‘Women Need More Sponsorship, Not Just Mentorship’ – 20 Quotes of the Week for Leaders and Entrepreneurs

Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory featuring notable quotes in our articles from last week (see previous edition here). Share these 20 gems and insights from the week of June 27-July 3 with your colleagues and networks, and return to the original articles for more insights.

See also our selection of The best quotes of 2021 on entrepreneurship, investment, digital transformation, storytelling, opportunity India, pandemic resilience, disaster recovery, design and art.

As entrepreneurs, we almost have seven voices in our head talking to each other at the same time. – Sinjini Sengupta, Lighthouse

Find and focus on solving real, real-world problems – everything can wait. – Prabhash Nirbhai, Jharkhand Angels

A person can have the best idea in the world, but it may never come to fruition without a good team. – Ankur Bansal, Blacksoil

As the organization scales, roles become more specialized compared to an early-stage startup, where an individual has a broad role spanning various functions at times. – Saahil Goel, Shiprocket

You cannot have indefinite no-profit periods. There should be some kind of road map to achieving profitability. – Raw Marivala, Mariko

The accelerator model is a good way to test, experiment and explore talent in a new geographic location quickly without being forced to incur huge upfront costs on real estate etc. – Amita Goyal, Zinov

Small businesses are often looking for insurance solutions that meet their unique needs for affordable yet superior offerings. – Manish Daswani, Visa

Glasses deliver incredible returns on social investment, unlocking more than $43 in household-level earning potential for every $1 in philanthropy. – Ella Goodwin, VisionSpring

Dealing with pollution due to disposable plastic products has become an important environmental challenge facing all countries. – Central Ministry of Environment, India

Trying something new will only boost an individual’s confidence. – Kamlesh Bhai, Flipkart Online Seller

Storytelling is a great skill. People will listen to concepts and frameworks, but stories have the undeniable power to revive it all. – Janelle Estes, UserTesting

We prefer to invest in companies that have the right mix of professionals and specialists. – Padmaja Ruparel, Indian Angel Network

With the right kind of support and determination, you can easily learn to wear all the hats with great aplomb. – Sanjeeta KK, OGMO Foods

As businesses grow and move from flexibility to stability, companies start by hiring multi-taskers and then look for domain experts. – Jinesh Shah, Omnivore

Young men who are about to become fathers need counseling regarding parenting skills and the challenges of having a child. – Ritesh Gupta, Fortis CDOC Hospital

Today, the definition of professionalism has grown to include self-expression and the need to bring your authentic self to work. – Ashish Chopra, BeUnic

Promote LGBTQ role models, mentoring and reverse mentoring initiatives. But beware of tokenism. – Lucy Fonseca, Giesecke + Devrient

Women should not be told that certain jobs can only be done by men. Who says we can’t climb utility poles and do maintenance? – Roshni, Tata Power

Women need more sponsorship, not just mentorship. – Janelle Estes, UserTesting

YourStory also publishes the pocketbook “Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups” as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (can be downloaded as attachments here: apple, Android).