strategic view.” — Patrick Stokes, EVP of Product and Industries Marketing, Salesforce

12. “The best way to get the best out of people is to not force them to be something other than they naturally are.” — Ursula Burns, Former CEO of Xerox Corporation

13. “Happy employees lead to happy customers, which leads to more profits.” ‌ — Vaughn Aust, COO of Gemini

14. “Employees want to feel inspired by their leaders… hire individuals who will lead by example.” ‌ — Jody Kohner, EVP Global Enablement, Salesforce

15. “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” ‌ — Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric

Quotes on fostering innovation through technology

Innovation is about finding better ways to solve everyday problems. Technology makes that possible by giving you tools to spot opportunities sooner and adapt faster. Business owners who embrace new tech can test ideas quickly and learn from real results. That ability to move with the times often separates businesses that keep growing from those that fall behind.

Technology also helps you stay connected to your customers and your market. Data shows you what is working and what is not. Automation frees up time for the work that matters most. Artificial intelligence (AI) can surface insights you might have missed. When you see technology as a partner in your business, it stops feeling like a cost and starts becoming a source of new ideas and long-term growth.

The quotes in this section are from leaders who see technology as more than a tool. They see it as a way to keep their businesses creative and ready for whatever comes next.

16. “The whole concept of data science is that the software becomes the expert, and you, as the average user, are able to understand what’s going on.” — Marc Benioff, CEO and Founder of Salesforce

17. “There’s no question we are in an AI and data revolution, which means that we’re in a customer revolution and a business revolution.” — Clara Shih, Former CEO of Salesforce AI

18. “Agentic AI has emerged as a game-changer for customer service, paving the way for autonomous and low-effort customer experiences.” — Daniel O’Sullivan, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner

19. “Over the next 30 years, with computing power as the breakthrough and data as the new natural resource, every industry will transform.” — Jack Ma, Founder of Alibaba 

20. “Customers are trying to get their digital transformation done in a matter of weeks rather than years, and that’s a secular trend we see across all industries.” — Jujhar Singh, President & GM, Applications and Industries, Salesforce

21. “Every industry and every organization will have to transform itself in the next few years. What is coming at us is bigger than the original internet.” — Tim O’Reilly, Founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media 

22. “It’s no longer the big beating the small, but the fast beating the slow.” — Eric Pearson, CIO of IHG (International Hotel Group) 

23. “At least 40 percent of all businesses will not exist in a meaningful way in ten years if they do not change to accommodate new technologies.” — John Chambers, Executive Chairman of Cisco Systems

Quotes on elevating the customer experience

Great customer experience is more than quick service or friendly support. You have to understand what people need, often before they ask for it. When you take the time to listen, you build products and services that feel personal. That connection makes customers want to stay and recommend you to others.

Customer experience is also shaped by the little things you do consistently. Clear communication builds trust. A helpful follow-up shows you care. Fixing problems quickly turns a negative moment into loyalty. Every interaction leaves an impression, and over time those impressions define your reputation.

The quotes here are from people who have built success by putting customers at the center of every business decision. Their words are a reminder that when your customers win, your business does too.

24. “Most of all, I discovered that in order to succeed with a product you must truly get to know your customers and build something for them.” — Marc Benioff, CEO and Founder of Salesforce

25. “Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.” — Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple

26. “We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” — Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon

27. “Customer experience is the next competitive battleground.” — Jerry Gregoire, former CIO of Dell

28. “Every contact we have with a customer influences whether or not they’ll come back. We have to be great every time or we’ll lose them.” — Kevin Stirtz, customer loyalty expert

29. “Protocol and structure matter, but empathy defines how customers remember you.” — Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks

30. “To reimagine coffee and culture we must innovate inside the systems and outside the script.” — Brian Niccol, CEO of Starbucks 

31. “If you stay very focused on customers and customer success, people pay attention to that – and in turn, they also want that same type of success.” — Aneel Bhusri, Co-Founder of Workday 

32. “You need to earn and maintain that customer’s trust every day, every transaction. The only way you can do that is by measuring everything.” — Lew Cirne, Founder of New Relic 

33. “Customer service is not a department. It’s everyone’s job.” — Tony Hsieh, former CEO of Zappos

Quotes on choosing the right tools for lasting success

Every business owner works with limits (time, money, or energy). The right tools help you stretch those limits. They take care of the repetitive work. They give you the information and clarity to make better decisions. That is why business owners who invest in reliable systems often see faster, more sustainable growth.

Some tools are simple, like a shared calendar that keeps a team in sync. Others are smarter, using AI to spot patterns in customer behavior or flag opportunities for growth. For example, a customer relationship management (CRM) tool can organize data and help you act on it in a timely way. When you choose tools that truly fit your needs, they become part of how your business stays consistent and grows with confidence.

The quotes in this section show that the right tools are more than add-ons: they are part of the foundation that helps a business last.

34. “This is the ‘Holy Grail’ of CRM. Think Big Data meets CRM. We’ve been talking about this forever, since I’ve been in this industry. Now it’s here and part of our next generation Customer 360.” — David Schmaier, Chief Strategy Officer, Salesforce

35. “The right tools can amplify your efforts and turn a good idea into a great business.” ‌ — Tim Ferriss, Entrepreneur and investor

36. “Invest in the tools that will save you time, money, and headaches in the long run.” ‌ — Barbara Corcoran, Businesswoman and investor

37. “Tools are great, but they only work when they’re in the hands of someone who knows what to do with them.” ‌ — Neil Patel, Digital marketing entrepreneur

38. “Your data is the new oil. Just like oil it must be refined to deliver any value to your business.” ‌ — Clive Humby, Co-Founder of dunnhumby

39. “Saying, ‘I don’t have time for CRM,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t have time to look at my GPS because I am too busy trying to figure out the best way to get from here to there.’” ‌ — Bobby Darnell, business development and CRM implementation expert

40. “CRM, which I had been involved in from the very beginning … was the fastest growing category of enterprise software. Second, it just was incredibly apparent that salespeople had a desire to share information.” ‌ — Marc Benioff, CEO and Founder of Salesforce

Turning words into action

You have ideas, you have the purpose, and now you have a plan. The next step is to start because progress only happens when you put things in motion. Your business will grow one step at a time, and every action you take will bring you closer to your goals.

If you are looking for a simple way to get started with tools and automation, Salesforce can help. It is quick to set up, easy to use, and ready to scale as your business grows. You can start small and add more when you are ready. The important thing is to take that first step now.

So why not start strong? Begin your journey with the Starter Suite today. Looking for more customization? Explore Pro Suite. Already a Salesforce customer? Activate Foundations and try out Agentforce today.

AI supported the writers and editors of this article.