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It would make sense for me to reach out to my EZ Texting co-founders for a guest post. Not only were we born within a decade of each other, and have a shared life experience, but we’re also bound by the experience of building CallFire together (now EZ Texting).
EZ Texting started as CallFire in 2006. Freed by a US Green Card to forge my own path, I would come aboard in 2007. We grew the company through sweat equity, weathered the 2008 great recession, the TSR lockdown, and numerous other legal, operational and technical challenges.
In 2012, five first-time founders raised their first-ever funds as a Series A, to do their first-ever acquisition—EZ Texting. Five years later, we would raise a Series B round, doubling valuation.
Of the original five, three of us have since gone our different ways, but Vijesh (CEO) and Punit (CMO) continue to steer EZ Texting as it completes its second decade of text marketing leadership. Naturally, I reached out to them to ask what they’d say to today’s entrepreneur.
Editor’s note: This is the fourteenth in a series of guest posts where people from all walks of life share their best advice in times like these. A big thanks to the leaders who volunteered to share their life experiences. Reflection on the past is a deeply personal exercise. The willingness to share it with the world, especially in the written form, is a commendable act of vulnerability. For this alone, they have my deepest gratitude.
My Best Advice — Vijesh Mehta
I’ve learned some of the most valuable lessons through experiences that tested the resilience and flexibility of both myself and the company. These lessons shaped my perspective on startup leadership and the importance of being light on your feet to pivot when necessary.
One of the first realizations that I faced in business is that there are often events that feel like they could end everything we’ve worked for. These can range from fierce competition and market shifts, to internal challenges like lawsuits, or personnel problems. In my early years, each of these problems could feel like a knockout blow, threatening to derail everything. However, I learned that resilience is key. By maintaining focus on the business, our customers, our employees, and our product, we kept our sights on the larger vision. In most cases, these challenges passed, and we emerged stronger. And there were also times we had to pivot quickly, and we did. This strengthened the idea that flexibility and adaptability are crucial for survival and success.
Another lesson through the startup years was understanding the importance of focusing on goals and problems. In the heat of challenging times, it’s easy to play the blame game or make black-and-white decisions based on perceived accountability. I learned that this approach is counterproductive to a fast-moving business. By shifting the focus from who is responsible for a problem, to how we can solve it, or question our original thesis, we fostered a solution-oriented environment.
Lastly, the power of a clear, compelling story became evident to me as a crucial leadership tool. It’s easy for the vision and mission to become muddled or complex if it comes from a to-do list or annual goals. What always works for me is to take everything that we feel is important, and craft a story behind it in a way that everyone in the company can understand, and rally behind that mission. This narrative isn’t just a marketing tool; it’s a shared understanding that guides us through decisions and the inevitable curve ball. This clarity of purpose has been instrumental in keeping us aligned.
These lessons weren’t learned overnight. They were the result of facing and overcoming numerous challenges. Our ability to stay adaptable, with a commitment to clear communication, and a focus on solving problems, has been key to thriving as a business.
And so, my best advice is to “be ready to change quickly when the execution story or thesis don’t match reality. The ability to pivot and adjust are keys to survival. Flexibility at the cost of your own ego will help the business survive.”
My Best Advice — Punit Shah
“Throughout the journey, there have been great times and not-so-great times. But one thing seems to ring true – that empathy for your counterparts and teammates, and gratitude for their contributions, produces outsized results, overcomes adversarial differences, accelerates learning, and cultivates a culture of candid and committed partners and community in a reliable and consistent way. To acknowledge customers, teams, people, and their challenges with our individual curiosity, thoughtfulness, and respect is like a magic wand for businesses that want growth. Empathy takes what would normally be cold, haphazard and mediocre and instead creates the space, time, and support needed to be intentional, insightful, and game-changing.
In short, my best advice is – empathy is a superpower. It’s an ability we each hold within ourselves to cultivate greatness.”
