“Our fear of the unknown and our fear of making mistakes trick us into focusing on what we don’t know or can’t do. When we give ourselves the freedom to be uncertain and less than perfect, then we can start thinking, ‘What do I know? What can I do?’ That’s when the adventure starts — learning, thriving, conquering, failing, recouping, and having a ton of fun.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve”

“A lot of really great, innovative things have happened when people just didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to be possible.” “Don’t worry about failure; you only have to be right once.”

Nobody talks about entrepreneurship as survival, but that’s exactly what it is and what nurtures creative thinking. Running that first shop taught me business is not financial science; it’s about trading: buying and selling.”

“Many people will not head down the street until all the lights are green. That is why they don’t go anywhere.” “When times are bad is when the real entrepreneurs emerge.”

“Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.”

“One of the most important things I have learned is that businesses don’t fail, entrepreneurs give up. Now sometimes, giving up is the right decision. But usually, you just need to dig in and figure out how to make things better. Remember: Every day is a new opportunity to get up and do it better than yesterday!”

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” “Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see farther.”

“You are not limited to only what you have been able to do before.” “Fail often so you can succeed sooner.”

“Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it. Today is your lucky day.”

“This is for all the dreamers out there… for all the people who have a great idea but no clue how to start. Here’s my advice to you: It’s ok to start small. It’s ok to take teeny tiny steps in the right direction. You don’t have to raise millions in capital overnight (or ever). You don’t have to become a unicorn in a year. You don’t have to scale for the sake of scaling. Give yourself permission to start with one really great product or service. I started Spanx with 1 single product. No business plan, no marketing plan and no other ideas. The product was $20. That was it. Then… here’s what happened. I stayed super connected to the consumer and I listened.

I stayed focused on serving and delivering what she needed and wanted. I trusted the process. I didn’t feel the need to produce or create for the sake of growth (ever). I just grew as the ideas came.. and if you really listen with a service heart, they will keep coming. Focus on your purpose and your why. Keep your product and story at the center of your business… Fast growth can be fleeting. Creating a solid foundation of trust with your customers takes time. I’ve spent 20 years earning the customers trust. Take your time… just take the first step and remember to DREAM BIG. ”