In 2008, I used to be residing in Bangalore when the Indian Premier League was born. And with it got here a workforce that will go on to show a complete technology the true which means of endurance, heartbreak, and irrational loyalty: Royal Challengers Bangalore—RCB to the initiated, “Ee Sala Cup Namde” to the eternally optimistic.
Again then, we have been all in. A brand-new cricket league? Metropolis-based franchises? Fireworks, anthems, drama? Sure please.
After which got here the matches. And the losses. And the hope. And extra losses. And, in fact, the memes.
Over time, RCB turned greater than only a workforce. It turned a shared id. A collective emotional funding. A check of religion that rivaled faith and customer support wait instances.
But—we caught with them.
By the collapses.
By the heartbreaks.
By the “we scored 49 all out, however hey, at the least the package seems to be cool” section.
After which got here 2024. After 18 lengthy seasons of “subsequent 12 months for positive,” RCB lastly did the factor.
The workforce erupted. Followers in every single place celebrated like they’d personally been handed the trophy. And Virat Kohli—our captain, warrior monk, and human volcano of ardour—lastly bought his title, after staying with the identical franchise for 18 years. That’s longer than most streaming subscriptions. Actually, it’s method longer than my consideration span.
Nevertheless it bought me pondering.
So many distribution firms I meet are identical to RCB.
They’ve been round for many years—some for over a century.
They’ve endured financial cycles, provide chain disruptions, digital transformation fatigue, tariffs, ERP “upgrades” that went sideways, and salespeople promising options the platform doesn’t even faux to have.
And nonetheless—they present up.
Nonetheless putting POs.
Nonetheless serving clients.
Nonetheless discovering a method to keep related and preserve preventing.
Like Virat, they don’t stroll away when issues get robust. They double down. They create within the subsequent technology. They preserve their eye on the prize and their coronary heart within the recreation.
As a result of they know one easy fact:
You gained’t all the time get the trophy your first season—and even your seventeenth. However for those who construct a resilient workforce, continue learning, and decide to enjoying the lengthy recreation, your breakthrough will come.
So right here’s to all of the distributors on the market. Those who’ve seen the ups and downs, the shut calls and curveballs—and are nonetheless displaying up, adapting, and competing.
You’re the RCBs of the enterprise world: loyal, gritty, battle-tested, and sure—lastly able to win.
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