Understand

We get lost in work and forget ourselves. One of the perils of modernization is that we are turning into robots. We are so obsessed with material wealth that our relationships with loved ones take a toll. We forget to take self-care.

Our impulsive eating habits, all-nighters, and Netflix will all come back to bite us at some point. We have to start taking care of ourselves as we age. What we eat, what we interact with, and what we watch, all contribute to our well-being. The sooner we start understanding this, we get into meaningful living.

Stand

You have to hold your ground and stand tall. Look at the trees: they have withstood all the weather. A founder’s persona comes with chaos, and multitasking is the default. Things will fall apart, employees will leave, competitors will creep in, and customers will leave. In these times, one has to follow the mantra of standing tall and sticking to the grander vision.

A startup outlives as long as the founders are the last man standing.

communicate


As a founder, you have to sell. It is not to your customer but to every stakeholder including your team. You cannot expect them to understand everything from inception, nor will they read your mission, and vision statements stuck on the company’s wall.

You have to act, show, and lead it all from the front. This cannot be repealed by an HR or some head of XYZ. As a founder, it is you.

Many founders like to code, sit alone to think or many others run solely after their investors for subsequent funding rounds.

What the founder should do instead is: communicate directly and honestly. I would say over-communicate and talk through the team in thick and thin. Those who are scared will leave, they don’t qualify for your mercenary army.

creative

You can’t make someone a musician overnight. The same goes for anything that requires creativity. One has to be devoted enough to master the art.

We are living in the era of quick commerce, with everything we want now in an instant. As a result, we are forgetting creativity for instant delivery. The supply chain and automation are entering into everything.

We will soon transform into a zombie compromising on creativity.

cause

It becomes critical to hire a team that aligns with the cause.
The first ten members shape the organization. Hire a mercenary who can go at any length for organizational success.

The team has to have the hunger and belief to win. You can’t get a dozen dead souls to compete in a high-energy execution battle.

No competitive individual will jump on a ship to sail into an uncertain entrepreneurship ride without a definite cause.

Straight

One of the jobs a founder should is straightening things up. The journey of any organization depends on its team. If you are incapable of talking to the team honestly, giving feedback, or taking criticism, don’t run a startup.

A successful team and a failing company are distinguished in execution and leadership needs to straighten things up. If over-communication is required do it, emergency action needs to be taken, take it. You cannot let the market dethrone you because you are too comfortable and not gearing up for changing times.

Route

There are many talented folks in our country. When we say India’s talent is limited what it means is we don’t have a ready-to-consume workforce. We can drum beat over this limitation or upskill the ones around us.

With corruption in the blood of governance across the world and taxpayers’ money going to war or building a temple, expecting anything from the government is like getting a heart attack.

There are many entrepreneurs who use this adversity as an opportunity. Take for example Zoho. A SaaS company with over a billion in revenue. The F&B industry has been applying this for eternity, pick early, train, and uplift their living there by making a social change.

We cannot expect too much from the government. The country is a democracy as a miracle. Be the route, change the lives of millions around you, upskill them, and eradicate poverty.

victim

Some people are victims of their own stupidity. Nobody can help them: it’s a vicious circle where they get lost. They craft narratives, stories, and actors in their minds. While you will feel pity for them, you cannot do anything. They will not listen to you or seek anyone else’s advice.

If you are raising such kids early on, take them for help early on. This will help them grow and live a regular life.

Complain

Look around, and you will witness people complaining. It can be family, work, world, politics, corruption, and the never-ending list. Now think again: what is any of them getting from their complaints? Maybe a conversation starter and free heartbeat increase.

This world runs because of a few who took charge of it, who rose to prominence and cemented the planet, and who preferred doing something before hitting the grave.

Our life on this planet is limited. We all have our set of limitations. We have the option to complain or take responsibility in our hands.

water

We are water. The body is essentially it. Unfortunately, our brain is like air, wandering without any control.

The beautiful part of the water is that it can make its course in any scenario and still sail. It can take any shape or size.

Our brain is lost in multiple things and scared of everything. Sadly, we cannot control it, like water{dam}. We can only observe and process it.