Explore Powerful and Inspirational Quotes

Build Your Own Table

If someone is not going to give you a seat at that table, create it yourself.

It took me eight years to raise my first fund.

Let resilience speak

People told me I couldn't make it because I was young, Black, and a woman. But if you stay the course and show resilience, you'll make it.

Stay the course

There are going to be rejections and disappointments along the way, but stay the course.

The River & the Rock: A Lesson in Persistence

A river cuts through rock not because of its power but because of its persistence.

The 99% Rule Nobody Talks About

99% of success is refusing to take no for an answer. People quit one room before the yes.

The Mispriced Opportunity Playbook

When no one else is looking, that's where you should be investing. That's where you see the best mispriced opportunities - where you can get in at very attractive discounts and make a lot of money.

Working With Family

Working with family is extremely difficult. They see the relationship at every point in time, and it’s hard to separate being a father from being a partner or employee. But when someone is tough on you, it’s not personal - it’s about the greater purpose, the company.

Master Your Costs

Cost management is key to everything. It's not about how much you sell it for - it's about how much you buy it for. If you can manage your cost, you can sell in any condition.

It's Very important to motivate your team to work.

Proximity Is Power

You have to be in the right place. Look at the cars around: Ferrari, Ferrari, McLaren. Location - when already rich people are here. Proximity is power.

Read the books. I didn't read enough — that's why I left the Forbes list.

Vendor Financing

Go and work for a big company for two or three years. Then go work for a smaller entrepreneurial company. After five or six years, go negotiate with somebody retiring: 'I'll buy your business, and I'll pay you over three or four years out of the future profits.' Lower risk than starting from scratch - using their money. That's called vendor financing.

A Responsibility to Give Back

I believe in giving back and paying taxes. I don't believe in running off and living in a tax-free environment. Billionaires should pay their taxes.

Let other people run the day-to-day so you can focus on the vision, the growth, and the business development.

Focus on What You Do Best

Forget the stuff you're bad at. Focus on the things you're really good at, and hire other people to do the rest.

Who has a not-to-do list?

Everybody has a to-do list. But if you ask, "Who has a not-to-do list?" almost nobody does. I've learned that a not-to-do list is more important than a to-do list.

Evolution, not revolution

There is a role for revolution right at the start of a business, but thereafter, keep evolving - or end up like Blockbuster, Nokia, and Yellow Pages.

Go global with locals

You can't send a Brit to America, you can't send an American to Britain. You've got to hire a local to head up your business, otherwise you won't be taken seriously.

The hardest step for any entrepreneur: hire your replacement. Hire somebody better than you to run the day-to-day business.

Get a coach and a mentor - it's really important to learn from others.

Focus Like a Hedgehog

Entrepreneurs are all foxes - always looking for the next opportunity. You need to be a hedgehog: moving in a methodical direction. When a harebrained idea comes along, put up your prickles, ignore it, and keep going with a simple, clear model without distractions.

Copy, Then Conquer

Copy a business model. We’re taught at school that copying homework is bad, but in business: copy and improve slightly. Don’t reinvent the wheel.

Close to Opportunity

Proximity is power. The faster you can follow the money, the quicker you're going to get to it.