🧠 Sridhar Ranganathan’s Post

July was a hectic month, with lots of things in motion. 3 quick lessons I learned & 3 wins: [1] Don't f*ck with momentum Momentum can take several months to build and days to lose. Something we all know and understand. But it often takes you to experience something before it hits home. I was on a roll with marketing, but I took my foot off the gas every so slightly and immediately felt the impact. Lesson learned. In business, things like this cost $$$. [2] Simple scales Related to my last point, I've realised that I'm far more consistent when I simplify things. An example of this is the new startup chat video series I've been posting on here and YT. It's raw, unedited, filmed in one take. There will always be a voice demanding more 'wow' factor, but as complexity increases, less gets done. My new personal rule is to not complain or say X is hard until I've done at least 50 reps of X (content/campaigns/headlines/sales calls, etc.). [3] Do the non-energising stuff in the mornings There are two types of activities for me: things that give me energy and things that don't. For things that fit the first bucket, I can easily do 70+ hour weeks without relying on motivation. These are often creative tasks that I enjoy. For the second bucket, these are important tasks that often get pushed to the right and feel like a grind. I've learned to complete these tasks in the morning to get onto the stuff that feels like play. 3 wins from July: - Got engaged. Lots of joy & love. - Working with a new batch of founders. New problems, new ideas, new wins being shared. Always fun. - Made new connections here on LinkedIn with interesting & smart people. The magic happens in the DMs! #b2bmarketing #startup #saas

After chatting with a16z this weekend, something clicked: we're seeing fewer exceptional founders these days. Why? Because everyone's starting with "I want to be a founder" instead of letting ideas emerge organically. My journey proves this: 1. MEA (first exit): Started by observing mobile developers getting sidelined by advertisers in 2009. No master plan. Just curiosity that turned into an opportunity. 2. Baskit (acquired by Fortune 1000): Born from a late-night conversation about shopping cart abandonment. Classic "what if we tried this?" moment. 3. GoMblty (acquired by Envoy): While everyone was building Bird and Lime, I stayed in the background consulting. Noticed corporates and universities needed private mobility solutions. Built exactly that. But here's the real talk: My three biggest failures? All came from trying to force a business into existence. Perfectly planned. Carefully strategized. And completely wrong about what the market wanted. The truth about exceptional companies? - They rarely start with business plans - They emerge from genuine curiosity - They solve problems others overlook - They pivot fast when needed Full breakdown on the three paths to building companies in this week's newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gHVejWeK What's your story? Did you set out to be a founder, or did you stumble into it? 👇

When gratitude feels too big for words—this post is my way of saying THANK YOU, Shriti Ojha 🙌 Hell yeah, when I have questions, whether big or small, the answer is always just a call away. And that answer? It’s often from an amazing friend. In 2021, when I thought SaaS was just a fancy acronym, you stepped in. —you basically kicked it open and showed me through (with love, of course). 🚪➡️ You introduced me to a world I never imagined I’d dive into. I will always be grateful for that. Honestly, words can’t express how much I appreciate everything you’ve done to help me grow, both personally and professionally. From explaining how SaaS isn't just "software that sassily solves problems" to showing me the ropes of how startups breathe, grow, and thrive, you’ve been my go-to inspiration, my sounding board, and my compass in this ever-evolving world. ☺️ I just wanted to take a quick moment to say thanks for all those late night G-meet calls where we brainstormed ideas, discuss the SaaS trends  and future of startups to patiently answering my endless questions, you’ve been my guiding star through it all and so much more — you’ve been by my side every step of the way. I've learned so much, laughed even more thanks for always cheering me on and for the endless supply of coffee. ☕ Cheers to all friends who turn into mentors, and mentors who turn into lifelong friends. Happy Thanksgiving! 🥂 🌻 #Thanksgiving #Gratitude #SaaSAdventure

Sometimes, I would wake up in the morning and discover to my utter surprise that I could play songs on the guitar that I couldn't play the day before. I know it sounds unreal, but this happened to me again and again. 📌 TL;DR Taking my time off to connect with early-stage startups aiming for broad market impact. Ping me if you'd like to meet up, tell me about someone who should, or keep reading to see how I elegantly transition from my personal story to a generic, relatable, work-related Linkedin post 📌 Back to my guitar. During my middle school days, when I was learning to play the instrument, it wasn't uncommon for me to hurl it sideways when I couldn't master a particular lick. But after taking a break and returning to it later, I would often find, to my astonishment, that I was now nailing the segments that had previously stumped me. Astonishingly, my skills had improved during the time away. These concepts for learning and development are known as spaced repetition and incubation, or as my good friend Yoni Douek accurately refers to them 'offline learning'. It's essentially taking a break from learning or from working on a problem and letting your brain process the information subconsciously. When you return to it later, you've made progress while not proactively doing any work. Kind of like that slacker colleague who takes credit for all the long hours you put in. I'm looking right at you, Jeff. Anyway, doing just that - stopping the grind and pausing the daily practice is crucial, and paradoxically that's when you could make your greatest growth and development. And that's what I'm doing these days. After leaving monday.com, I took the time to pause the daily practice, reflect on past experiences, contemplate on the next chapter and mostly learn. I've done it before in my career and I highly recommend it. Honestly, these are always the most transformative milestones for me. Currently, I invest my professional time in my development and I found that THE MOST effective and interesting method of advancement for me, is by meeting with great folks. So, if you're an early-stage startup looking to scale, or a founder eager to shoot the breeze about marketing - hit me up. Alternatively, know someone who should? Let me know. Jam session requests submitted separately.

💡Have you Heard of Productive Detour: This happened in Bengaluru⌛️ ▶️The IT capital of India-Bengaluru-has developed an infamous reputation in the past decade or more for its regular traffic gridlocks in different parts of the city, resulting in extreme levels of frustration among commuters. ▶️However, sometimes, traffic snarls can turn into an an opportunity to discuss valuable business ideas between commuters as was seen recently when a startup co-founder and colleague found themselves stuck in traffic at the same location and decided to use the time to brainstorm ideas for their forthcoming venture. ▶️Before moving to Bengaluru, I heard about the startup vibe and the crazy traffic. Today, they merged! Stuck at a red light, @_shivamsr and I brainstormed our new onboarding flow. We were late to the office, but it was a productive detour!" Ankit Parasher, the co-founder SALT and Lets Transport wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday. ▶️The post saw a lot of user comments, who gave their own views on the prevailing traffic situation in the city. ▶️How about introducing WFT (Work From Traffic) as new work model. On Monday at another red signal, you can have brainstorming over this model and it's nitty gritties. ▶️Traffic proved to be productive. But, it should be this way, captivate time, it will power you in the longer run," another user wrote. Agree? 🔥💯🚀 Follow Sukrit Wadhawan for more 🚀

Reflecting on my first 6 months after quitting my job 🧘 This afternoon, I took some time to reflect on my journey, and I’m feeling both proud and content. 💪 Many days some doubt is creeping in: » Could I have made more progress if I had spent less time on personal branding? » Did I have to buy these tools? My runway would be longer if I hadn’t or skipped that lunch with my friend. » Why are other founders more successful in securing subsidies or more efficient with content creation? Can I even make this work? » Should I have taken those weekends off? Can a founder afford such breaks? » I’ve wasted time on irrelevant content and have missed out on startup and AI articles. Am I truly at the top of my game? When I’m reflecting, I notice the shift from insecurity and dissatisfaction to pride and gratitude. ↪️ So here’s another way to look at it: In the past six months, I left a fulfilling job with a decent salary to pursue a career that aligns with my purpose. And I’ve found it. 💚 I’ve expanded my network, deepened my AI and startup knowledge, identified a problem worth solving and shaped a concept: With SAM, found a technical mentor and future cofounder, met supportive individuals, delivered value to early-stage sustainable startups, and showcased my expertise in Q&A settings (which I love 🤩). All while boosting my energy, together raising our 2-year-old, managing a mortgage, make time for my partner and even fitting in some kitesurfing when possible. ❤️🔥 I'm happy, I've grown and I've progressed in six months! I can do more, and better and I’m committed to pushing myself harder in the next half-year, as well as make sure to acknowledge and by proud of my progress. Jotting down the goals for the next half year right now, and let’s go! 🚀 #StartupSuccess #buildinginpublic #founder #goals -—————————— ➕ 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼: 🚀 Get through the early startup stages 💚 Startup with love for the planet

Ok, we really f*cked up.... 😬 So, we recently iterated a little on the two ways we help startup people teams... 1️⃣ Community (A.K.A "Individual membership") 2️⃣ On-Demand, monthly support to help you design, build & manage your culture (which we called 'company membership') Crucially, both are specifically for people teams... but cater for different needs... Now here's the f*ck up... 😅 SO many people have since assumed 'company membership' = 'something all our employees access", rightly saying "nope, we don't need that". Cue many late nights, and an unplanned further iteration from us to reposition & message the work we do with people teams outside of community membership...🥁 👉 "On Demand Culture Design" 👉 For Busy Startup People Teams" 👉 £299pm ($379) | Rolling monthly, built flexibly for startups 💭 Picture this.. You're a small startup people team, spinning multiple plates, stretched thin and trying to learn as you go. You want to pour your heart into people experience & culture but you're drowning in ER & compliance. You lack the time, support & insight you need to do this well. We have built this intentionally for you 🖤… 👉 Monthly Culture Design Sessions for you & your people team 👉 Between sessions we work asynchronously to research, ideate, prototype, build with & for you. 👉 2x coaches (Me & John) on-demand, in your pocket to help you navigate those unexpected, flammable moments that stress-test trust. 👉 Access to some incredible diagnostics, data & benchmarks to bring colour & context to your people roadmap. 👉 + an entire peer-community in your corner on Slack, with 1x community membership; events, roundtables, and 240+ mind-blowingly incredible people peers. Here's the clincher... If you've not worked with us before, the first session is on us so you can put us to the test first 🙂 Check out the new page & book in some time with us through there! ☕ 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eeyhBBP5

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝘂𝗽, 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁-𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 🚀 Remember that game-changing feature in our last release? It was born from a casual chat with a frustrated user. In startup land, customer feedback doesn't just get logged—it becomes our north star. 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝘀 (𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲) 🚀 One day, I'm deep-diving into churn analytics. The next, I'm collaborating with Product on our roadmap. By evening, I might be strategizing with our CEO on scaling our success ops. The learning curve is steep, but the view is spectacular. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁—𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆'𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 🚀 Customer Success isn't just a team here—it's our company's pulse. We're not just managing accounts; we're cultivating relationships that fuel our growth. Every upsell, every renewal, is a vote of confidence in our vision. 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻, 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮-𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 🚀 Long hours? Sometimes. But when you're deeply connected to the mission and can see the direct impact of your work on revenue and customer outcomes, it doesn't feel like work. It feels like purpose. 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 🚀 Our customers' challenges are our innovation fuel. Being at the intersection of customer needs and product development is like having a superpower in the startup world. Sure, we don't have the cushy budgets of big corps. But when you're helping shape the future of an industry, who needs free lunches? #StartupLife #CustomerSuccess #CS #RevenueGrowth #InnovationEngine

What an evening 🥃 🍸 🍔 🧠 Since the end of my daily commute back in 2020, I’m very selective about when and why I take the train into London… I’m so glad I chose to this evening, thanks to an invitation from Krishna Panicker. The Sifted x Product Land x EQT Ventures party at Mr Fogg’s House of Botanicals (yes, very hip 19th century vibe) was exactly what my socially-starved extroverted homeworker brain needed. And it wasn’t just the EQT branded icecubes in the Old Fashioneds, either. Roman Zomko inspired me with his experience of tech startup growth against all odds in Lviv, Ukraine, proving beyond all reasonable doubt the power of humour and resilience 💙💪. With us was Rafael Chaves Lopes and beyond chatting about Marvel vs DC, his experience using ML and LLMs to help companies iterate fast and find product market fit in his startup, #StarmanAI, was a pretty cool use case I think we’re going to see much more of in the years to come. I’m super grateful for the advice and recommendations from ex-Productboard CPO Dave Killeen - tooling is a big topic at Flip right now, so this was exactly the leg-up I needed. Of course, catching up with my old friends Nicola and Krishna was always going to be a highlight. Krishna, your journey at Pipedrive and now Airbase is an inspiration to me - if you don’t write the book on Value Stacking soon, I’m going to do it for you. Then, right at the end in came ex-Apple PM Florence Jumpp and I feel like we bonded over a mutual love of culture, PLG, and how to build empowered R&D teams. There’s only one key takeaway from all this: People Power Product. 💪

Scaleup life 🚀 Working at a scaleup is incredibly rewarding - I’ve learned a ton and genuinely love the journey. But it's often glamorised with stories of rapid growth, innovation, and the thrill of being part of something ground-breaking. There's another side to it that doesn’t get as much attention. Even at a fast-growing company, there are plenty of days where you just have to get the work done. ➡ Sometimes, you have to "dig where you stand" despite the growth. ➡ Processes are built on the fly, so there’s a lot of trial and error. ➡ As the team grows, maintaining a cohesive and collaborative culture becomes more challenging. ➡ Scaling rapidly brings its own set of challenges - what worked for a small team may not be effective for a larger one. That said, working at a scaleup is an experience I’ve come to love, but it's important to understand the less glamorous aspects. It’s not just about the destination but also about being in it for the journey. What are your experiences of working at a scaleup? Agree or disagree? And, happy Thursday ya'll - I'm in true vacation mode 🌴 #scaleuplife