Bhavya B.’s Post

Entrepreneurship is hard. Like, really hard. And the thing that makes it so challenging? Uncertainty. When you're building a startup, there are no guarantees. You're creating something from nothing, and there's no playbook to follow. Every day brings new obstacles, new questions, new doubts. And as a founder, it's up to you to navigate that uncertainty and keep moving forward. It's a lesson that's really hit home for me lately. I've seen firsthand how even the most successful founders struggle with the weight of uncertainty. They've told me stories of sleepless nights, and moments when they wondered if they had what it takes to keep going. But here's the thing: they did keep going. They pushed through the uncertainty, the fear, the doubt. They leaned on their team, their founder friends, their supporters. They took things one day at a time, one decision at a time. So if there's one thing I want to share, it's this: embrace the uncertainty. Don't let it paralyze you. Use it as fuel to keep going.

12 months ago, I felt like I died. This is my biggest lesson on this path as an honest human being (& Entrepreneur): From a very young age (like most entrepreneurs), I am used to take care of things myself, depend on myself, and do everything myself. 'I will be the Hero, I will solve it all.' Which in the early days of building a start-up is critical, But as you scale, you can't afford to be the hero all the time. As a "creative & visionary" type of founder, that I am(Yes I am identifying myself in a box for now), I felt very empowered at the start of our journey. But here is what they don't tell you... There is that part inbetween... that part where you want to keep doing everything yourself, even if you aren't great at it... for the sake of the success of your vision. This is that very painful phase, where you bite through a lot of No's, failed experiments, and times where success and traction seem obsolete. Living on 12 hours working days, Grit, Resillience, and Coffee. This is a time in the start-up lifecycle you feel pretty worthless and responsible as a visionary. Feeling like your constantly working from a place where you get exposed to your weaknesses. Where stress would built up day by day. And even though Bubty, was becoming pretty successful at this point. I hit a brick wall(Face First), I felt like I was living life in a crashing plane. Hunted by the pressure of failure. At this point it was no longer stress from work, my body went in full shock. Some may call it burned out. It felt like I went to hell and back. And apparently I am not the only founder: "According to the 2018 Norwest Journey Study, 90% of Founders surveyed admit failure is the leading concern that keeps them up at night, living with Founder Anxiety. Certainly, at the transition point from founder to CEO, the stakes are higher than at the outset. This pressure can paralyze decision-making and restrict founders from acting, ultimately preventing them from taking risks that could move the company forward. Luckily in time and accompanied by amazing people and the best Co-founder Benjamin Schriel, I could wish for (Because Ben is everything I am not). Not only could Bubty evolve into the company it needed to become, but I, I found myself, as a human being. In acceptance of who I am. The fog and mist had disappeared. It's the hardest I have gone through in life. But I would not have wanted to miss it for anything. Turns out, I wasn't dead and buried after all, I was planted to grow 🌱 We will never be in control of what life throws your way. The only thing we can control is how you respond to it. Now, I can become that leader, I want to be. Back to enjoying the ride, wherever it may take us. (Probably IPO'd with approx $2B valuation in 5 years from now(HEHE😝)) Literally nothing can stop us anymore at this point.

𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐔𝐬. It’s time we take back and redefine failure in entrepreneurship! In VC centric communities like Silicon Valley and high-tech Tel Aviv, failure isn’t just accepted—it’s almost a badge of honor. Venture capitalists know that true innovation often comes from bold risks, and bold risks sometimes lead to failure. Entrepreneurs wear their setbacks like medals because they’ve learned, adapted, and come back stronger. But in many parts of America, failure carries a stigma. Entrepreneurs who face setbacks are riddled with shame, as if failing is a sign of incompetence rather than a natural part of the process. And this mentality is toxic to innovation. And for a long time, I carried that shame myself. I merged my business into a larger, better-funded company, thinking it would be the breakthrough we needed. Instead, it led to the closure of my brand and a less-than-ideal outcome for my investors. The vision of creating the $100 million iconic, decade durable brand was dead. The weight of that failure hit me hard. I felt like I had let everyone down. The shame was overwhelming. So, I retreated. Instead of pursuing my dreams, I spent the next two years working as a consultant, avoiding the risk of failing again. Two whole years gone—years I can’t get back. In hindsight, I could have done almost anything. Two years of pursuing someone else’s dreams instead of my own—all because my perception of this being a failure. What I’ve learned is that shame grows in silence. The more I tried to hide my failures, the more it controlled me. But when I finally opened up and shared my story, that shame lost its power. It wasn’t a weakness anymore—it became part of my strength. Looking back, I realize I didn’t truly fail. I took a bold risk. I went all in and gave it everything I could. I learned. And I came out stronger. This experience became the foundation for my next business that exceeded mine and my partners initial vision. The problem wasn’t the failure, it never is—it was the shame I allowed myself to feel. Most successful serial entrepreneurs had businesses that didn’t succeed. Failure is part of the process. To foster the same culture of breakthrough innovation seen in Silicon Valley, we need to embrace failure as part of the journey. Failure doesn’t define you—it’s what you do. I say stop hiding, stop feeling ashamed, stop second guessing thosedecisions, and stop letting your perception of failure hold you back. Entrepreneurs, we must stop fearing failure and being ashamed our mistakes. We must just learn from them. Use them as fuel for what comes next. I promise decades from now, the comebacks are what you will be most proud of with a perspective of the failures that could never define you. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬—𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. #Entrepreneurship

Today marks 8 years since the #entrepreneurship bug bit me 🎉 I've been doing strategy work as a consultant, advisor, author, facilitator and author. And it has been a fulfilling and rewarding journey that I don't intend to quit. The journey had it's own challenges. In summing up my journey;  1. I survived the notorious first 3 years in business that kills a lot of startups. 2. I choked on imposter syndrome and shed it off as a trusted no-ndegreed kickass business strategist during those early days. 3. Suffocated on month-end anxiety of having bills to pay and no money in the bank. 4. Enjoyed the experience of having my small business paying for my apartment, office and sponsoring my lifestyle. 5. Made a lot mistakes, and costly ones. 6. Enjoyed to the fullest extent what it means to 'do what you love everyday' 7. Broke the passion ceiling and balanced it with rationality. 8. Seen decent processed invoices. 9. Questioned my path and felt alone for the greater part of the journey. 10. Did a lot of stuff I've always wanted to do. 11. Realized that every penny I've ever had, and anything I've ever owner was bought (directly or indirectly) by the money I made because of the terrifying decision the 21 year old me made.  12. Cruising into the working class mode as a self-employed. (Maybe when I hit 10 years into this game I'll lay it all out for you, in the meantime you can just get my book on how to do it. DM me if you'd like to purchase my book). 13. I'm still recommending entrepreneurship as a long-term solution to youth unemployment. 14. I still think entrepreneurship is way too romanticised, reality is entrepreneurship is hard. It is one of the irrational pursuit that the very few get to stick out. 15. Otherwise, I find myself to be privileged to have been bitten by the entrepreneurship bug in my early years, that built my risk tolerance. 16. I continue to be the Startups whisperer, the people's Business Strategist of choice. 17. I'm grateful to each and everyone of you who interacted with me and my work, and even you silent pluggers. I am because you are. 18. I can't stop typing, my heart is smiling. 19. Since I can't stop typing, please remember this: Thoughts become things, continue pursuing your ideas. And remember, 20. You can do the hard things. ❤️ #strategy #kgadionstrategy #entrepreneur #smallbusinessowners 

One of the main things entrepreneurs 🚀 do every single day is fail. We try. We fail. We try again. One of the most important mechanisms I found to build resilience 💪🏻 for founders is to be open about failures that I had and still have building businesses. Once founders are aware of those, they view it as 'business as usual' and they move on ⏭ to the next thing quicker. Here are 10 failures EVERY entrepreneur and startup founder experiences during their journey 🦓 (I definitely experienced all 10 and more): 1️⃣ Launching a new product or feature and waiting ⏱ anxiously just to learn that nobody signs up or uses it. 2️⃣ Sending a pitch 👩🏻💻 to your favourite investor and getting completely ignored. 3️⃣ Meeting a VC 💵 , where the investor completely crushes your idea and only focuses on why it would never work. 4️⃣ Having a bug 🐞 before launch, staying at the office until 4:00 am just to figure out it was a typo in the code. 5️⃣ Meeting a big corporation 👜 for an exciting meeting regarding collaboration, and not hearing back for 6 months. 6️⃣ Pitching an investor and getting homework 📃 like come back when you have more traction or when you have a lead investor. 7️⃣ Preparing for your board meeting, sending everything on time, just to have a useless board meeting where no decisions were made. 8️⃣ Doing this big splash 🗞 and exciting article on TechCrunch or Sifted enjoying a day of amazing attention and getting up the day after with nothing happening 🤫 . 9️⃣ Accepting an investor call ☎ on a family holiday where your entire family is on the beach 🏖 and you are going over financials. 🔟 Not sleeping 💤 for 5 days straight looking like a ghost 👻 when you come to the office for things that are beyond your control. All of them will happen to you if you are building a startup, and even if you work in one. They all could be prevented or you can learn how to react to them better over time and by understanding that they are 'business as usual' for an entrepreneur. Another way to better deal with them is to listen, engage and follow me and other founders who experienced those and developed hacks not to experience some of them again. #entrepreneurs #founders #resilience #success #startups #venturecapital

Namaste ! Dear Fellow Startup Founders, I’m reaching out not just as a CEO but as someone who understands the emotional highs and lows of running a startup. There are days when everything falls into place, and your vision feels within grasp. But there are also days when obstacles feel insurmountable, and the way forward is anything but clear. I want to remind you that the path to building something meaningful is rarely smooth. It’s marked by unexpected challenges, sleepless nights, and sometimes, overwhelming doubt. But it’s also full of small victories, learning experiences, and moments of clarity that make the journey worthwhile. Remember why you started. Think back to when your idea first began to take shape—when it was just a seed of possibility. That passion, that drive, still resides within you. It’s what fuels innovation and keeps you moving forward, even when the odds seem stacked against you. You’re not alone in this. Every startup founder, from the industry giants to the smallest new ventures, has faced moments of uncertainty. It’s part of the journey. What distinguishes successful entrepreneurs is their ability to persist, adapt, and find strength in the face of adversity. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and your vision. Seek out mentors who have traveled this path before you. And most importantly, be kind to yourself. Progress isn’t always linear, and setbacks don’t define your journey—they’re just a part of it. Hold on to your hope. It’s the beacon that will guide you through the toughest times. Remember that every challenge you face is an opportunity to grow, to refine your vision, and to build something even stronger. In the end, it’s not just about the destination but about the journey and the person you become along the way. Keep pushing forward. The world needs your ideas, your energy, and your unique perspective. - Dr. Raghavendra Gowd Vikas Sharma Jayesh M. Koriya Uma Kukreja Mrignayan Singh Dalip Singh Rawat Alban Jerome

Scaling an organization is no easy feat, and Jyoti Bansal Bansal couldn't agree more. The key to success lies in implementing the right structure, which can create a flywheel effect that drives growth and profitability. With the right approach, scaling can become a smoother and more successful process. We are scaling rapidly and responsibly at Circles, join the fun!

Along the way of this entrepreneurial journey, so many people have told me what THEY think I should do. Everyone means well. But I'm glad I carved my own path. Sure, I have advisors whose opinion I want (and asked for). But so many others jumped in with well-intentioned advice that had nothing to do with what I was trying to do. Examples... “You'll never do as well as you want if you are offering services. Join someone else’s company as the VP Sales, try to get 1-2% equity and stay with them till IPO” “Don't call it RevenueZen, that's terrible… every successful startup has a short two syllable name” “What, you're going to sell blog posts or something? There’s so much competition in that, no way you'll succeed doing that” “Just keep all the stock for yourself, business partners will just try to screw you” “That's a terrible acquisition deal, don’t take it. wait till you can exit for at least $5M cash up front even if it takes another 10 years” Bah. Everyone told me what they wanted me to do. Not what they thought was best for me, not what they thought I wanted. So many entrepreneurs I talk to are in the same position: They hear others around them giving them thoughtless but insistent advice from those with good intentions. It’s noisy and confusing. But I've realized: This will never stop. People will always give unsolicited advice without knowing or caring about what you want, about your situation. They’re just… reacting. Doing their best. And that’s okay. Here’s what I’ve learned: Listen carefully to what others tell you. Especially those that have deeply listened to what you want and who have been in your shoes. Take it with a grain of salt, and always be on the lookout for good wisdom that can be found in the perspective of those around you. But at the end of the day… Follow your own compass. Commit. Bet on yourself. Do things that scare you. Plunge into new things. The world has a whole lot of inertia. It will try to get you into its system. Into Someone else's dream. The world doesn’t want you to change it, the world wants to stay put. To build your dream, you need to relentlessly carve out a new space for your vision: Against tall odds, and whether or not anyone else believes in you. To the 4 agency owners and the 4 other SaaS startup CEOs I’ve invested in… and to the many more companies that I want to invest in in the coming years: I will believe in you even when nobody else does. We got this.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE; EVERY SUCCESSFUL PERSON HAS FACED OBSTACLES (The Journey of John: From Dejection to Triumph) John was my very close friend during high school. Ever since he was a child, John dreamed of building a business that would stand the test of time, creating a legacy that would endure for generations. His passion for success was unparalleled, and he envisioned his name being synonymous with innovation and prosperity in the business world. However, the path to greatness was fraught with challenges. John started his entrepreneurial journey with enthusiasm, but soon he encountered a series of setbacks. His first venture, a small tech startup, struggled to gain traction. Clients were scarce, funds dwindled, and the weight of failure loomed large over him. Despite his relentless efforts, John found himself on the brink of despair. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. John's initial excitement was replaced by a deep sense of dejection. He felt alone, isolated in his struggles, and began to doubt his abilities. The dream that once burned so brightly within him seemed to flicker and fade. One evening, as John sat in his small office staring blankly at his computer screen, an old friend visited him. Sensing John's distress, his friend offered a piece of advice that would change his life forever. "You are not alone, John. Every successful person has faced obstacles. What you need is a mentor, someone who has walked this path before and can guide you through these tough times." Though skeptical at first, John decided to heed his friend's advice. He reached out to a local business leader, Mr. Adewale, a respected entrepreneur known for his wisdom and experience. He agreed to mentor John, and from that moment, John's journey took a transformative turn. Under Mr. Adewale's guidance, John learned to view challenges as opportunities for growth. His mentor taught him the importance of perseverance, strategic thinking, and the value of networking. With Mr. Adewale's support, John began to rebuild his business with renewed vigor and a clear vision. John's startup gradually gained momentum. He secured funding, expanded his client base, and developed innovative solutions that set his company apart from the competition. Every time he faced a hurdle, Mr. Adewale was there to provide insight, reminding him that success was a marathon, not a sprint. Years passed, and John's business flourished. It grew from a small startup into a thriving enterprise, creating jobs and contributing to the local economy. John's story became an inspiration to many aspiring entrepreneurs in Africa. He frequently spoke at events, sharing his journey and emphasizing the importance of mentorship. John's legacy extended beyond his business success. He started a mentorship program, pairing experienced entrepreneurs with young, aspiring business owners. Through this initiative, John ensured that others would not feel alone in their struggles, just as he had once felt.