Many years ago, I stumbled upon the story of Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan man who decided to embark on a journey of self-discovery that took him across Africa, West Asia, and India. This journey spanned 40 countries and ended 30 years after he started.
Ibn’s primary reason for embarking on this journey was religious, but along the way, he found a more potent driver: curiosity and adventure. I would say my journey mirrors that of the famous traveller. Mine isn’t religious, though it is meditative; however, like Ibn, I discovered a more profound ambition.
Six years ago, when we first conceptualised SaaSBoomi, we planned to play a role in transforming India into a product nation. Six years later, we’ve curated a community that boasts 100+ volunteers and eight dedicated staffers; we’ve hosted over 500 events, partnered with 4,000+ companies, and impacted the lives of 6,000+ operators and founders.
It stopped having a singular objective and transformed into a more layered story. We wanted to rebirth SaaSBoomi as a lighthouse for founders, industry bodies, and governments worldwide. This shining light would enable founders to pay it forward and help each other during troubling times. Now, SaaSBoomi is a safe place for entrepreneurs to be themselves.
Each testimonial or act of evangelism by a founder, like the ones featured below, fills me with gratitude and humility. It’s a reminder that my journey is just beginning.
While our community has taken its route, I’ve also come a long way in the past six years. I’ve grown as a human being, a leader, and a colleague. I’ve unlearned patterns and developed a more positive mindset. I’ve overcome self-doubt and embraced new opportunities.
I want to acknowledge some places where I have grown personally over the past six years. They have helped me curate a welcoming community and, more importantly, find new partners to help us build a product nation.
Here are my six learnings.
- There are no shortcuts: Earlier, I would have been happy to take shortcuts. To steal an analogy from a founder friend, “When I drove my car alone, I wouldn’t mind jumping traffic lights. Now that I am driving a bus, I care about the lights.” I want to maintain the highest possible standard of ethics because I set an example for others to follow.
- Generosity of spirit: Working for someone is a singular objective. You own your path and try to make the most of yourself. As a community leader, I am learning to promote everyone else around me — my colleagues, volunteers, and founders. It’s not about me but them.
- Big picture: Often, we look at problems zoomed in. We find solutions and tactical ways of getting past them. But we often need to remember to zoom out and look at a problem more contextually. Once I built muscle memory for it, I could look at opportunities contextually as well, and it is a muscle I want our community to build as well.
- Family comes first: If we allow ourselves to be vulnerable around someone, that’s family. In meetings, I often insist my team bare their vulnerabilities to each other. It helps cut the hierarchy and enables trust. These exercises have helped us work together and cover each other’s insecurities and weaknesses.
- Value of space: I’ve mentioned that I dislike the spotlight often. All my life, I’ve avoided it. But I’ve learned it is a privilege when someone offers me space, and I need to use that space and platform. Our goals are more significant than my discomfort.
- Perspective: I had a weakness — I was quick to judge. We all have biases, and the faster we shed those, the easier it is to find the good in our fellow human beings. I realised that we’re all flawed, and the faster we forgive someone’s missteps, the faster we learn and grow with them. I don’t criticise anymore. I do critique but not criticise.
Thank you to all those who have offered their support—said and unsaid. I also want to express my gratitude to people who selflessly turned the spotlight on us in small meetings and large gatherings. Your support has propelled us to six successful years. Like Ibn, there are 24 more years to go.
