---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there could've ever been a magical…"
description: "\"If there could've ever been a magical time to build an enterprise software company, now is absolutely that time.\" — Aaron Levie"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/aaron-levie-7788_building_if-there-could-ve-ever-been-a-magical-ti_2031883.png"
---

#  If there could've ever been a magical time to build an…

![“If there could've ever been a magical time to build an enterprise software company, now is absolutely that time.” quote by Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/aaron-levie-7788_building_if-there-could-ve-ever-been-a-magical-ti_2031883.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/aaron-levie-7788_building_if-there-could-ve-ever-been-a-magical-ti_2031883.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/aaron-levie-7788_building_if-there-could-ve-ever-been-a-magical-ti_2031883.png)

> “If there could've ever been a magical time to build an enterprise software company, now is absolutely that time.”

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Now is the optimal moment to start an enterprise software venture due to favorable market conditions.

**In simple terms:** Great time to start a software company.

Key Takeaway

Seize current market opportunities.

Themes

entrepreneurship technology timing

Mood

optimistic assertive

Type

business motivational

When to use this quote

- venture capital seeking
- product development
- team building

Key Concepts

Market dynamics innovation startup ecosystem

Questions to Reflect On

- What market signals indicate timing?
- How will you adapt to change?

A Different Perspective

Market shifts can quickly change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Enterprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enterprise/) [Software](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software/) [Software company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software-company/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [We didn't really start the company to go build an enterprise software company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/we-didn-t-really-start-the-company-to-go-build-an-enterprise-software/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [The business models in enterprise have changed pretty dramatically. A huge problem with enterprise software traditionally has been usually you sell to the customer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/the-business-models-in-enterprise-have-changed-pretty-dramatically-a/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [Listen to your customers, but don't always build exactly what they're telling you. This is a really key distinction around building enterprise software.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/listen-to-your-customers-but-don-t-always-build-exactly-what-they-re/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [We will still be enormously profitable and by far the most profitable enterprise software company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-ellison/we-will-still-be-enormously-profitable-and-by-far-the-most-profitable/)

[Larry Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-ellison/)

> [When a company goes bankrupt, you as a company have absolutely no say whatsoever as to what happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-g-stemberg/when-a-company-goes-bankrupt-you-as-a-company-have-absolutely-no-say/)

[Thomas G. Stemberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-g-stemberg/)

> [My parents had a software company making children's software for the Apple II+, Commodore 64 and Acorn computers. They hired these teenagers to program…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bre-pettis/my-parents-had-a-software-company-making-children-s-software-for-the/)

[Bre Pettis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bre-pettis/)

> [ \[We in Microsoft\] are not the only software company but we are a great software company doing some unique work. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-in-microsoft-are-not-the-only-software-company-but-we-are-a-great/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [When I was trying to write a novel, I ran out of money, and I was delivering packages on a bicycle. And I finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-kelman/when-i-was-trying-to-write-a-novel-i-ran-out-of-money-and-i-was/)

[Glenn Kelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-kelman/)

> [I think I am very goal oriented. I'd like to win the America's cup. I'd like Oracle to be the No 1 software company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-ellison/i-think-i-am-very-goal-oriented-i-d-like-to-win-the-america-s-cup-i-d/)

[Larry Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-ellison/)

> [Enterprise is hard work. You have to integrate the client with the optimized systems of all the servers and software.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-j-palmisano/enterprise-is-hard-work-you-have-to-integrate-the-client-with-the/)

[Samuel J. Palmisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-j-palmisano/)

> [“Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric, the world’s largest manufacturer, told his investors that “every industrial company will be a software company.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jeff-immelt-ceo-of-general-electric-the-world-s-largest-manufacturer/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“He's a well known entrepreneur. His products have changed the world. He created the world's largest personal-computer software company. He's written more than 10…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-macdermott/he-s-a-well-known-entrepreneur-his-products-have-changed-the-world-he/)

Andrew MacDermott

> [“IV. Real techies don’t worry about forced eugenics. I learned this from a real techie in the cafeteria of a software company. The project…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/iv-real-techies-don-t-worry-about-forced-eugenics-i-learned-this-from/)

[Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/)

> [Certainly, we are trying to preserve all of that culture, and get the advantages of being a large company with a broad product line,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/certainly-we-are-trying-to-preserve-all-of-that-culture-and-get-the/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [I started a software company with a couple other folks. It went public. We made plenty of money. And I thought it was this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-kelman/i-started-a-software-company-with-a-couple-other-folks-it-went-public/)

[Glenn Kelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-kelman/)

## More by Aaron Levie

> [The benefit to building a startup is that customers don't have the same kind of friction when they adopt new technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/the-benefit-to-building-a-startup-is-that-customers-don-t-have-the/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [My acronym is WWSJD: What Would Steve Jobs Do?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/my-acronym-is-wwsjd-what-would-steve-jobs-do/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [The only way to avoid disruption is to constantly do what you would if you were just starting out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/the-only-way-to-avoid-disruption-is-to-constantly-do-what-you-would/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [The chance of failure is almost always better than the guarantee of never knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/the-chance-of-failure-is-almost-always-better-than-the-guarantee-of/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [You can look at the cost structure of an incumbent company and discover: where are they not going to be able to drop their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/you-can-look-at-the-cost-structure-of-an-incumbent-company-and/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [My dad is a chemical engineer, and my mom was a teacher. They were pretty serious about education, but I always thought about things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/my-dad-is-a-chemical-engineer-and-my-mom-was-a-teacher-they-were/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [Modularize, don't customize. Build a platform as opposed to building all of the custom technology and custom vertical experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/modularize-don-t-customize-build-a-platform-as-opposed-to-building/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [I'm certainly not into money and prestige. For me there is simply nothing more exciting than people involved in the creation of great products.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/i-m-certainly-not-into-money-and-prestige-for-me-there-is-simply/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [A lot of being productive personally is determined by how you organize your entire business. You can't separate those two things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/a-lot-of-being-productive-personally-is-determined-by-how-you/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [I have a lot of faults. I often interrupt in meetings. I talk too loud. I talk too fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/i-have-a-lot-of-faults-i-often-interrupt-in-meetings-i-talk-too-loud/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [Too little process and you can't get good work done. Too much process and you can't get any work done. Most companies never find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/too-little-process-and-you-can-t-get-good-work-done-too-much-process/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [All we're really doing is repeating technologies that were tried 10, 20, 30 years ago... it's just that it was too expensive, too unusable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/all-we-re-really-doing-is-repeating-technologies-that-were-tried-10/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [Innovation is hard because solving problems people didn't know they had & building something no one needs look identical at first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/innovation-is-hard-because-solving-problems-people-didn-t-know-they/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [They can bring the technology in, then you can sell to the enterprise when they want to have better control, better security... you still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/they-can-bring-the-technology-in-then-you-can-sell-to-the-enterprise/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [Sometimes things are the way they are and can't be changed, other times it's because no one ever tried. Your job is to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/sometimes-things-are-the-way-they-are-and-can-t-be-changed-other/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

[Explore all 87 Aaron Levie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

## More Building quotes

> [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

> [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/)

[Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/)

> [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/)

[Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/)

> [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/)

[Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/)

> [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/)

[Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/)

> [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/)

[Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/)

> [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/)

[Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/)

> [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/)

[Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/)

Browse all 5,974 Building quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If there could've ever been a magical time to build an enterprise software company, now is absolutely that time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Aaron Levie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/if-there-could-ve-ever-been-a-magical-time-to-build-an-enterprise/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Building"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/if-there-could-ve-ever-been-a-magical-time-to-build-an-enterprise/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/aaron-levie-7788_building_if-there-could-ve-ever-been-a-magical-ti_2031883.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/aaron-levie-7788_building_if-there-could-ve-ever-been-a-magical-ti_2031883.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/aaron-levie-7788_building_if-there-could-ve-ever-been-a-magical-ti_2031883.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If there could've ever been a magical time to build an enterprise software company, now is absolutely that…” — Aaron Levie",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Aaron Levie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If there could've ever been a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/if-there-could-ve-ever-been-a-magical-time-to-build-an-enterprise/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/if-there-could-ve-ever-been-a-magical-time-to-build-an-enterprise/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```