There’s a moment in Sam Borkar’s story that feels almost cinematic.
A young international student, newly arrived in Australia, walking through Melbourne, looking up at glass buildings and imagining a desk behind one of those windows. He didn’t have a roadmap or industry experience, just a quiet question: how do I get there?
Curiosity as a Compass
Sam describes curiosity as “infectious”—the force that pulled him from India to Australia, from engineering into SAP (almost accidentally), and into building six startups alongside his corporate career. Website development, cloud computing, cryptocurrency, even an online art gallery—each one an extension of the same instinct to explore.
He built a rhythm around it: a 9-to-5 in SAP, and a 5-to-9 chasing ideas. Not because he had to, but because he had time—and a mindset shaped by a simple question:
“If you’re not learning anything, if you’re not earning money, or if you’re not having good time, what are you spending time for?”
The Courage to Let Go
Not every idea worked, and one failure in particular reshaped how Sam approached risk. A cryptocurrency exchange startup, backed by momentum and investor interest, came to a halt when a key supplier went bankrupt. After more than a year of work, he chose to stop—not because he lacked belief, but because he recognised reality.
“Sometimes you have to stop and you have to cut your losses… you don’t have to carry the baggage till the end all the time.”
There’s a quiet discipline in that decision—the ability to distinguish persistence from attachment, and to walk away before something drains more than it gives.
People Before Systems
Despite years working across complex SAP transformations, Sam’s most consistent insight has nothing to do with technology. It’s about people. Decisions are made by humans, shaped by context, emotion, and pressure—so understanding people becomes more important than mastering systems.
That perspective shaped his leadership: knowing when to push, when to hold back, and when to say the difficult thing others might avoid. It’s also why he rejects the idea of “green status” projects hiding red realities—honesty, for him, is part of the job.
The Breaking Point That Changed Everything
Before COVID, everything accelerated—constant international travel, high-pressure projects, and time split across continents between work and family. Over time, the strain surfaced physically and mentally: lack of sleep, rising health issues, and an underlying exhaustion that couldn’t be ignored.
That’s when Sam made a pivotal shift. He recognised it wasn’t just physical—it was mental—and began seeking support through therapy, meditation, and self-reflection. “Your body… requires maintenance.”
What followed wasn’t a slowdown, but a recalibration. He continued to operate across multiple tracks, but with greater awareness, stronger boundaries, and a more sustainable pace.
Redefining What ‘Enough’ Looks Like
One of Sam’s most grounded insights is simple: you can’t be 100% everywhere, all the time. Instead, he focuses on awareness, letting go, and prioritisation—choosing the 20 things that matter instead of chasing all 50.
It’s a shift from doing more to doing what matters, balancing professional growth with personal fulfilment, and recognising that both need to move together.
A Glass That’s Always Refillable
When asked what advice he’d give, Sam doesn’t talk about titles or salaries. He talks about mindset.
“Glass is refillable.”
Learn deeply. Stay open. Don’t rush outcomes. Because what looks like overnight success is often built quietly over a decade.
Still Just Getting Started
Despite decades in SAP, multiple ventures, and a growing podcast, Sam still sees himself as being in the early stages. He’s curious about what’s next—especially with AI—and grounded enough to know there’s always more to learn.
If his life were a Netflix series, he says it would be Telling stories and spreading smiles.
And in many ways, that captures it perfectly. Beneath the systems, the startups, and the strategy, his story is about staying curious—and choosing, again and again, to keep going.
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