For a moment, imagine yourself in the shoes of Deep Kalra, the founder of travel website MakeMyTrip.
You start an India-focused internet startup long before India becomes the destination du jour for VCs worldwide, long before Indians get comfortable with transacting online.
You build a business over a decade, wading through policy changes, technology upheavals, market disruption, and take your online travel startup from idea to IPO.
You educate the market, evangelise the concept, and acquire your nearest competitor to become the veritable 800-pound gorilla in your space, while you watch your nearest peers die or become marginalised in a brutal market.