Listening to Fellow Travelers

“When setting out on a journey,” the poet Rumi warned, “do not seek advice from someone who’s never left home.”

Seems obvious to me, but I’m amazed at the number of people who let themselves be talked out of their dream of business ownership by folks who’ve never run a business.

Doesn’t it make more sense to see what successful self-bossers have to say? Today we’re going to do just that.

The world is a massively more hospitable place for entrepreneurs than it was twenty years ago. ~ Richard Branson

But for those who think that an eternal escape from work would be paradise, don’t forget that we all need a playground and your own company is one of the best playgrounds of all. ~ Derek Sivers

The self-owned and -operated business is the freest life in the world. ~ Paul Hawken

I dare say, all successful entrepreneurs have loved to tell the story of their business. Because that’s what entrepreneurs do: they tell stories that come to life in the form of their businesses. ~ Michael E. Gerber

More good has been launched by more people from kitchen tables than any other platform in the land. ~ Jim Hightower

I think the best investment you can make is to start a business that is so much fun you don’t care if you go broke. With this approach, you can be certain of success. ~ Phil Laut

Feeling taxed? I am GRATEFUL to be making money doing what I love. For years, writing was a hobby, a hope, a haunting. Now it’s a legitimate business, one I file on Schedule C. If you’re lucky enough to be “taxed” on your dream or free enterprise, celebrate today. It’s a milestone and a privilege. ~ Tama J. Kieves

Self-managers of our own assets. That’s what more and more of us are becoming. ~ Charles Handy

Bootstrappers built this country and they continue to make it great. Virtually every business—from IBM to the local dry cleaner—was bootstrapped, usually by people with far less smarts, less money, fewer connections and less vision than you have right now. ~ Seth Godin

Entrepreneurs want to create a livelihood from an idea that has obsessed them. What gets their juices going is seeing how far an idea can go. ~ Anita Roddick

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Want more wise advice from fellow travelers? I’ve collected some of my favorite quotes in a little book called Seminar in a Sentence. Readers tell me they carry it with them so they can find inspiration on a moment’s notice. Order yours now.