Divyaa Advaani 

There is a particular performance that most accomplished founders have been giving for so long they no longer recognise it as a performance at all. Every conversation is an opportunity to demonstrate expertise. Every room is a stage for what they already know. Questions feel like exposure. Admitting uncertainty feels like weakness. And so they perform knowledge confidently, fluently, convincingly even when genuine curiosity would serve them infinitely better. Even when the person across from...

Most successful founders have two versions of themselves. The version that shows up when the room matters — when the client is important, the investor is watching, the contact is useful. Engaged, warm, present, generous with their time and attention. And the version that shows up for everyone else. The customer who walked in without an appointment. The person at the networking table who cannot obviously give them anything. The room that feels inconsequential. They do not think of it as a...

There is a particular kind of founder who is excellent at selling the value of investment to their clients. They make compelling cases for why their product, their service, their expertise is worth every rupee. They speak confidently about ROI, about long-term value, about the cost of not acting. They close well. And then, when it comes to investing in themselves — in their own growth, their own presence, their own brand — something entirely different happens. They look for free. They find...