50 Inspiring Quotes About Business Planning to Jumpstart Your Next Strategy Session
Are you struggling with developing your next business strategy? Need some inspiration to get started? Look no further than these 50 inspiring quotes about business planning. From famous business leaders to inventors and authors, these quotes will help you jumpstart your creativity and develop a plan that will lead to success.
1. “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” – Alan Lakein
A well-known quote by author Alan Lakein, this highlights the importance of planning in achieving success. Without a proper plan, your business goals may be harder to achieve and lead to eventual failure.
2. “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower emphasizes the importance of the process of planning, rather than just the final product. By focusing on the process, you can adapt to changes and avoid being caught off guard.
3. “Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.” – Michael Porter
Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter highlights the importance of making deliberate and strategic choices to stay ahead of the competition.
4. “Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.” – Winston Churchill
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill emphasizes the importance of the planning process, even if the final plan ends up changing.
5. “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” – Yogi Berra
Former baseball player Yogi Berra perfectly sums up the importance of having a clear plan and direction.
6. “Good plans shape good decisions.” – Arthur Ashe
Tennis legend Arthur Ashe highlights how developing a good plan can lead to better decision-making in your business.
7. “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry emphasizes that having a goal is not enough without a plan of action to achieve it.
8. “Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.” – Peter Drucker
Management consultant and author Peter Drucker reminds us that even the best plans are worthless without hard work and action to achieve them.
9. “Plans should be measured by the results they produce.” – James Cash Penney
Founder of JCPenney, James Cash Penney highlights how the success of a plan should be measured by the results it produces, rather than just the effort put into creating it.
10. “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” – Japanese proverb
This Japanese proverb stresses the importance of both having a clear vision and taking action towards achieving it.
11. “Your goals are the roadmaps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.” – Les Brown
Motivational speaker Les Brown highlights how setting clear goals can guide your business towards success.
12. “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan.” – Jim Rohn
Business philosopher Jim Rohn reminds us of the importance of taking control of our own future and creating our own plan.
13. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
Peter Drucker’s quote highlights the importance of taking action and creating your own future, rather than waiting for it to happen.
14. “The future depends on what we do in the present.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi reminds us that our actions in the present can shape the future of our businesses.
15. “You can’t predict the future, but you can create it.” – Peter Drucker
Another quote by Peter Drucker highlights the importance of taking action towards creating a successful future for your business.
16. “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” – Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein highlights the importance of setting goals to achieve true happiness.
17. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs emphasizes the importance of passion and enjoying your work to achieve great success.
18. “Strategic planning is worthless – unless there is first a strategic vision.” – John Naisbitt
Futurist and author John Naisbitt emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision before developing a strategic plan.
19. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar reminds us that taking action towards our goals is the first step towards achieving greatness.
20. “If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough.” – Mario Andretti
Iconic race car driver Mario Andretti highlights the importance of pushing yourself and your business outside of your comfort zone.
21. “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” – Confucius
Chinese philosopher Confucius emphasizes the importance of being adaptable and changing your approach if your goals are not realistic.
22. “Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” – Alan Lakein
Alan Lakein highlights how planning is essential to preparing for the future and taking action in the present.
23. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky reminds us that taking risks and taking action is necessary for success in business.
24. “Measure twice, cut once.” – Proverb
This classic proverb emphasizes the importance of careful planning and preparation before taking action.
25. “Plans are the scaffolding on which reality is built.” – Laura Schlessinger
Radio host and author Laura Schlessinger highlights how plans help prepare for the realities of your business.
26. “A plan is a list of actions arranged in whatever sequence is thought likely to achieve an objective.” – John Argenti
Author John Argenti stresses the importance of developing a clear and organized plan to achieve your business objectives.
27. “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
Another quote by Dwight D. Eisenhower emphasizes the importance of the planning process, even if the final plan ends up changing.
28. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci
Artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci highlights the importance of simplicity and avoiding unnecessary complexity in your business planning.
29. “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act.” – Pablo Picasso
Artist Pablo Picasso emphasizes the importance of having a clear plan and taking action towards achieving your business goals.
30. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
Founding Father of the United States Benjamin Franklin highlights the importance of taking the time to prepare for the success of your business.
31. “I never think about the future. It comes soon enough.” – Albert Einstein
Another quote by Albert Einstein highlights the importance of focusing on the present and taking action towards success.
32. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African proverb
This African proverb highlights the importance of collaboration and teamwork in achieving long-term success.
33. “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” – Sun Tzu
Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu emphasizes the importance of both developing a clear strategy and executing it with effective tactics.
34. “The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” – Ferdinand Foch
French general Ferdinand Foch highlights the importance of passion and motivation in achieving business success.
35. “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.” – Chinese proverb
This Chinese proverb emphasizes the importance of taking action towards your business goals, even if it’s not the ideal time.
36. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us that taking the first step towards your business goal is often the most significant step.
37. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
Confucius stresses the importance of persistence and avoiding giving up, even if progress is slow.
38. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt emphasizes the importance of overcoming doubts and obstacles to achieving business success.
39. “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” – Zig Ziglar
Another quote by Zig Ziglar highlights how achieving business goals can help you grow and develop as a person.
40. “If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.” – John D. Rockefeller
Oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller highlights the importance of taking risks and exploring new ideas to achieve business success.
41. “You don’t build a business – you build people – and then people build the business.” – Zig Ziglar
Zig Ziglar emphasizes the importance of investing in your employees and their growth to achieve business success.
42. “Change before you have to.” – Jack Welch
Former CEO of General Electric Jack Welch emphasizes the importance of adapting to change before being forced to do so.
43. “The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create.” – Leonard I. Sweet
Theologian and author Leonard I. Sweet highlights the importance of taking action towards creating a successful future for your business.
44. “If you don’t make things happen then things will happen to you.” – Robert Collier
Author Robert Collier stresses the importance of taking control of your business and making things happen towards success.
45. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” – Seneca
Ancient Roman philosopher Seneca emphasizes the importance of preparing for opportunities to achieve business success.
46. “Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” – Erich Fromm
Psychologist and author Erich Fromm highlights the importance of creativity and taking risks to achieve business success.
47. “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell
Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell emphasizes the importance of hard work and learning from failure towards business success.
48. “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” – Hans Hofmann
Artist Hans Hofmann highlights the importance of simplicity and avoiding unnecessary complexity in your business planning.
49. “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” – Earl Nightingale
Author and motivational speaker Earl Nightingale reminds us that time spent working towards our business dreams is time well spent.
50. “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” – Warren Buffett
Business magnate Warren Buffett emphasizes the importance of providing value to customers, rather than just focusing on price.
In conclusion, developing a clear and effective plan is essential for achieving business success. These 50 inspiring quotes can help you jumpstart your creativity and develop a plan that will lead to success. Remember to have a clear vision, take action towards your goals, and always be willing to adapt and learn from failure.