Struggle is an inevitable part of leadership.
It can be demoralizing. It can drain you. It can slip into your personal life, quietly stealing clarity.
But more often than not, it’s a catalyst.
Today, as I lead SaaSBoomi + AIBoomi, less as a CEO and more as Volunteer #1, I find myself face-to-face with struggle in all its forms.
The struggle of leading a community, not a company.
The struggle of staying relevant in a global market swept by AI.
The struggle to rebuild trust, hope, and transparency into the ecosystem, just like we did seven years ago.
So much is reeling in my head. And I keep going back to that passage from The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz.
It starts like this: “The Struggle is when you wonder why you started the company in the first place.”
A gut punch. And yet, maybe, a little too hard.
Because when I reflect, I realise we may be built for this.
I don’t mean me. I don’t mean just leaders.
I mean us. All of us. As Indians.
Struggle is in our DNA.
We have lived through centuries of subjugation, exploitation, and famine.
We have survived post-independence uncertainty, economic setbacks, and global pandemics.
And somehow, we have always found a way to rise. To rebuild. To thrive.
That emergence, that fightback, it is in us. And I know it will surface again.
That is what I remind myself. That is what I remind you, as you read this.
Ben’s first line cuts deep. But it is his last line that holds me: “The Struggle is where greatness comes from.”
Hang in there. Greatness awaits.
