The Resilient Founder - Mahendra Ramsinghani

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other mental health issues in our society is still highly significant, the leadership from an increasing number of visible people around their struggles is starting to make a dent in that stigma.

      After reading the near-final draft of this book, I sent Mahendra a quick email saying, “Your book is dynamite.” When he set out to write the book, he told me his goal was to write a book that provides stories, anecdotes, triggers, advice, poetry, and support of all kinds from people who have struggled with depression. He accomplished this, and much more, as he deeply explored many aspects of a high-achieving personality, which includes entrepreneurs, and deconstructed many of the challenges that can lead to or amplify existing mental health issues.

      In my most recent book, The Entrepreneur's Weekly Nietzsche: A Book for Disruptors, written with Dave Jilk, my first business partner mentioned earlier, one of the Nietzsche quotes we explore directly applies. In the chapter “Reflecting Your Light,” we deconstruct the following Nietzsche quote.

       Seeing our Light Shining – In the darkest hour of depression, sickness, and guilt, we are still glad to see others taking a light from us and making use of us as of the disk of the moon. By this roundabout route we derive some light from our own illuminating faculty.

      Mahendra – thank you for shining your light on all of us and helping entrepreneurs better understand the dynamics and eliminate the stigma around mental health.

      Brad Feld

      August 2021

      Aspen, Colorado

      Without Brad Feld's courage, transparency, vulnerability, and friendship, this book would have remained a wisp of a dream. Brad – you have been an entrepreneur, a full stack investor as an angel, a venture capitalist, a Fund of Funds manager. You have co-launched an accelerator – TechStars – that has changed the life of many founders and generated over $200 billion enterprise value – and authored multiple books. You continue to innovate, contribute, and support so many along this journey. Thank you, Brad, for bringing your expertise, wisdom, transparency, authenticity, innovation, and vigor into the start-up world – you have paved the way for a better tomorrow and give voice to the crazy ones, the misfits, the ones who stand tangent to the earth.

      Jerry Colonna, the VC-turned magician and mensch. A sage, coach, guide, and friend to CEOs – sharing insights, wisdom and a much-needed gentle wake-up kick. Many a founder's rear has been propelled in the right direction by Jerry's kindness. He no longer counts exits and IPOs, IRR, or TVPI. All he counts is what matters – the names of people who sleep better at night, thanks to his nurturing and care. This Buddha from Brooklyn has saved many a startup founder from self-destruction. Deep gratitude to Jerry for his words, wisdom, and guidance in bringing this book to light. Even when he swears, it sounds like a blessing!

      My childhood buddies, Nitin Ahuja, Chirayu Chaphekar, Nitin Mohan, and Rajesh Tihari for their steadfast friendship over 25 years of so much madness, so much laughter. My gratitude to Paddy Deshmukh, Rakesh Joshi, and Ratan Dulani who have endured my craziness for much longer than most friends. Thank you to my dear cousins, Raj Hirwani and the design maestro Sid Hirwani for ideas and inspirations.

      My family, Deepa and Aria, who sometimes believe that I have the ability to make raccoon-like noises. To Amar and Geeta, whose love and blessings have helped me become who I am.

      The journey of writing this book has been rewarding – my life continues to grow rich with purpose, resilience, adventure, joy, abundance, kindness, trust, and more.

      So thank you all, without whom this would not have been possible. As Salman Rushdie once wrote, “I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen, done, of everything done-to-me. I am everyone. Everything whose being-in-the-world affected me. And was affected by mine.”

       Self Made Man by Bobbie Carlyle

      If the journey of entrepreneurship had to be captured in an image, this would be it.

      This cover picture, right here, is worth more than all the 100,000 words in this book.

      This process of chiseling away the granite around us.

      Artist, sculptor, and creator Bobbie Carlyle says, “I was going through a particularly challenging time over 30 years ago, when I started to work on my sculpture entitled Self Made Man. As a battered wife who has experienced isolation, grief, counseling, families torn apart by divorce, death, and hardships, my art was also my own form of therapy. This was important for my growth and I hope it is for others as well.”

      Over the past three decades, Self Made Man and others of her works have been installed in universities, public installations, and homes worldwide.

      “I deliberately did not make this sculpture all smooth and shiny without rough areas. Life itself has so many rough areas. We have many challenges in life. Only if we reflect on these challenges can we search and discover ourselves. They can help us to build and grow our character. We have to be determined to succeed. Women and men who have bought the Self Made Man often share all the hardships they have been through to get to a successful point in their lives. It's an acknowledgment of the realities of life, not just the epitome of their accomplishment. And it's not about gender either. While I have created a Self Made Woman as well, this process is about our own growth. My whole life has revolved around taking care of people and my art is an extension – it cares, and hopefully brings joy, solace, and strength.”

      One of the largest commissions of Self Made Man is a 14-feet-tall 1,500-pound bronze behemoth installed at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. After the 9/11 attacks in New York, the inspiration to rebuild the spirit of America would come, in part, from this sculpture.

      And

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