Hard Work, Product Focus & Independence
On Hard Work, Building Great Products, and What Independence Means to Me
Hi Everyone,
This week was on the slower side for me. I caught a viral infection last Sunday, which meant Monday and Tuesday were complete bed rest. By Wednesday and Thursday, I managed to get back to work, though with fewer meetings and a slower pace. Thankfully, this long weekend is giving me enough time to fully recover.
💪🏻 Hard Work
That downtime also gave me space to reflect on a quote by Steve Jobs that I’ve always resonated with:
“I’ve never found in my whole life that you could convince someone who doesn’t want to work hard to work hard.”
For founders, the constant challenge is to find those rare hard-working people and then nurture them. Because you can’t train someone to want to work hard.
🧘🏻♂️ Product Focus
On a similar note, one thing that deeply disappoints me these days is how many founders are not product-focused. Your number one priority should always be building the best possible offering for the price point. Improving your product requires relentless effort and yet, many shy away from this grind. Instead, they pour their energy into sales, marketing, and branding.
These are essential, yes, but without a strong product, even Steve Jobs himself couldn’t sell it. Remember, even Apple under Jobs had its share of failures like the Apple Lisa, Macintosh TV, and the Newton.
Great branding can’t save a weak product.
🇮🇳 Independence Day 2025
As we celebrate Independence Day 2025, I want to touch on something personal. Often, when I mention my asthma, people tell me, “You should shift abroad, India is not for you.”
I smile because they don’t realize the struggles people with asthma face outside India too. Yes, we have a long way to go in terms of awareness and prevention here, but one thing I truly believe is that India offers affordable healthcare.
That belief is at the core of Asthma Friend, to build awareness around asthma in India and help reduce asthma-related deaths in the country.
Lastly, in our Digidarts Briefcase series, we revisited some iconic ad campaigns from the past. It’s always fascinating to see how creativity and context shaped consumer behavior across generations.
Wishing you all a restful long weekend and a meaningful Independence Day. 🇮🇳