"Life gives entrepreneurs an extra dose of lemons."

—Thomas Minieri

Thomas Minieri’s Top Quotes from Lemonade Maker®

Thomas Minieri is the author of Lemonade Maker® and founder of the Lemonology® Framework.

Known for his fearless creativity, culture-driven leadership, and tech-forward approach, Thomas has helped thousands of founders bring clarity to chaos and break the status quo to build something unforgettable.

On Entrepreneurship & Innovation

• School teaches you to follow the directions. Entrepreneurs create the directions.
• Entrepreneurs jump headfirst into the fray, create processes out of chaos, and bridge broken gaps.
• You are expendable if you are like everyone else. You are irreplaceable if you are different.
• Yesterday’s innovation is today’s status quo.
• You must be imaginative and courageous to see challenges as chances for innovation.
• Successful entrepreneurs are typically good at turning junk into gold, destitute people into champions, and bad situations into opportunity.
  

On Business Strategy, Systems & Structure

• Business systems must be implemented to ensure your company is delivering consistent quality.
• People are the variables; business systems are the constants.
• Take your business systems to the next level by first putting them in writing, and then by incorporating them all into one complete handbook or manual.
• It’s the countless small improvements added up that make a company innovative and remarkable.
• Boring businesses need art to make them interesting; artistic businesses need structure to make them functional.
• Removing one small gear from a fine Swiss watch turns a masterpiece into a paperweight.

On Sales, Marketing & Communication

• People want results, not deliverables.
• When a person says they aren’t good at sales, what they really mean is they struggle with communication.
• The timing and delivery of your marketing message can make or break a sale.
• Any one thing you do sends a message to your customers, telling them what they can expect from anything else you will do.
• Prospects will likely need to see your advertisements several times before acting on them.
• Instead of selling logistics or processes, start thinking like your customer.
• The telephone—and now video conferencing—is still king. No other system is as effective

On Money, Pricing & Cashflow

• Be a price maker, not a price taker.
• Entrepreneurs, and those who buy cash-producing assets, get to be price makers. Employees must be price takers.
• In learning about money, I came to understand that your house is not an asset.
• Investing in your business today will bring success tomorrow; not investing in your business today will bring uncertainty tomorrow.
• Incorporating a monthly membership or subscription concept into your business will help you stabilize cashflow.
• Consider setting your prices based on the value of the benefits you provide, not on what competitors charge.
• Frugality leads to efficiency. Being cheap leads to a whole host of problems.

On Leadership, Team & Culture

• Phase one is hiring the right team. Phase two is making them presentable and credible. Phase three is turning them into the walking embodiment of your brand.
• Leadership weariness is not the loss of hope; it is the turbulent transfer of hope from the current mission to a new vision.
• Find ways to inspire and motivate your team. Everyone likes to be recognized and rewarded.
• Take others with you on your journey to the top. Cutting people in makes everyone feel vested in the success of your company.

On Resilience & Adversity

• If you’re going to be broke, you might as well be broke building something for yourself.
• Fear becomes courage the moment you start doing the things you are afraid to do.
• You must be resilient and not lose faith when your world falls apart.
• How you handle the challenges of today will shape the person you become tomorrow.
• What kept me going was the simple fact that being broke was far scarier than any rejection.
• No one wants to deal with challenges, but there is something to be said for those who consistently survive adversity.

On Vision, Branding & Differentiation

• Think of your slogan, tagline, or mission statement as your company’s banner cry.
• Branding is about differentiation and first impressions. Keep this crucial business system fresh and modern.
• The secret skill of being able to look at a bad situation and see a hidden opportunity is one of the most powerful traits an entrepreneur can develop.
• Sometimes you don’t have to reinvent the wheel—you just need to rebrand it and make it your own.
• Amazing success can be achieved when you find that perfect balance of art and enterprise.

On Wisdom, Wealth & What Really Matters

• Ten years of cumulative knowledge is far better than one year of knowledge repeated ten times.
• Success and family go hand in hand. Work hard to win at both.
• Investing in yourself or your family is far wiser than buying things.
• The key to success in business is to give others what they want, make them feel special, and make them feel important.
• The remedy for insecurity is knowledge and experience; the outcome is confidence.
• You are limited only by your own determination. Be strong and courageous!

And One Last Thing... Quotes About Haters

• If you don’t want haters, then don’t do anything remarkable. Since doing nothing remarkable is not in the entrepreneur’s DNA, wear your haters like a badge of honor