I’ve often heard people use the expression \u201clearn from your mistakes.\u201d It’s really valuable, but I am going to offer up a new one: learn from your successes. Often, we celebrate a win but don’t examine the reasons behind it. We ignore the reasons for success, especially the quiet, unseen roles others played in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’ve tried to use that mantra often. Back in 2009, when I was younger and naive, I signed up to volunteer at NASSCOM\u2019s product conclave. The program manager was a man called Rajan. He was a genius at organising conferences. He knew the levers to pull; he knew how to motivate and empower people. But in 2010, he pulled out of organising the event. And the responsibility fell to me. It was like my worst nightmare came to life. But then I met Vijay Rayapati. He was an entrepreneur trying to find his feet, and we connected. One evening, I persuaded Vijay to go out for a dinner with me. A few hours into that loud evening, I confessed to Vijay I was afraid I would mess this up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be. I am with you,\u201d Vijay replied with all earnestness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His belief in me energised me, and we managed to pull off a successful event. For the past 15 years, every time I\u2019ve had the opportunity to organise an event, I try to look for a Vijay again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 2025 version of Vijay was Shruti and Ashwin. The two were earnest pillars of support that SaaSBoomi leaned on to successfully execute Annual 2025. Even if one was pulled away in meetings, the other stepped up and rallied the troops. Through our planning stages, I never felt alone. They were with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During our post-event week of rest, I scribbled down some of what I had learned from this conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For an event that drew over 1,350+ people worldwide, the core team is just NINE people and ~60 volunteers. These 60 volunteers have day jobs, companies and teams to run, products to perfect, and customers to placate. Without these champions, we couldn\u2019t build and curate this community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we kicked off preparations for the Annual five months ago, almost everyone on the team juggled travel and other commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But no matter how busy the week, the team showed up on Thursday evening calls to present updates with camaraderie and responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without these champions, we couldn\u2019t build and curate this community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many people tell me that the Annual\u2019s ambitious programme \u2014 with speeches, mixers, performances, and networking sessions \u2014 feels like it is planned down to the second. Here\u2019s the secret: It is not. The reason behind its success is simply that we keep things loosely and flexibly structured. It works because everyone is driven by the cause and excited about their part. And all the action flows freely and seamlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SaasBoomi has always stood for accountability without pressure. The Annual is no different. We identified four or five essential tracks, assigned a WhatsApp group to each, and asked them to keep a red, yellow, or green dot in the status to indicate how work was progressing. Gamification meant everyone was playful and eager to move their dots to yellow or green. That is all the nudging it took.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those involved, wrapping up the Annual is an emotional moment. A few shoutouts here: Krish for coming on board this year, Varun Shoor for co-designing the program, Keerthi for continuing to be a big support for the program team, Nivedha, and Sathya for programme management and ensuring slides were in order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n