[YS Lounge] A Letter to all Entrepreneurs

This is a letter from an entrepreneur to an entrepreneur. There are situations in life when only an entrepreneur can relate to another one. In this letter, the entrepreneur hasn't said something earth shattering but just a gentle solace, a kind of a pat on the back to help an entrepreneur keep doing what s/he is doing and a reminder that there are others in the boat...Dear entrepreneurs,

Hope this letter finds you in the best of health and cash flows. I would firstly like to congratulate you for what you have endeavored and so determinedly built. The odds were against you. And you did well.

Right from negotiating the office rent with your landlord to patiently following up on sales leads– you put your ego aside and did it all. I know that managing all this simultaneously was tough, many times even thankless. But you never did all this for appreciation in the first place. You had already pledged to do whatever it takes. Whatever it takes.

You never knew that entrepreneurship also entails painful dealings with Provident Fund authorities, understanding the nuances of Transfer Pricing and solving personal issues of team members. It is only later that you realized that business is so much more than just “sales and profits”.

Now and again, you were forced to make constant trips outside your comfort zone. It wasn’t always easy but something kept you happy and motivated. Destiny played a big role. Some of you even noticed the invisible hand guiding you through the pangs and toils of everyday entrepreneurship. Problems came, problems went. People came,people went - all at the right time. Looking back, all this was almost surreal.

Pursuing your heart’s call, you were a man (or woman) on a mission. All this often felt heroic. You did enjoy the glamour too. There was something cool about letting the world know that you ventured out on your own - that you finally took the leap. It all started when you updated your Linkedin profile to Founder or Entrepreneur.

There was an unexplainable joy when you hired your first employee. The joy was even greater when he completed his first year with the company. Along the way, you were humbled with the support and selflessness individuals within your team displayed.

Truth is that although you chose your own path you were never walking alone. You have so much to be grateful for - Grateful to your family for supporting you through the instabilities, grateful to your first clients who trusted you when few others would, grateful to your competitors for pushing you to do your best. Most importantly, you are to be grateful to those individuals who took your dream and made it theirs – your employees, your team members.

I know you are a busy person and hence I must rest my words and thoughts here. I am grateful to you for taking the time out to read the words and wishes of my wandering mind. I hope you reach your greatest heights. Then again, I hope you always remain a start up at heart.

I look forward to hear your stories – of successes as well as of so called failures.

Your’s humbly,

Rohan

P.S. I am writing this as I idly sit in a café in in Dubai, reminiscing on how all things transpired since Gozoop happened– our first hire, our team, our clients, the problems, our insecurities, our victories. I am feeling a lot of things – happiness, nostalgia, pride, etc. Above all I feel grateful. I don’t really know why I am sharing all this with you but I am.