Important Pillars of a Business

Running a business for the last 8 years - 3 years in my previous organization and 5 years in my own startup has taught me lessons that no book or MBA can teach. Looking back, I have realised that every business, whether big or small, stands on four core pillars: team, strategy, execution and capital.

1. Team

A good team can run your business.

A bad team can break it.

In my startup, I didn’t have the luxury of building a large team. We were only 4–5 people, and due to limited funds, I ended up doing most of the work myself. There were days when I played the role of product designer, data analyst, content creator, educator, business manager, administrator, accountant, graphic designer and even video editor.

It was stressful, but it made me extremely skillful. And in today’s world, skill matters. If you have a strong team, value them. If you don’t, build yourself until you can.

2. Strategy

Most of the time, I planned everything on my own - how to achieve monthly targets, how to acquire users within limited budgets, how to improve the product without burning money.

Some strategies worked, some didn’t. But I made sure every plan aligned with my startup’s values and long-term goals. I never wanted to blindly follow trends. I focused on creating real value that could last.

At times, ideas came to me on the spot, especially when I needed quick revenue, and many of those ideas worked. The biggest lesson is simple: plan with clarity, improvise when needed, and don’t be afraid to move fast. If something works, refine it. If it doesn’t, learn from it and move forward.

Even planning content became important because poorly structured content can shoot up AWS bills. These small things matter more than we think.

3. Execution

You can plan endlessly, but without proper execution, none of it holds value.

I always made sure I executed everything with whatever resources I had. Whether it was creating digital content, meeting monthly sales targets, managing marketing campaigns, increasing student performance or updating our digital channels, I gave my best.

After every execution, I analysed what could be improved and made changes accordingly. Good strategy depends on good execution. Without execution, nothing moves.

4. Capital

This was the toughest part of my journey.

Capital is the fuel for every business.

In my previous organization, before COVID, I helped scale the company to an 8-figure revenue through education. But when I started my own startup during COVID, the entire environment had changed.

I invested all my savings into building the platform. Revenues grew initially, but once lockdowns ended, market behaviour changed, customer priorities shifted and funds started drying up. I carried the entire financial weight alone.

I even started an offline model, and although we built a strong reputation, finances remained tight. Loan EMIs, AWS bills, unexpected expenses and operational costs added pressure every month.

I created pitch decks, approached VCs and angel investors, but I didn’t receive positive responses. Many times, I questioned myself about what real value I could offer them. But despite everything, I am proud that my startup remained completely bootstrapped for five years.

Still, I know things could have been better if I had more people to help execute my ideas.

The main lesson is that capital is not just money. It is planning, managing costs and knowing when to expand and when to pause.

Just, sharing some final thoughts. Entrepreneurship is a long journey. If you are planning to start something, do not jump in blindly. Understand your field deeply and work on these core pillars first: team, strategy, execution and capital. Everything else follows.

These eight years have taught me more about business, people, resilience and myself than I ever expected. I hope sharing my experiences helps someone who is starting their own journey.