In 2008, I was living in Bangalore when the Indian Premier League was born. And with it came a team that would go on to teach an entire generation the true meaning of patience, heartbreak, and irrational loyalty: Royal Challengers Bangalore—RCB to the initiated, “Ee Sala Cup Namde” to the eternally optimistic.
Back then, we were all in. A brand-new cricket league? City-based franchises? Fireworks, anthems, drama? Yes please.
And then came the matches. And the losses. And the hope. And more losses. And, of course, the memes.
Over the years, RCB became more than just a team. It became a shared identity. A collective emotional investment. A test of faith that rivaled religion and customer service wait times.
Yet—we stuck with them.
Through the collapses.
Through the heartbreaks.
Through the “we scored 49 all out, but hey, at least the kit looks cool” phase.
And then came 2024. After 18 long seasons of “next year for sure,” RCB finally did the thing.
The team erupted. Fans everywhere celebrated like they’d personally been handed the trophy. And Virat Kohli—our captain, warrior monk, and human volcano of passion—finally got his title, after staying with the same franchise for 18 years. That’s longer than most streaming subscriptions. Honestly, it’s way longer than my attention span.
But it got me thinking.
So many distribution companies I meet are just like RCB.
They’ve been around for decades—some for over a century.
They’ve endured economic cycles, supply chain disruptions, digital transformation fatigue, tariffs, ERP “upgrades” that went sideways, and salespeople promising features the platform doesn’t even pretend to have.
And still—they show up.
Still placing POs.
Still serving customers.
Still finding a way to stay relevant and keep fighting.
Like Virat, they don’t walk away when things get tough. They double down. They bring in the next generation. They keep their eye on the prize and their heart in the game.
Because they know one simple truth:
You won’t always get the trophy your first season—or even your 17th. But if you build a resilient team, keep learning, and commit to playing the long game, your breakthrough will come.
So here’s to all the distributors out there. The ones who’ve seen the ups and downs, the close calls and curveballs—and are still showing up, adapting, and competing.
You’re the RCBs of the business world: loyal, gritty, battle-tested, and yes—finally ready to win.
