What is a true luxury for founders?
Running a startup shifted my entire perspective on success and luxury. Five years into this journey, here's what I have learned...
When I started zazzy five years ago, my definition of success was painfully conventional. I thought luxury meant a corner office, working past midnight, and the constant hustle that startup culture glorifies.
If you observe closely, most people spend years and decades trying to be busy and fill their calendars, but at some point, they realize that this is not creating a movement, it is not taking them anywhere near their goal, and they are just surviving.
True luxury, I've learned, is not the above things I thought about earlier; it's the time and freedom to think deeply. It's about having those uninterrupted hours where thoughts flow naturally. It's about getting solid sleep before a major client presentation, knowing you've prepared well, not just prepared long.
I remember our early days when we'd pull all-nighters for client pitches. Sometimes we'd win, sometimes we'd lose. But here's the interesting part: our best work, the projects that turned into multi-year client relationships, came from well-rested minds and strategic thinking, not endless work hours.
At zazzy, we've built something that goes beyond just design skills. While I initially thought our competitive advantage would be pure design talent, we discovered a different kind of moat - deep industry knowledge combined with results-backed processes. One of our fintech clients scaled from 20,000 to 700k users using our frameworks. That's harder to copy than just hiring good designers.
What I've come to value most is the space to think. It's those moments when I can:
Take a slow walk to process new ideas
Sketch design concepts without interruption
Have unhurried conversations with the team about innovation
Sleep on complex problems rather than forcing immediate solutions
We've built a culture at zazzy that reflects this philosophy. Yes, we show up at 8 PM on a Saturday for a client emergency. But we also take long lunches on regular weekdays. We celebrate both the ability to sprint when needed and the wisdom to rest when possible.
I'm not saying you should work less; you need to bring structure and work better. It's about understanding that sustainable growth needs balance, not burnout. Some of our most innovative solutions emerged not from pressure-cooker situations but from moments of clarity and calm.
In today's startup world, where everyone's chasing the next big thing, the real competitive edge might be the ability to think clearly. Traditional business moats still matter, but new ones are forming. And sometimes, like us, you might realize your actual moat isn't what you started with.
Five years into this journey, I've learned that success will not come from rushing but from creating space to think. Some might call it slowing down. I call it strategic thinking space. And that might be the ultimate luxury in a world that's moving faster daily.
As founders, we need to redefine what success looks like. We have to create our own cool. It's not cool how late you stay at the office or how many weekends you work. The new cool is the impact you create, the relationships you build, and the sustainable, thoughtful way you approach growth.
That's the kind of luxury worth chasing. What's your definition of luxury?