How I Started 2026

Hey Beyonder!

Happy New Year!

Okay, let me tell you how my 2026 started. It's funny now. It wasn't funny then.

The New Year's Eve Disaster

December 31st was perfect. We went out. We screamed "Happy New Year!" to random people on the road. Had amazing coffee. Had an even better dinner.

I came back home feeling great. Best start to a year ever, right?

Then I locked myself out. With the keys inside.

Yeah.

I just stood there at my door. Keys were sitting on my table. I could almost see them through the door. But I couldn't get in.

I made a video about it later. Because if you can't laugh at yourself, what's the point?

But standing there that night, I realized something. Sometimes the year starts exactly how it needs to. A little bumpy. A little unexpected. But that's what makes it interesting.

A Coffee That Changed My Week

Last week, I met Prabir.

We worked together at Zoho. Then he joined TownScholar for a while. He added a lot of value during his time with us.

Now he works with Varun Maya. Varun Maya is one of the biggest creators in India. And he's built something really smart - an ecosystem of businesses.

Prabir and I sat down. We talked about this ecosystem idea. How do you build multiple businesses that support each other? How do you create something bigger than just one thing?

We were just ideating. Throwing ideas around. Nothing concrete yet.

But it got me thinking. I'm building TownScholar. I'm creating content. I have the podcast. What if all of this could connect better? What if there's a bigger picture I'm not seeing yet?

I don't have answers. Just questions. And that's exciting.

The Friends Who Keep You Real

Here's my favorite part of last week.

My college friend Gowda Navin came to Chennai. He had an exam here. So we hung out a couple of times.

And you know what?

Nothing changed.

I mean, my life has changed a lot since college. I run a business now. I have 600K followers. I do podcasts. I speak at events.

But when I'm with Gowda? None of that matters.

He doesn't care about my follower count. He doesn't ask about my business numbers. He's just... there. Like we're back in college. Like nothing changed.

We just talked. We laughed. We hung out.

And honestly? That's exactly what I needed.

Why Old Friends Matter

I've been thinking about this a lot.

When you're building something, everyone treats you differently. Clients see you as a service provider. Followers see you as a content creator. New friends see you as "the successful guy."

But old friends? They see you as YOU.

They remember when you had no followers. When you were figuring things out. When you were just another person trying to survive college.

They don't put you on a pedestal. They don't expect you to always have the answers. They're just there.

And that's rare. Really rare.

In a world where everything is about building, growing, and winning, having people who just accept you? That's everything.

The Year Ahead

So yeah. The year started bumpy. Locked out on day one. Classic.

But I'm excited. Really excited.

I have so many ideas buzzing in my head. Things I want to try. Experiments I want to run. Content I want to create.

Some will work. Some won't. That's fine.

The point is to try. To experiment. To see what happens.

And I want you to come along for this ride.

A Thought for You

Here's what I'm realizing: Success is great. Growth is amazing. But don't forget the people who knew you before all of it.

The friends who don't care about your achievements. The ones who just show up. The ones who keep you grounded.

Those people are your real wealth.

So this week, reach out to an old friend. Someone you haven't talked to in a while. Someone who knew you before everything changed.

Have a coffee. Have a conversation. Just be present.

You'll be surprised how good it feels.

Let's Meet?

Here's something I've been thinking about. I really want to meet all of you Beyonders.

We've been on this journey together. You read my stories every week. I share my life with you. But we've never actually met.

So I'm thinking - what if we did an offline meeting? All of us. Just hanging out. Talking. Sharing stories.

Would you be interested? Hit reply and let me know. If enough people want this, let's make it happen.

Over to You

Thank you for sticking with me through last year. For reading every newsletter. For replying to my emails. For being part of this journey.

2026 is going to be different. I can feel it.

Let's make it count.

See you next Wednesday!

Cheers,

Epaphra

P.S. Reply and tell me. Sometimes the best ideas come from unexpected places!