If I had to choose a moment that defines the idea of SaaSBoomi, it would be Girish opening up his marketing playbook of how he scaled from $1 mn to $5 mn. He was sharing his secret sauce of marketing, and he did so without any hesitation. It helped other SaaS founders and also encouraged others to openly share their playbooks with pride.
One of the reasons SaaSBoomi is not a ‘yet-another-community’ is because of the honest sharing of hard-earned lessons by the pioneers of our Indian SaaS story. Founders like Girish, Krish, Suresh, and countless others generously shared their playbook, they gave their time, energy, and effort to help and support the growth of other SaaS founders.
When we started SaaSBoomi, we were a scrappy bunch of SaaS founders, united by a shared passion for building something incredible. We volunteered our time for this cause and weren’t afraid to share our early struggles, celebrate each other’s wins, and collectively learn from our mistakes. It was a space of giving.
I was having a discussion with Avinash, the driving force behind SaaSBoomi, the other day, and we spoke about the struggles of maintaining the sanctity and the original, founding culture and ethos of a community even as it grows and scales rapidly. It is extraordinary, the way SaaSBoomi has grown; thousands of founders and others have benefitted immensely.
But even as our community thrives, I have noticed a shift. More and more, discussions at our events seem focused on self-promotion and sales pitches. Don’t get me wrong, networking and finding new customers is important. But, there is a time and place for it.
Here’s the thing, a healthy community is built when givers give. You must have heard of the Givers Vs Takers mindset. This is a concept that is close to my heart. I am a firm believer in the idea that “giving” without worrying about what you get in return is the right approach, and, in my experience, you do get something in return eventually.
If SaaSBoomi becomes about taking and not about giving, it comes at the expense of the very thing that brought us together – genuine knowledge-sharing and camaraderie. If we move away from this foundational idea, founders who are here to learn and to give back will start staying away, which is not helpful for the growth and well-being of our beloved community.
I believe, like I have experienced personally, founders who are a part of SaaSBoomi or who are attending an event organised by the community would benefit immensely by focusing on giving. Spend time, share your mistakes, share your best practices, and guide those who are now at the stage you were at earlier.
The power to protect and maintain the sanctity and culture of SaaSBoomi lies with each of us founders who make up this community.
By giving back, we create a vibrant ecosystem where everyone benefits. New founders get the guidance they need, experienced founders discover fresh perspectives, and the entire community thrives. Ultimately, this collaborative spirit attracts others who value genuine connection.
Let’s not let our community become just another networking platform, not another SaaStr or WebSummit. Let’s hold onto the core values that brought us together: openness, collaboration, and a shared desire to help each other succeed.
SaaSBoomi was conceived as a community for founders, by founders to learn and grow. Give without expecting anything in return. Trust me, it will come around. It is this mindset and thought that will make us a product nation. We have something wonderful in our hands and protecting this community is our responsibility. Let’s not fritter it away.
