Austin Quote by John Mackey
“They said our first store in Austin would not work. Then they said it would not work outside Austin, that it would not work outside Texas, that we would never succeed in California or Chicago or New York. People dismissed us sort of a fad, just a bunch of weird food hippies. But we've proved them wrong everywhere we've gone, and we'll carry on.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: John Mackey on Chipotle expansion, 2019
Success comes from defying skeptics and expanding beyond perceived limits, proving a concept works everywhere.
In simple terms: Defying skeptics leads to broad success.
Key Takeaway
Persist despite doubt.
Themes
perseverance
innovation
expansion
Mood
determined
confident
Type
motivational
inspirational
When to use this quote
- opening new stores
- entering new markets
- overcoming negative hype
Key Concepts
Entrepreneurship
market validation
resilience
Questions to Reflect On
- What markets have you ignored?
- How do you test new locations?
A Different Perspective
Success may still face local regulatory or cultural barriers.
![“What we've witnessed in the past 25 or 30 years is just incredible. We've birthed 30,000 or 40,000 restaurants. I used to go to Europe every year to get experience [and ideas]. I don't go to Europe anymore. I go to Oregon, I go to Washington, I go to Louisiana, I go to Little Rock, I go to Austin…” quote by Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/856/geoffrey-zakarian-13135_austin_what-we-ve-witnessed-in-the-past-25-or-3_157918.jpg)
![“To me [Edgar Allan Poe's] prose is unreadable—like Jane Austin's [sic]. No there is a difference. I could read his prose on salary, but not Jane's. Jane is entirely impossible. It seems a great pity that they allowed her to die a natural death.” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/370/mark-twain-22_allan-poe_to-me-edgar-allan-poe-s-prose-is-unreada_175729.jpg)