9 Quotes From the 'Shark Tank' Stars to Inspire You to Reach Your Goals

The Sharks are all successful entrepreneurs, providing
valuable insight and feedback to the contestants that
enter the tank each week. Even if you aren’t pitching the
Sharks yourself, you can still pick up excellent business
advice. Here are nine quotes from the Sharks to help you
reach your goals.
1. A goal without a timeline is just a
dream. -- Robert Herjavec
Every entrepreneur has a goal, but it is the plan to reach
that goal that separates the successful ones from the
millions that fail. If you watch Shark Tank, you will notice
that some of the pitches sound good until the contestant
is asked how long they have been working on their idea.
Some will be several years into it without gaining any
traction. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the idea is bad
-- it just means they have never put together a timeline
for hitting their goals. Set goals with a specific
timeframe to reach them. This holds you accountable
and keeps you focused and on track.
2. It comes down to finding
something you love to do and then
just trying to be great at it. -- Mark
Cuban
You have to absolutely love what you are doing, first and
foremost, because if you don’t you are going to be
completely miserable. Being an entrepreneur and starting
a business will command the majority of your time --
you have to be prepared to eat, sleep and breathe your
business.
Related: Shark Tank's Mr. Wonderful Advises Moving
Faster and Shedding Debt This Year
If it isn’t something you love to do, it will be very hard to
put in the dedication and work required to make it
successful. When you create a business around a true
passion you will naturally want to make it better.
3. Follow the green, not the
dream. -- Mark Cuban
You have to focus on what is working in your business
when it comes to growth. Every entrepreneur dreams of
rapid expansion and growing his or her business into
something bigger. However, simply expanding for the
sake of expansion can be a death sentence for your
business.
If your sales and customer demand warrant growth, then
go for it. Even though you might want to expand you
always have to turn to the revenue and determine
whether it is a good time to pursue that growth.
4. Nobody has a monopoly on good
ideas. -- Kevin O’Leary
Kevin O’Leary will often mention “creating a better
mousetrap” on the show. If something already exists but
you feel you have a better solution then go for it. Look at
the app WhatsApp. There were several text-messaging
apps available but WhatsApp founder Jan Koum felt he
had a better mousetrap.
The entrepreneur that was once on food stamps sold the
company to Facebook for $19 billion -- something that
wouldn’t have happened if he never pursued his idea
because he felt there were already messaging apps
available.
5. All you need is a laptop or a PC
and an Internet connection and you
can pretty much do almost anything
and create almost any type of
company. -- Mark Cuban
The Internet has created an endless amount of
possibilities for entrepreneurs. My company helps people
who are selling websites in a wide range of industries
and niches. We constantly come into contact with
entrepreneurs that have started businesses based on
individual needs, wants and passions.
The Internet allows entrepreneurs to start small,
eliminating a lot of overhead in the beginning, and work
from virtually anywhere in the world. This flexibility and
convenience gives entrepreneurs the chance to pursuer
their dreams that wouldn’t have had the opportunity in
the pre-online era.
6. As an entrepreneur, you can
always find a solution if you try
hard enough. -- Lori Greiner
There are going to be times that you hit brick walls and
are faced with challenges that at first glance seem
nearly impossible to overcome. I was presented with
several challenges when starting my business and I was
forced to work hard in order to develop solutions to
navigate around every challenge presented to me.
The hard work will never disappear -- there will always
be challenges in business, so get used to becoming a
great problem solver in the beginning. You will learn that
you can overcome any obstacle if you try hard enough.
Related: Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran: Real Winners
Say 'Hit Me Again'
7. Make sure you pick good people
to build your business with, as
they'll determine 80 percent of your
success. -- Barbara Corcoran
Assembling the best team is vital to the success of your
business. Whether we are talking about co-founders or
employees -- the right people will propel you towards
success and the wrong people will sink your business.
Make sure that anyone you are considering bringing on,
in any capacity, both fully understands and shares your
vision. If not you have a recipe for disaster. Also, if you
do end up making a hiring mistake don’t be afraid to
make a change. The longer you hang on to a toxic
employee the more damage it will cause.
8. Everyone has an idea, but it’s
taking those first steps toward
turning that idea into a reality that
are always the toughest. --
Daymond John
Think of how many times you have heard someone say,
“I had that idea years ago,” when reacting to something
new that hits the market. People have amazing new
ideas daily, but the only way to make them a reality is to
take action.
Becoming an entrepreneur has a lot of risks in the
beginning -- something not everyone is willing to take.
The first steps, including the decision to move forward,
are what separate successful entrepreneurs from the
millions that just have great ideas.
9. The road to riches is never
straight and narrow. It can be
riddled with financial land mines. --
Kevin O’Leary
When I started my business, I bootstrapped its entire
growth, but not all entrepreneurs take the same path.
While bootstrapping can be a longer journey to the finish
line it eliminates the added stress of taking on debt.
Some entrepreneurs think that success will come sooner
if they accelerate their growth by taking on debt to make
some things happen sooner.
It’s never as simple as racking up debt and then paying
it back when you hit the entrepreneur lottery. Blindly
taking on debt without multiple plans to repay it can
create a huge mess that can cause your business and
dreams to implode.
What are some of your favorite motivational quotes from
the Sharks? Share them in the comments below.