I Spent 6 Years Building. 2025 Was the Year It All Paid Off

Looking back at 2025, it wasn't the smoothest ride, but it was the year a lot of things we'd been building for years finally started paying off.

A few moments that stand out:

The Internal Tool That Wasn't

What we initially developed as an in-house solution to our own issues became a desired thing in other brands. We have launched it to a few people, and the response has been in very humbling way. As it happens, when you work out your pain intensely enough, it will pierce others as well.

AI Becoming the Default

AI ceased to be an experimental tool, and it became the rule of thumb. Velocity went up. Burnout went down. Juniors began delivering work that would previously have had to be accompanied by seniors. The shift did not make a noise; it just occurred, week after week.

Watching an Industry Evolve

This year, the Indian e-commerce has been quicker than I have ever witnessed. Trading by talking, paying by agents, video shopping--all of that was no longer only a possibility, but a promise. You must have been blinkered over the transition.

The Hard Parts

The toughest moments? Two hard choices that we put off about people. Such discussions were painful, but made the way for all the rest to prosper. At other times, the right call can be a horrible one at the time and the obvious one afterward.

The Best Parts

It was so great to see the team rise in a manner that I would never have imagined. Individuals developing out of the positions they had never imagined they could hold. It is what makes the grind worth it.

2025 taught me something important:

Real progress rarely feels dramatic in the moment. It doesn't show up as a viral launch or a funding announcement. It feels like small, consistent bets that compound when no one's watching.

It's the infrastructure you build when no one cares yet.
The systems you refine when they're still clunky.
The people you invest in before they become irreplaceable.

None of it makes for a good tweet. But all of it matters when the moment finally arrives.

What I'm taking into 2026:

• Trust the compound effect. The boring, repetitive work of today can become a breakthrough tomorrow.
• Make the hard people decisions faster. Culture debt is still debt.
• When something works internally, don't be afraid to share it externally.
• Progress isn't about feeling productive every day. It's about looking back after a year and realizing you're somewhere completely different.

Grateful for every person who trusted us with their challenges this year—clients, teammates, and founders who shared their struggles in DMs. Those conversations shaped more than you know.

Here's to making 2026 even more intentional.

What was your biggest lesson or win from 2025?