Luxury Branding for exclusive leaders that magnetically attracts high-end clients | Founder of Lisse Élégance™ | Follow for Luxury Branding & Quiet Leadership insights

Everyone wants a luxury brand, and I can show you 
how to build one that commands premium prices 
and magnetically attracts the right clients. 

As a Luxury Brand Strategist & Visual Design Leader, 
I help CEO’s & C-Suite, Founders, and Entrepreneurs 
turn their business into an elegant, timeless brand 
that radiates trust, authority, and sophistication, 
building a luxurious lifestyle as a result. 

Results: 

➤ Featured in 2 prestigious global publications 
    alongside other high-end Luxury brands, 
    showcasing the power of luxury branding 
    as a business multiplier 

➤ Visual Design Leader for 500+ world-class accounts 
   (Charles Schwab, Fortune 500 companies, 
    Tech Startups) 

➤ Top 3% Creator Worldwide (Brand) 

Here’s how I can help you: 

- Craft a cohesive luxury brand system across all media 
- Position your business to command premium prices 
- Build a magnetic, heritage-driven brand world 
   that elevates trust and authority 

Beyond branding, I find balance in tennis, yoga, running, 
and long walks. Starting my day with a great cup of tea 
while listening to music, reading, and writing helps me 
sharpen clarity. These simple rituals remind me that 
true luxury is found in both stillness and legacy. 

If you’re ready to stop leaving money on the table, 
step into your next level of authority, and elevate 
your brand into a world of timeless elegance 
— welcome, you’re in the right place. 

Thank you for taking the time to visit! 🖤

Emily Rossetta

Introverted leaders’ true advantage: 

→ High emotional intelligence (EQ) 

Research shows that introverted leaders 
have 2 key valuable assets: 

→ More innovative and engaged teams 
→ Higher employee and client retention 

8 Additional Benefits of Leaders with High EQ: 

1 / Authentic 
2 / Innovative 
3 / Empathetic 
4 / Deep Thinker 
5 / Active Listener 
6 / People-First Approach 
7 / Thoughtful Decision Maker 
8 / Openly Receptive to New Ideas 

When we embrace quiet leadership 
and share our authentic selves, 
others feel more comfortable 
doing the same. 

Often, this allows teams to thrive. 

Promoting innovation, 
collaboration, and engagement. 

And ultimately leads to increased 
employee and client retention. 

Paving the way for the company 
to achieve profound success. 

“People who have a high spiritual intelligence 
  don’t just read words. They read moods, 
  they read energy, they read vibes and 
  body language. Their senses are supreme. 
  They might not say much, but they 
  notice everything.” (Unknown source) 

Cheers to the introverts! 

Have introverted leaders made a difference 
in your life? 

I’d love to hear. 


Thanks for reading! 


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Research Credit: Forbes 
Image Credit: Pinterest

Luxury Brand Leader | Creating timeless brands for exclusive C-Suite, Founders, & Entrepreneurs | Founder of Lisse Élégance™ | Follow for Luxury Branding & Quiet Leadership insights

Run your own race. 

This is the mindset that most top 1% leaders embrace: 

(And it’s many top Luxury Brands’ philosophy) 

99% of people don’t realize the rest is just noise. 

I was talking to a multi-million dollar entrepreneur 
last week, who was struggling to gain visibility. 

My solution? 

It’s all about distinction 
and how you differentiate yourself. 

At times, we all feel it. 

Self-doubt 
Envious 
Stuck 
Lost 

Feeling like someone else’s life, career, 
or success is better than our own. 

But the harsh truth is that the grass 
is truly greenest where you water it. 

Here are 5 ways you can stop comparing yourself 
to others and start thriving: 

1 / Reality check 

     → What you see in front of you 
          is usually not the full picture 

     → Behind every “perfect” life is hard work 
          and challenges you don’t see 

     → Reflect: Would I really trade everything, 
          or just the highlight reel? 

2 / Invest in what truly moves the needle 

     → Invest in yourself instead of watching others 

     → Small daily wins ultimately grow into 
          profound success over time 

     → Set 1 small goal today, then celebrate it 

3 / Comparison detox 

     → Limit your time on social media 
          if it makes you feel inferior 

     → Follow people who inspire you, 
          not trigger you 

     → Track your own progress, 
          not someone else’s 

4 / Shift your mindset to gratitude 

     → When you envy someone, flip it: 
          Ask yourself: What am I grateful for? 

     → Write down 3 things you love 
          about your life right now 

     → Gratitude shifts focus from 
          scarcity to abundance 

5 / Focus on your own path 

     → Your path to success is unique, 
          it’s often not linear 

     → Comparing paths is a waste of energy, 
          instead use it to build your own path 

     → These are all yours - Your journey, 
          your timeline, your wins 

Life is a marathon, not a sprint. 

Fully appreciating what you have 
while relentlessly focusing on 
achieving your long-term goals 
ultimately builds momentum. 

Success and growth compound over time. 

It’s all about consistent effort. 

The best version of yourself 
is built by your daily choices. 

Invest in yourself and your own life consistently, 
and often success will naturally follow. 


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Image Credit: Respective Owner

Own your unfair advantage. 

It can truly change your life. 

Your true power? 
→ No one is you 

This is how to differentiate yourself. 

As a person. 
And as a brand. 

Right before you’re about to succeed, 
the desire to quit is often the greatest. 

No matter how challenging it is, 
you will thank yourself later if you: 

Go all in. 
Keep going relentlessly. 
Persevere through adversity. 

Do it for you. 
Do it for your future self. 

You’re the only one who can: 

✨ Do what you’re meant to do 
✨ Build what you’re meant to build 
✨ Become who you’re meant to become 
 
Celebrate your victories. 

Every single one of them. 

→ Personal and professional 
→ Large and small 

No one else truly understands exactly 
what it took to achieve these victories. 

Kindly remember: 

There is a future version of you 
who is proud you didn’t give up. 

The most successful people are uniquely driven. 

Relentlessly focusing on achieving their dreams 
and becoming the person who their future selves 
would be proud of. 


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1 lesson I learned in Corporate + Entrepreneurship: 

→ Positive obsession is truly a gift 

(Contrary to popular belief) 

Never apologize for being obsessed. 

Being successful as an entrepreneur 
and as a high-performing leader 
requires emotional intelligence 
and mastering the mentality 
of a great athlete. 

It’s all about fully accepting 
that there are seasons in life. 

And being willing to live a few years like 
most people won’t so that they can spend 
the rest of their lives like most people can’t. 

So, when people criticize you for being 
a relentless overachiever in your pursuits… 

Like: 

Staying in the gym for 3 hours 
Pulling an all-nighter for your business 
Reading your new book for the entire day 
Finessing every detail of your design/product 

Just remember… 

Positive obsession is a gift. 

Not a behavior to be suppressed. 


✨ Always strive for excellence ✨ 


What are you passionately obsessed with? 

I’d love to hear. 


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Executive presence begins with a calm mind 
and emotional intelligence. 

Most leaders don’t realize the quiet power 
of a calm mind and how it: 

Clears the noise 
Sharpens your thoughts 
Helps you lead with quiet strength 

I was talking to a young 6-figure entrepreneur 
about how a calm mind and emotional intelligence 
ultimately leads to executive presence 
and quiet confidence. 

They are the foundation of great leadership 
and true luxury. 

The calmer you are, the clearer you think.  

(From what I’ve learned along the way 
  both in entrepreneurship and corporate)

You stop reacting. 

And instead, you start making thoughtful decisions 
with peaceful precision. 

Quiet leadership doesn’t chase attention. 

It earns trust and respect. 

And luxury isn’t always what you wear or drive. 

Sometimes, it’s the calm you embrace. 

Stillness is a status symbol. 

One that is truly timeless. 


What are your thoughts on executive presence? 

I’d love to hear. 

Share your thoughts below. ↓ 


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Image Credit: Respective Owner

You are always one decision away 
from a totally different life. 

Success is all about timing and taking action. 

It may come with isolation. 
It may come with adversity. 
It may come with discomfort. 

But ultimately when you design your own life, 
it leads to pure fulfillment. 

To true luxury. 

I learned this at a young age. 
 
My grandfather once told me something 
I will never forget. 

Every morning you have 2 choices: 

→ Continue to sleep with your dreams 
→ Wake up and chase them 

Opportunities are infinite. 

But they also expire…eventually. 

Would you rather have: 

↳ Option 1. Comfort Now → Discomfort Later 
↳ Option 2. Discomfort Now → Comfort Later 

A client of mine (fellow founder) mentioned 
feeling stuck continuously climbing 
the traditional career path. 

Feeling invisible. 
Feeling alone. 
Feeling lost. 

Not realizing what a different life could look like. 

Investing in himself by building an iconic brand 
and becoming an entrepreneur has allowed him 
to turn his dreams into a reality. 

And the freedom to create a life on his terms. 

Don’t wait until it’s too late. 

Start now. 

Design your own lifestyle 
and fulfillment will naturally follow. 

What option will you choose? 


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Image Credit: Neuron Visuals

Luxury Brands win by creating movements. 

They elevate your lifestyle. 

A lifestyle that offers you true freedom. 

Here’s how building a luxury brand 
can change your life: 

▪️They are the authority. 
      They position themselves as the only choice 
      by setting themselves apart from 
      all of the noise. 

▪️They build trust by genuinely connecting 
      with people and their values.  

▪️They don’t just sell products/services. 
      Instead, they build brands that people 
      truly want to be a part of. 

Luxury Brands create a remarkably exclusive, 
cohesive experience. 

Here’s a 6-Step Branding Checklist 
to help you get started: 

1 / Define your Brand Strategy 
2 / Craft your Brand Story 
3 / Establish your Brand Voice 
4 / Design a Cohesive Visual Language 
5 / Build Brand Awareness 
6 / Engage & Measure 

Build a lifestyle, not just a Brand. 


Think about your brand. 

What excites you the most about building it? 

I’d love to hear. 
Share in the comments below ↓ 


Thanks for reading! 


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Image Credit: Studio Lanuè

They say money can’t buy happiness. 

Fair point. Here’s the truth: 

Your brand can inspire it. 

It can build the luxurious lifestyle 
you’ve been imagining. 

Luxury isn’t just expensive. 
It’s emotional. 

Here’s how you can build a brand that feels rich 
(even beyond the price): 

Share a story 
→ People love feeling like they are a part 
     of the journey 

Design for emotion 
→ Make people feel something 
    (it’s all about human psychology) 

Sell the feeling, not the product/service 
→ People crave the feeling they experience  
     after receiving the outcome 

Every interaction matters 
→ Create delightful moments 
     (kind words, unpacking, luxurious details) 

Focus on making people feel seen 
→ People want to be invited into this world, 
     create a warm sense of belonging 

Luxury = meaningful impact + master craftsmanship 
→ When your brand feels like purposeful art, 
     people pay for more than a product/service 

After all, happiness isn’t guaranteed. 

It’s ignited and built by you. 

Create a luxury brand that builds a life 
you’re proud to lead. 

What’s one thing that would add 
happiness to your life? 


Thanks for reading! 


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      their own dream lives. 
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Image Credit: Respective Owner

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At a young age, this 1 fact changed my life: 
▪️Your mindset affects everything 

Continually mastering emotional intelligence 
is what has carried me through (still to this day). 

It’s one of the most powerful skills 
people can have. 

How you show up 
How you perceive the world 

Ultimately shapes your entire reality. 

And can truly impact others’ reality. 

Showing up with genuine kindness is transformative. 

And costs you nothing. 

Adjusting how you respond to things 
that you feel are sent to disrupt 
your inner peace says a lot 
about your character. 

Subconsciously, you know that your actions 
speak louder than words. 

What you achieve in life is all about your mindset. 

Here are 3 lessons I’ve learned along the way: 

1/ Lead by example 

▪️Kindness and empathy go a long way. 
     They set the tone for how to treat others 
     and successfully collaborate. 


2/ Encourage growth 

▪️Elevate others by identifying 
     their strengths and weaknesses 
     and advocating for them. 


3/ Calmness, composure, and resilience 
     during a crisis are essential 

▪️They build confidence, trust, 
     and respect amongst others. 


What’s one lesson you’ve learned that has shaped 
your approach to life? 


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Quote Credit: Cory Allen 
Image Credit: Respective Owner

Investing in your luxury brand = your ultimate freedom. 

During the early stages of entrepreneurship, 
you can feel like you’re lacking 2 important things. 

Time & Money 

With a strong luxury brand: 
How you spend your time is your decision. 
How you spend your money is your choice. 

The other day, I was talking to an entrepreneur 
who mentioned that they felt stuck and desperate. 

Desperate to make a lot of money. 
Desperate to succeed as fast as possible. 

The key? 

→ Help people by solving their challenges. 

Once you reframe your mindset 
and shift your focus from making money 
to creating value, money will naturally follow. 

This is where your luxury brand comes into play. 

Build authority. 
Define your vision. 
Live your mission, authentically. 

Remember: 

Money is a tool, not the goal. 
The goal is freedom. 

Richard Branson says it brilliantly: 

“Some entrepreneurs think how can I make 
  a lot of money? But the better way is to think 
  how can I make people’s lives a lot better? 
  If you get it right, the money will come.”  

It’s up to you. 

Remain invisible. 

Or 

Build an iconic luxury brand. 

Which one will you choose? 

Don’t know where to start? 
DM me “FREEDOM” and we can talk it over together. 


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       in their brands. 
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Image Credit: Respective Owner

Entrepreneurship embraces a vision only you can see. 

And high emotional intelligence only you can build. 

It can be lonely 
It can be defeating 
It can be heart wrenching 

While at the same time, it can be 

Deeply aligning 
Immensely rewarding 
Truly fulfilling and heartfelt 

It all comes down to your mindset. 

And because of all of this, taking nothing personally 
has been my savior time and time again. 

2 things I’ve learned to distance from 
during this journey: 

1 / Caring what they think 
2 / Thinking that they care 

I’ve learned countless times that the true champions 
(the top 1%) adopt these 3 rare traits: 

▪️Resilience 
▪️Conviction 
▪️Determination 

All with the vision to ultimately achieve excellence. 

They keep going when no one is watching 
and no one is cheering them on. 

The reward isn’t in the recognition. 

It’s in who you’re becoming. 

Show up and stay in the game! 

Your future self will thank you. 

Who’s with me? 

How has taking nothing personally 
driven you closer to your dreams? 


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Image Credit: Respective Owner

Luxury brands win by quietly whispering. 

They are champions with high standards of excellence. 

Here’s how ↓ 

They move in silence and deliver distinctly. 

When it comes to capturing attention: 

They are not loud. 
They don’t chase. 

They just show up and perform. 

With boldness 
With sophistication 
With unapologetic authenticity 

Their magnetic presence says it all. 

They give the world something worth talking about. 

Remember: 

Noise fades. 
True excellence lasts. 

Luxury brands elegantly embrace differentiation. 

They leave a timeless legacy. 

It’s not for everyone. 

It can be lonely at the top. 

What’s your next move? 


Thanks for reading! 


Enjoy this? 

Join the exclusive 1% who deeply live 
this movement of luxury in all forms, 
building authority, becoming champions, 
and creating excellence along the way. 

I’m on a mission helping leaders 
turn their invisible brands to undeniable, 
luxury visionaries. 

Curious to learn how? Book a free strategy call 
with me. (Link is in my Featured section) 

Don’t miss your chance to own your brilliance. 
Limited spots available for 2025.

Most entrepreneurs feel invisible. 
They’re lost in a sea of noise. 

What they don’t realize? 

Their distinction is their signal. 

Their iconic signal. 

After speaking with a 6-figure entrepreneur 
1.5 weeks ago, she expressed that she (like many) 
secretly hates selling. 

She wants more freedom, more clarity, 
and a brand that speaks for her. 

She’s earned her impressive reputation, 
while scaling her business and balancing 
other ventures. 

But her digital brand narrative still felt generic. 

She thought she needed a large following to sell. 

But here’s the truth. 

It’s all about positioning. 

Positioning (when done right) sets you apart. 

If your brand world isn’t communicating 
trust, elegance, and authority… 

You’re leaving millions on the table. 

She didn’t need 200,000 followers to sell 
or another unoriginal, overused design. 

She needed to differentiate herself 
and a brand that reflected her true brilliance. 

Timeless. Sophisticated. Magnetic. Undeniable. 

For years, I've partnered with small start-ups 
without any branding as well as large world-class 
companies to elevate their brand presence. 

I’ve helped 6-8 figure high-level entrepreneurs 
and exclusive leaders step into that space. 

Where luxury is felt. 

Its quiet power rooted in something deeper. 

Where less says more. 
Where design becomes desire. 
Where people trust you before you speak. 

Many entrepreneurs are looking for a quick fix. 
Something they can do themselves 
and at their own pace. 

I’m working on something exciting 
that can quickly provide actionable next steps. 

And it needs to be customized to each individual. 

I've created a Luxury Brand Audit that shows you 
exactly what’s working, what’s not working, 
and what you can do next that can provide 
exponential results. 

I’m inviting 5 founders/CEO’s/entrepreneurs 
into a conversation to explore what’s missing 
in their brand presence and how to build a brand 
that commands premium pricing effortlessly. 

This is not to sell. It’s just to explore. 

No pitches. No commitments. 
Just clarity and refinement. 

DM me “BRAND” and we’ll find a time to chat. 

P.S. This is only for those who understand 
the importance of brand presence and 
the value it offers. 

A true luxury brand doesn’t chase relevance. 
It’s felt deeply and becomes part of your story, 
your heritage, and your lasting impact. 

Build a lifestyle. 
Not just a Brand. 


Enjoy this? Follow Emily Rossetta for more.

Luxury brands are magnetic. 

They create an intrinsic connection with you. 

Here’s how ↓ 

They create a timeless experience. 

Their own unique experience. 

A lifestyle. 

A lifestyle that takes time to build and define. 
A lifestyle the top 1% are relentless to win. 

A movement that everyone truly wants 
to be a part of. 

What people often don’t realize is this. 

Human psychology plays a large part 
in defining luxury and branding. 

According to Donatella Versace: 
“What defines luxury is uniqueness, 
  emotion, and desire.” 

With luxury comes: 

▪️Elegance 
▪️Exclusivity 
▪️Status 

Just like a great book where each chapter 
captivates you to keep reading more 
(at a rapid pace) … 

Luxury brands create their own unique story. 

Capturing your undivided attention. 

And influencing you to want to learn more. 
 
Luxury brands:  

▪️Create a world (a universally evolving system) 
▪️Make you feel special 
▪️Differentiate themselves  
▪️Show you an elevated lifestyle 
       that can be all yours 

And show you their true value. 

Showing you exactly why they are worth 
your undivided attention. 

After all, you can: 

▪️Become your own luxury brand 
▪️Create your own unique story 
▪️Build your own luxurious lifestyle 

“A great brand is the story 
 that never stops unfolding.” 
 — Tony Hsieh 

How would you define luxury? 

Write down 1 word. ↓ 


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Image Credit: NHU Design Studio

Google

1. Single-Threaded Leader for FastCloud (FCCY) with CEO visibility, led end-to-end delivery across 25+ global teams, owning delivery of 2 services directly. Reduce latency by 85% and realised $1B+ revenue opportunities for all datacenter.

2. Led Change Management across reorgs and drove alignment at VP level, and maintained attrition rate to less than 10% as compared to 30% attrition in peer teams, and delivered multi-year FCCY program on schedule.

3. Established Capacity Planning process, conceptualized and built order-validation tooling, mitigating 40% of recurring delivery risks and improving p95 SLO coverage from 58% to 100% since Nov 2024.

4. Architected and delivered GDPR compliance Data Center TurnUp for TPC Cloud-level OKR, enabling $100B+ European market access (TAM). Improving reliability from ~90% to 99.9%, shifting to plug-and-play architecture, re-using existing components.

5. Conducted 150+ interviews in 2.5 years. Led 14+ Hiring Committees (HCs) at Google, made unbiased hire/no hire decision based on interview feedback.

6. Developed leadership talent by mentoring 30+ engineers (L3/L4), coached 3 first-time manager.

7. Awarded Outstanding rating in 2024 (top 18%), rated Excellent Manager (4.95/5) across all dimensions: Deliver Results, Develop People, Build Community. Enabled 5 promotions over 3 years.

Engineering Manager - AI and Computing Infrastructure

Flipkart

During my 5-month tenure as a leader of the conversational chat assistant platform, I achieved the following:

1. Unified 13 engineers from two teams into a high-performing Conversational Assistant unit, doubling sprint throughput in the first quarter, and accelerated project timelines.

2. Increased product adoption by 500% through 13 targeted A/B tests, and developed the 2022 strategic roadmap to achieve 10x growth in user adoption.

Tech Lead - User Acquisition and Retention

Sumyag Data Sciences

1. Founded and scaled an AI solutions company, managing 35 active client accounts and generating $1M annual revenue with $198K profit in 2020.

2. Redesigned core architecture for distributed computing and parallel processing, cutting onboarding from 12 to 3 weeks and adding 20+ clients. Created product roadmap for ExdionPOD, growing customer base from 4 to 15.

3. Hired and led a 22-member cross-functional team across engineering, data science, and product, overseeing delivery from ideation to launch. Named Top 16 InsurTech in USA by the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB).

Partner - Co Founder

@WalmartLabs India

1. Established the Collibra development team in India by collaborating with the Director of Data Governance on a 12-month product roadmap.

2. Recruited and managed a 15-member global team to deliver REST services integrating Collibra with internal systems, improving data accuracy from 67% to 95% and achieving a 5/5 customer satisfaction score in all deployments.

Senior Software Engineer - Data Governance

1. Ranked 6th in global Collibra Experts leaderboard 2015-16 (ranked above Collibra product developers).

2. Generated Business Glossary and Issue Management system in Collibra, improving Data Governance policy adherence by 70%.

Associate Programmer Analyst - Data Quality & Governance

Hands-on technical engineering manager with 11+ years experience, including 6+ years as a people manager.

At Google, I’ve driven $1B+ in revenue opportunities through large-scale cloud initiatives, led teams of 25+ engineers, and managed programs spanning 25+ global teams. Consistently rated among the highest-performing managers, with recognition for leadership, innovation, and cross-org delivery and earning top-tier annual and managerial performance ratings at Google.

Before Google, I founded and scaled a profitable AI solutions company to $1M ARR and was named Top 16 InsurTech in the USA by CIAB. 
My leadership style blends design thinking, system design expertise, and a bias for building high-impact teams and products from the ground up.

Core strengths:
1. Strategic Skills: Change Management, Strategic Roadmapping, Program Governance, Risk Management, Process Improvements, Stakeholder Management, OKRs.

2. Org Building Skills: Hiring, Building and Managing Teams, Retention, Career Growth, Coaching, Conflict Resolution, Inclusion, Cross-functional Alignment, Design Thinking, Organisational Development, Change Management.

3. Technical: System Design, AWS, PostgreSQL, A/B Testing, Software Design, Distributed Systems, Python, Microservices Architecture, CI/CD, Cloud Architecture, SLO Management, High Availability, NLP, AI/ML.

4. Product Skills: Product Roadmaps, Release Management, Customer Interactions, JIRA, Requirements Gathering, Agile.

Outside of work: I’m a Top 30 writer in Management & Leadership in India (158K+ followers), and ranked #1 content creator in my niche (Mar 2025) as per Favikon rankings.

Abhishek Kumar

Give me 2 minutes and I'll teach you how Netflix never crashes.

100M people binge-watch the same show. 

And yet… Netflix never blinks. No downtime. No lag.

Meanwhile, your codebase breaks under a few thousand users.


Here’s what Netflix gets right (that we should all steal):

1. Microservices 

Each component (login, payments, recommendations) is its own service.

No single point of failure. No domino effect.

2. Open Connect CDN

They physically ship servers worldwide. 

Content loads from your nearest location. Buffering? What buffering?

3. Chaos Engineering 

Netflix built Chaos Monkey — a tool that kills their own servers at random.

If it survives monkeys, it survives Monday traffic.

4. Personalization at scale 

Your “Top Picks” are powered by real-time ML over Kafka, Spark, Cassandra.

Every click feeds the system. Every second is personalized.

5. Observability 

Grafana. ELK. Real-time alerts.

They don’t guess what’s broken. They know before it happens.


This isn’t just good engineering.

It’s resilience, built brick-by-brick.

If you're building for millions, study Netflix.

If you're building for ten users, still study Netflix.



♻️ Save this for your next system design round

🔔 Follow Abhishek Kumar for more tech breakdowns without the buzzwords.

They promoted someone who wrote worse code than me.
Stanford taught me why.
Here's the game most engineers don't see:

I had better technical output.

They had better business communication.

The shift:

Engineers stuck at mid-level think: "My code speaks for itself."

Engineers who get promoted think: "Let me translate this for stakeholders."

Stanford's framework:

Before any project, answer:

- What breaks without this? (Business problem, not technical challenge)
- Whose goals does this move? (Find stakeholders, not just your manager)
- What's the ₹ impact? (Money saved or earned, not just performance metrics)
- Who needs to know? (Visibility is part of the job)

Example:

Before: "Reduced latency by 200ms"
After: "Fixed checkout timeouts costing ₹8Cr in abandoned carts"

Same work. Different language.

One gets you "good job." One gets you promoted.

The truth:

Your manager promotes people who speak business, not just code.

Revenue. Risk. Results.

Learn to translate. Or stay stuck.

Are you optimizing for code quality or business clarity?

Follow Abhishek Kumar for real-world problem specific posts !!

I have been broke many times in my life.

Today, it all seems like an overnight success.

But the truth is -

2010: I couldn't clear IIT.

2014: My first job was comparing Excel sheets.

2017: Bought my first car - Honda City and house 

2021: My first start-up shut down.

2020:I had a debt of 28 Lakhs 

2022: I Joined Google and my life turned around for the better. 

2022: Invested money and bought my dream Car - Mercedes

2024: Mentored 1000+ students and spoke at events helping students do the same.

2024: Took my parents on their first international trip !!

People only know the happy days.

The struggle to survive each day behind that is the actual part of life. 

The ups and downs of life have taught me more than ever.

What helped me came out of that rut:

▶️Perseverance
▶️ Self - believe 
▶️Determination

If I can do it, You can too.

What is your biggest challenge?

I can tell if someone's from a service company within 5 minutes of an interview.

It's not their resume. It's how they freeze.

I've interviewed 50+ engineers making the service-to-product jump.
The pattern is consistent:

Me: "Design a URL shortener."
Them: long pause "Can you give me more details on the requirements?"

The problem isn't technical skill. 

It's that they've been trained to execute, not to think.

Service company workflow: Get JIRA ticket → Read complete spec → Code → Submit for review

Product interview: Here's a vague problem → Make assumptions → Make trade-offs → Justify your choices → Build

Your brain is wired for one. The interview tests the other.

Here's the pattern I see:

1. You wait for complete clarity before proceeding

Interview expects: "Based on typical URL shortener requirements, I'll assume X, Y, Z. Let me know if that changes."

You should keep asking clarifying questions instead of making progress.

2. You give one solution, no alternatives

Interview: "How would you implement rate limiting?"

Reactive answer: "Use a counter in Redis and check if it exceeds the threshold."

Proactive answer: "Three approaches: Token bucket allows traffic bursts, leaky bucket smooths requests, fixed window is simplest to implement. 

For an API that needs to handle sudden spikes, I'd use a token bucket. Here's the trade-off..."

3. You can't justify why you chose something

Interview: "Why SQL over NoSQL here?"

Reactive: "Because the data is structured."

Proactive: "This use case has complex joins for analytics and needs ACID guarantees for payments. NoSQL would give us horizontal scaling, but we don't need that at this scale. 

SQL's transactional consistency matters more. If we hit 10M+ users, we revisit."

How to reactivate your thinking muscle:

Exercise 1: 

Every work task, ask: "Why this way? What's an alternative? What are trade-offs?"

Even if you're following a spec, reverse-engineer the decisions.

Exercise 2: 
Design simple systems (URL shortener, notification system) with no spec. 

Force yourself to make assumptions. 
Defend them out loud. 
Record yourself. 
Notice where you go vague.

Exercise 3: 

Practice articulating trade-offs for common decisions

- SQL vs NoSQL
- REST vs GraphQL
- Sync vs Async processing
- Caching strategies

Say them out loud. Not in your head.


Timeline: 8 weeks of deliberate practice.

One engineer I mentored failed 3 product interviews.

He spent 8 weeks doing these exercises every single day.

Interview 4: Offer at 22 LPA from a Bangalore fintech.


What's one technical decision you made this week that you can't explain the trade-offs for?

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He celebrated his ₹25L offer for 2 weeks.
Then discovered his junior got ₹35L.

Same company. Same role. Same week.

An engineer I know switched to a Bangalore unicorn last year.

Asked for: ₹22L
Got: ₹25L

Felt like he won.

Posted on LinkedIn. Called his parents. Finally made it.

Two weeks later, his junior with 1 year less experience joined the same company.

Over coffee, it came up.

Junior's offer: ₹35L.

Same role. Same level. Same bar.

Only difference?

He asked for ₹22L based on "what felt reasonable."

Junior asked for ₹35L based on market research.

That ₹10L gap isn't one-time.

It compounds with every raise. Every future switch.

Over 5 years? That's ₹40-50L left on the table.

This isn't a service company problem.

I've seen Google engineers accept the first offer without countering.

Amazon L5s who don't know competing offers exist.

Senior engineers at unicorns who anchor on their last CTC.

The pattern is the same:

"What feels reasonable" ≠ Market value

Product companies have salary bands.

They have budget allocated.

They're ready to pay market rate.

But if you anchor low, they'll meet you there.

Why would they correct upward?

Here's what his junior did differently (swipe) ↓

It's not luck. It's knowing the game.


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Salary Negotiation

Last year, 12 engineers from my network quit to prep for product companies.

1 got into Amazon at ₹42L. 11 ran out of savings and went back to their old jobs.

Same education. Similar skills. All equally desperate to escape.

The difference wasn't talent.
It was the structure.

The one who made it treated the break like a 12-week sprint. 
The 11 who failed treated it like time off.

Here's what I noticed:

Week 1: Everyone's motivated. 
Week 4: Half are sleeping till 11 AM. 
Week 8: Most are panicking about money. 
Week 12: Only one is still following a system.

I've mentored 40+ engineers through career breaks now.

The pattern is clear: Quitting works when you have a framework. 

Quitting fails when you're running on hope and frustration.

If you're stuck watching juniors get ₹25L offers while you're at ₹14L.
And quitting feels like the only option.

Don't do it out of emotion.
Do it with a plan.

The Strategic Break Framework 👇


(Swipe to see the 6-step system that separates the 1 who makes it from the 11 who don't)


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Prep Framework

I stayed 2.5 years at my first company before I realized it was a dead-end.

The signals were there at Month 6. I just didn't know what to look for.

Not all first jobs are equal.

Some are "learn fast, leave faster": great for 18 months, terrible long-term.
Some are "grow and stay": real paths, mentorship, promotions.

You can tell by Month 6.

Here are the signals to check:

1. Growth path signals:

- Ask: "What does the next level look like?" Vague answer? Red flag.
- Are seniors promoted internally or hired externally?
- Still learning or just faster at same tasks?

2. Work quality signals: 

- What do 2-3 year engineers do? Still fixing bugs or owning features? 
- Code reviews: Actual feedback or just "LGTM" approvals?

3. Investment signals: 

- Does the learning budget exist and gets used?
- How's attrition handled? Professional or betrayal?
- 1-on-1s: Growth conversations or rushed check-ins?

4. Framework signals:

- 5+ red flags → Learn fast, leave by Month 18-24
- Mixed signals → Re-evaluate at Month 12 
- 5+ green flags → Stay 3-4 years, aim for promotions


I ignored red flags at my first company.

"It'll get better" I told myself.
It didn't.

Left at Year 2.5 when I should've left at Year 1.5.

Cost me 12-15 months of better learning and ₹3-4L.

Don't make my mistake.

Evaluate by Month 6. Decide by Month 12. Act by Month 18.

What signals are you seeing at your company?

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Excellent performance reviews at service company.
Rejected by product company in 1st round.
Here's why:

A junior I mentored spent 18 months at a Bangalore service company writing Java.

Tickets closed on time.
Manager gave "exceeds expectations."
He felt ready.

Then he interviewed at a product company.

Interviewer: "Walk me through your testing strategy."
Him: "QA handles that."
Interviewer: "You've never written a unit test?"

He hadn't. Didn't know he was supposed to.
Interview over in 30 minutes.
This isn't rare.

If you've only worked in one environment, you assume it's normal. 
- Manual deployments. 
- Checkbox code reviews. 
- "Testing" means clicking buttons.

Performance reviews don't catch these gaps. Interviews do.

So here's what to do before your next interview exposes what you don't know:

Ask 3 questions:

1. "What does 'good code' look like?"

Pick any open-source repo. Read 5 merged PRs. 
Notice what reviewers care about that you never considered.

2. "What practices have I never touched?"

Automated tests? CI/CD? Monitoring? List them. 
That's your gap. Pick ONE and add it to a side project this weekend.

3. "What do engineers ahead of me know?"

DM 2 people on LinkedIn: "I'm at [company] with [X] experience. What do you wish you'd learned earlier?"

That junior? Fixed his gaps in 6 months. Got into a product company with a 70% jump.

The difference between 8 LPA and 20+ LPA isn't talent. 
It's asking the right questions before interviews expose what you don't know.

Which question are you avoiding?

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Indian government: We will build highways to reduce travel time by X hours 

Le truck drivers: Hold my Lassi !!

They knew the answer. 
Still got rejected. 
Here's why.

A service company engineer I know prepared for 2 months. 

Practiced system design. Nailed it in mocks.

Then came the interview at a product company:

Interviewer: "How would you design a rate limiter?"

He knows this. Practiced it 10 times.
But he freezes.
Stammers.

Starts explaining, backtracks, over-explains basics, voice getting shakier with each sentence.

"Is this enough? Should I add more? Did I miss something?"

The interviewer's face says it all.
Rejected.

This drives me insane.

I've watched this pattern destroy careers for 3 years. 

Smart engineers who know their stuff but are stuck at 12 LPA because they can't deliver under pressure.

After 5 rejections, that voice in your head becomes permanent: 

"Maybe I don't actually know this."

You do. The problem isn't knowledge. 
It's performance anxiety dressed up as imposter syndrome.

Here's what actually fixes it:

1. Record yourself.

Solve one problem aloud. Play it back. 

You'll hear exactly where you lose confidence—the hesitation, the over-explaining, the "umms."

Now you know what to fix. Verbal clarity is trainable.

2. Use strategic pauses.

When you need a moment: "Let me think through this."

Two seconds of silence beats two minutes of nervous rambling. 

Silence = thinking. Rambling = panic.

3. Practice recovery.

You will stumble. Everyone does.

Say: "Let me restart that" or "Different approach..."

Winners recover. Losers spiral.

4. Apply everywhere.

15-20 companies. 3-4 interviews weekly.

By interview 8, anxiety drops. 

Questions repeat. You're polished. The only way to build interview confidence is volume.

5. Rate yourself after each interview:

Did I explain clearly?
Did I recover from mistakes?
Did I sound confident?

Not "did I get the answer right." That's secondary.

Progress tracking rebuilds confidence faster than perfection ever will.


The gap between you and a product company offer isn't knowledge.
It's delivery.

And delivery is fixable in 3 weeks if you actually practice it.

Stop blaming the algorithm. Start recording yourself.

Which one are you fixing first: the freeze, the rambling, or the recovery?

Follow Abhishek Kumar for frameworks that fix the gaps service companies don't teach.

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