Lesson: Starting is easy. Sticking around when it’s quiet, that’s what builds a legacy.

I didn’t come from the beverage industry. I was just someone who loved discovering new drinks that actually made me feel something. At first, Jivati started as a CBD water product concept, something to help people relax in social settings without needing to drink recklessly. But as I kept researching, testing, and learning, I realized I wasn’t chasing a product. I was chasing a feeling and a gap in culture that nobody had filled. The idea evolved into what Jivati is today: an Ayurvedic-inspired ready-to-drink cocktail that offers a different kind of experience, one rooted in presence, not escape. That was the spark. But turning it into something real, that’s where things got quiet.

The early momentum fades. That’s when the real test begins.

The early days were exciting. I had a meaningful brand name, a mission with a vision, random notes on my phone about other brands, scattered scribbles in notebooks about strategy, and even a vision board on my wall, manifesting everything I believed could come to life exactly as I envisioned. But the truth? I had no real roadmap, no co-founder, no advisor who fully understood the vision, and no background in the industry. I made decisions because standing still felt worse than getting it wrong.

• The hardest part wasn’t the product; it was the people. Businesses didn’t believe in it because I hadn’t learned how to cater to them yet. Investors thought they knew better because I didn’t have the right words or all the answers in those early pitches

• Everyone had an opinion, but few had context. I had to learn how to hear advice without feeling the need to defend my every move. Most people didn’t see the full picture. I did, because I was the one living and breathing it 24/7

• I would periodically hit burnouts. But I kept pushing through, not because I had the energy, but because I didn’t know any other way to keep the vision alive

There were times I’d go quiet for a day or two, shut everything off, including people, not to quit or avoid, but to recalibrate. Because when you’re a solo founder, your silence is your recovery. No one claps during the trench years. No one talks about how lonely it gets. How hard it is to ask for help when you don’t even know what to ask for or how to ask. Or how much energy it takes to keep pitching when every answer is “no” or just nothing at all. But I never thought about quitting. That’s not in me.

What kept me going wasn’t strategy. It was a survival instinct.

• I was too deep in to walk away, and too obsessed to stop thinking about it

• Even on the days I had nothing left, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this brand had a greater calling

• I didn’t just want to launch something, I needed to prove to myself that I could build something from nothing, with no safety net. And maybe, just maybe, someone else in the same position would believe they could too

Creating Jivati wasn’t just about starting a business. It was about giving voice to something that didn’t exist yet. I wasn’t just building a brand. I was building something my Indian community could finally point to and say, “That’s ours.” Something rooted in tradition, built with intention, and made to stand shoulder to shoulder with the biggest names in the industry. Not just for representation, but for legacy.

Clarity came after enough chaos.

I stopped guessing. I learned how to test faster, fail smarter, and make sharper decisions. I built a lean foundation, and now, I’m raising funds to scale it with a proven, established team that can take it further.

And for the first time, I’m not alone in the day-to-day. My younger sister stepped in this past year to help, and it shifted everything, not just the workload but the energy. It brought a deeper sense of meaning to the mission. It made the journey feel less lonely. It made the brand feel like family.

Hard truths I’ve had to learn the hard way:

• If your story’s not specific and lived, it won’t stick. Vague sounds safe, but safe doesn’t move people

• Funding doesn’t solve confusion. If you don’t know what to do with $1,000, you’ll fumble $100,000

• Most people won’t understand what you’re building, and that’s not your job to fix. Build for the ones who feel it without the pitch

• You’ll hear more “no’s” than your ego is ready for, and once you stop chasing validation, you realize you never needed permission to begin with

And yet… I still haven’t celebrated. Not really. Because deep down, I know I’m still climbing the mountain. This isn’t the part where you rest. It’s the part where you double down.

Closing Thought

Starting a company is easy. Staying in it when it’s silent, that’s the difference. It’s the commitment to keep showing up, even when no one sees you, backs you, or believes it’s worth it. The biggest belief has to come from you first. The loudest wins are always built in the quiet seasons.

So no, I haven’t made it yet. I’m just warming up.

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