karma

As we age, we become wiser. It is because of our experiences and the bullshit detector that develops along the way. Our likes and dislikes become an extension of our mind. In short, we seek more peace.

One thing most people forget in their early years is their karma. In Hinduism, it is deeply rooted. Our forefathers were strong believers in it. Even with limited resources, they lived well and with less guilt.

The modern world and consumerism have brought many advancements to our lives. But what we have forgotten—or left behind—are our old roots. We have given up on karma. As a result, even with all the wealth, many die of incurable diseases, while many others die alone, eating off gold plates.

smart

As a founder of a startup, you have ventured into an uncharted territory with a 99% chance of failure. With a co-founder, team, luck, a cash reserve, and finding an early PMF, you can circumvent it. The journey is unknown, and you have to be positive, sailing against all odds.

As the company grows, your pizza team increases to many dozen. As a result, many new mind joins the firm with their own unique incentives. As a founder, it is crucial to be prepared in advance and establish a clear process. You cannot operate a 6-member and a 20-member team in the same style of operation.

There will always be a few team members in your organisation who will have a delusion of being the smartest in the company. The delusion will shape into an ego and start appearing in their everyday communication. You need to show them the reality, get the best out of them, or, if nothing works, make them leave.

In short, your responsibility is to ensure the organization runs without any altercation.

complicate

It is easy to complicate life with all the negativity from oneself. Our life is our thoughts. Our necessities are limited, but we create a mammoth out of comparing ourselves to the world.

On one side, we want a life like others without putting in all our hard work. On the other hand, we have complaints with everything in life.

The analogy of the glass half empty and half full is something most people don’t get.

Potatoes

The best part about potatoes is that they can be mixed with any vegetable. That’s what makes them unique.

If we look around ourselves, we’ll notice that successful people share a similar trait: they are open-minded. They don’t shy away from mingling with anyone. They welcome criticism, embrace feedback, and remain adaptable. In many ways, they are the “potatoes” among us humans—building long-lasting relationships and leading healthy, successful lives.

The Ship of Theseus

The Ship of Theseus, also known as Theseus’s Paradox, is a paradox and common thought experiment about whether an object is the same object after having all of its original components replaced over time, typically one after the other.

After building taghash for 8.5 years, this is the constant feeling. As a founder of the company, leading from the front, I am here running the ship. It is bringing new faces, and old faces are leaving; many others are rejoining. As a cycle of life. With time, it made me realise that we all have our own journey in life. We are all here to serve some purpose. 

busy

The problem with our lives is that we are busy. We are constantly on the go and connected to the world. We are not living in our thoughts but chasing the trends of social media.

We no longer hold our own faith or beliefs—they are seeded into us from the outside. What is hot, what is trending, is what we end up running after. Common sense has all but disappeared.

We are entering a digital zombie era, where real relationships have taken a back seat. Life is measured by the money we earn, the houses we own, and the followers on our social media accounts.

There was a time when we would take long walks, swim in the ocean, or pick mangoes. Those simple acts helped us reflect and connect with ourselves. That “me time” is dying. Today, we are like headless chickens—hyper-connected, throwing opinions at everything, or fighting with cats and dogs behind keyboards.

address

There is a different kind of confusion one experiences when they have no permanent address. Although I spent my life up to class 10th in Bihar, where my parents still reside, I still don’t know where I will eventually settle or where I can truly say I’m from.

I am always grateful to my mother for pushing me to Delhi for higher studies and making me spend a significant part of my life there. Yet, I still feel I’m from everywhere. Many of my friends and acquaintances get confused when I tell them that I’ve lived in their city or country—10-odd cities and 3 countries so far.

When you’re not with your parents, it feels miserable. There is no one to put up with your tantrums; you have to be on your own. You either become self-dependent or lose a sense of attachment. It’s a double-edged sword. I remember during COVID, I felt like I was dying all alone in an apartment in Bangalore. The next morning, Krishna came, even though he was sick. But the chest and body pain was unbearable.

Another incident happened in Dubai while chopping vegetables. I cut my finger, and the blood just wouldn’t stop. A friend remotely guided me to a pharmacy and helped me get medicines. But that one hour of horror was painfully long and made me question what I was doing outside India.

Living alone in different cities and countries has its advantages too. No one judges you—you can mingle freely and see different sides of the world. There’s no one to tell you what’s right or wrong.

Till my early 30s, it was fun, but then boredom set in, and now it feels more like solitude—a way of just being with myself. But the bottom line is: I’ve stayed with myself through the good years.

I feel life is much harder for the younger generation because of social media and the constant urge to look good and stay relevant. Add to that the job hunt and the uncertainty of changing markets. Digital detox and meditation can be helpful. We’re all looking busy, we’re all connected—but we’re still alone, with minds that are crowded.

moat

Time and again, in sales calls, people ask us what our moat is. We have been running taghash.io for the last 8 years, and we never thought in terms of standard startup metrics or company formation. For us, it has always been about solving customers’ pain points and getting paid for it. In crude terms, it’s simple baniya dhanda (traditional business) that has been practised in our country for centuries. As long as our renewals keep happening, our existing customers will bring us more customers. We have not made tall claims or attempted out-of-the-box innovation. It is simply about getting paid for solving customers’ problems: a simple yet complex business principle.

We are living in a technology bubble. When I started, it was the ERP era; now, it is the AI era. My learning has been that customers don’t care about these shifts. All they care about is getting their jobs done. As long as that happens, they don’t care what’s under the hood.

Our moat is our customers and their belief in us. We are far from a perfect product.

Granted

We are slaves to our ego and laziness. When opportunity knocks on our door, most of the time we let it go. The reason could be our ego, along with a lack of motivation. The difference between success and failure depends on who gives up first. At the same time, it also depends on showing up at the right time and in the right place.

Have you noticed a young child and their attempts to meet demands? They will cry, throw tantrums. A caring parent will fulfill their child’s demands. As the child gets older, the script repeats until the point when parents realize it’s enough. This breaking point leaves the child vulnerable, and either they stop taking things for granted or begin to act rationally.

Our attitude toward taking everything for granted can backfire and leave us vulnerable for life. This applies everywhere: in relationships, work, and social norms.

When something is given, we should accept it with respect and be responsible in utilizing it: not just take it for granted. It also shows up in our everyday actions and who we are as individuals.

business

Since starting my career in 2007, I have witnessed many technology cycles and recessions. One common theme I’ve noticed is that having clear business fundamentals takes you a long way and helps you sail through all these tides of challenges.

Every five years, there seems to be a new business fad, and many companies emerge: most of which eventually die. You name it: e-commerce, SaaS, private cloud, IaaS, PaaS, quick commerce, hyperlocal, and more. The few that succeeded did so because they had the determination to win against all odds. The top-down belief was always to build something people would use every day something that could transform into a household name.

The get-rich-quick scheme was never the foundation of a long, sustainable business. The principle has always been about adding value, generating revenue, and driving growth along the way.