The 20 Best Coco Chanel Quotes That Apply to Business
Coco Chanel was born a Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in Samur, France, in 1883. She was a fashion designer and businesswoman who is best known as the founder and namesake of the Chanel brand. She is the only fashion designer listed as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by Time magazine. Although she died in 1971 at the age of 87, Coco Chanel is still considered one of the most influential people in fashion. Her words are often used to motivate and inspire people. Here are the 20 best Coco Chanel quotes that apply to business.
20. On Adapting Your Products or Services
“A style does not go out of style as long as it adapts itself to its period. When there is an incompatibility between the style and a certain state of mind, it is never the style that triumphs.”
This Coco Chanel quote is listed by Stylishly Me. It is about how the demands of the market can change, so you must adapt the products or services your business offers accordingly. If you cannot adapt to different situations so that what you offer to meets the needs of your customers, then your business will fail.
19. On Appealing to the Market
“A fashion that does not reach the streets is not a fashion.”
Coco Chanel believed that if her designs did not appeal to the mass market by reaching the streets, then they were unsuccessful. When planning what products to sell or services to deliver, you should apply similar principles. Do some research about the needs, wants, and expectations of your target market to ensure that your business has something that will appeal to the right market.
18. On Making Changes
“I was the one who changed, it wasn’t fashion. I was the one who was in fashion.”
It is not just your products or services that must change as your business evolves. It is also important that you are willing to change. This can involve developing your skills, working on your weaknesses, and changing your attitudes. Accepting that you will need to change throughout the evolution of your business can improve your chances of success.
17. On Every Act Having a Purpose
Every task you undertake should have a purpose. If there is no purpose for a task, then it is not something that you should waste your time on. In this quote, Coco Chanel gives the example of designing a dress that has buttons without buttonholes. The buttons are there only for aesthetic reasons rather than a practical purpose. Similarly, make sure that any task that you spend your time on is worthy of this time and effort.
16. On Getting Through the Hard Times
“Hard times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity.”
Unfortunately, you are likely to experience some hard times alongside good times. When you hit the tough times, Coco Chanel says that there is an instinctive desire for authenticity. This means that you will want yourself and others to act in a way that is congruent with your beliefs. During the hard times, you need people around you with similar beliefs and who will support you in overcoming the difficult times. You should rid yourself of people who will work against you and make life more difficult.
15. On Doing Things Differently
“Don’t be like the rest of them, darling.”
If you do things the same as everyone else, then you will only achieve a moderate level of success and you will not stand out from the average person. This is why Coco Chanel suggested that you should not be like the rest of them. To achieve great things and stand out from the average person, you need to do things differently.
14. On Using Your Strengths
“Adornment, what science! Beauty, what a weapon! Modesty, what elegance!”
According to Good Reads, this is one of the best Coco Chanel quotes that apply to business. Coco Chanel had many skills, talents, and strengths, some of which are listed in the above quote. She used these to her advantage to help her achieve many successes in life. You should also identify your strengths, then make sure you use them effectively as your weapons for success.
13. On Becoming Someone
“How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.”
If you want to become someone in life, then it is up to you to make it happen. You can choose what you want to become in life and how you want to get there. Once you have chosen your path, then decide what steps you need to take to get to where you want.
12. On Reaching Your Potential
“If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing.”
Where you start in life has nothing to do with your position at the end of life. Just because you are born without wings, it does not mean you do not have the potential to fly. If you want to achieve great things in your life, then don’t let anything hold you back. Likewise, don’t let other people tell you that you can’t achieve the goals that you set yourself.
11. On Accepting the Highs and the Lows
“I invented my life by taking for granted that everything I did not like would have an opposite, which I would like.”
This Coco Chanel quote is listed by Brainy Quote. It is all about the highs and lows of life. You can apply the same principles to business. Throughout your business journey, you will find that for every low period you experience, you will also experience a high. This is something that you should remember when you are feeling low or tired during difficult times as there are always better things ahead.
10. On Working Hard
“There is no time for cut-and-dried monotony. There is time for work. And time for love. That leaves no other time!”
This Coco Chanel quote is about both working hard and about using your time well. If you want to enjoy success in life, then it is likely that you will need to work hard to achieve this. People who become successful with no effort are few and far between. You should also use your time well to become successful, and time is a limited resource. You should devote your time to the things that are important in life, such as your work and spending time with those you love.
9. On Expressing Your Opinions
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
Copying what others say and pretending that you share their opinions is the easy route in life. If you have a different opinion on popular consensus, then it is sometimes hard to say what you really think. Expressing your true beliefs and opinions can take courage, but this is something that you must do if you want to run a business with integrity and to stand by your beliefs.
8. On Representing Yourself Well
“Dress shabbily, and they remember the dress. Dress impeccably, and they remember the woman.”
As a business owner or leader, you are a representation of your business. Therefore, you should make sure that you always represent your business to the best of your ability. How people perceive you is often a reflection of the perception they have of your business. Although this Coco Chanel quote specifically refers to the way you dress, you can also apply it to the way that you behave and how you treat other people. All of these are important points to consider in relation to how you present yourself and the impression this gives of your business.
7. On Having Belief in Your Ideas
“Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.”
If you think that you will fail, then failure will surely follow. On the other hand, if you think you can succeed, then you have a significantly greater chance of making it happen. Therefore, you need self-belief to succeed. Another point to note is that other people will only have belief in you if you have belief in yourself. If you do not believe you are capable, then others will doubt your abilities.
6. On Ignoring the Critics
“I don’t care what you think of me. I don’t think of you at all.”
People who become successful often find there is a direct correlation between their level of success and the number of critics they have. It is often the case that the more successful a person becomes, the more people want to criticize their decisions, and this is often a case of jealousy. It is crucial that you can stop listening to the critics. Like Coco Chanel, you should not think of them at all.
5. On Keeping Things Simple
“Simplicity is the keynote of elegance.”
Listed by Town and Country, it is possible to apply this Coco Chanel quote about fashion to business. Although the fashion designer said this about the simplicity of fashion, keeping things simple also works well in business. Do not overcomplicate systems and processes, and don’t waste time on unnecessary tasks.
4. On Doing What Makes You Happy
“My life didn’t please me, so I created my life.”
If you are not happy with the way that your life is going, then make changes and create a new life. Life is too short to spend it being unhappy. Think about what you want from life and what will make you happy, then make it happen. This applies not only to your working life but also to all aspects of your personal life.
3. On Not Wasting Time on Pointless Tasks
“Don’t waste time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.”
Time is a precious resource as it is limited, which is why it is so important to use your time efficiently and effectively. Sometimes, people waste time on things that are never going to work. While it is important to keep trying and not give up too easily just because you have failed a couple of times, it is also essential that you can recognize and accept that some of your ideas will never go anywhere. Once you come to that realization, you can stop wasting your time and focus your efforts on something that will work and is worth your time.
2. On Choosing Your Own Path in Life
“A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.”
Coco Chanel speaks specifically about women in this quote. However, the same principle applies to everyone. You can become whoever and whatever you want in life, and you are not limited to the expectations of others. You are in control of your life and your destiny, so you can decide which path you would like to choose. While others may have opinions about your decisions and life choices, yours are the only opinions that matter.
1. On Standing Out from the Crowd
“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.”
According to Pure Wow, this is one of the best Coco Chanel quotes that apply to business. Following what others say and do will make you the same as everyone else. If you are the same as everyone else, then you will not stand out from the crowd. It also means that you will only achieve the same success in life as others around you. To become successful, you need to take a different approach and make sure that you stand out from the crowd. It is only by doing so that you stand any chance of becoming successful.
