Signature Story written by Ramzi Bouzerda, Founder & CEO of Droople

It was 3:00 AM in 2017 when everything shifted.

I was half-asleep, shuffling into the kitchen in a t-shirt and shorts, trying to mix formula for my hungry baby boy. He’d been waking often—casein intolerance—and I was beyond exhausted. In the dim light, I kept fumbling the measurements. Too much water. Then not enough. Again and again, wasting water and time.

And that’s when the question hit me, clearer than the baby’s cry: Why can’t my faucet just help me measure the exact amount I need?

That moment of frustration cracked open an idea—a device that could connect water assets at the point of use. Droople was born in that haze of fatigue and fatherhood.

But what really changed wasn’t the idea. It was me.

At the time, I was head of IT audit at a major bank. It was stable. It paid the mortgage. It supported my two eldest kids’ pensions. Leaving that security for a half-formed idea? Madness.

But something inside me was stirring—a hunger for purpose. I wanted to wake up at night not just because a child cried, but because a mission called.

Still, I was scared.

I had four kids then, and I worried about investing too much in this “fifth child,” Droople. Would I fail them? Could I be a good father and a founder?

That’s when my wife, Aurélie—my everyday backup in life—gave me the reassurance I needed. She reminded me that my role as a father wasn’t defined by hours clocked, but by presence and purpose. That I didn’t have to choose between the people I love and the change I wanted to make.

And suddenly, the pieces started to align.

As a boy growing up in Constantine, Algeria, I knew what water scarcity meant. I watched my grandmother and mother fill tanks at night because the pressure couldn’t reach our 12th-floor apartment. Water was never just a utility—it was survival. Dignity. Memory.

So when Droople emerged, I wasn’t just building a company. I was closing a loop. Connecting my past to my future.

In that process, I discovered something else: I grow best in discomfort.

Choosing to leap into the unknown showed me how far my commitment could carry me. It stretched me into roles I’d never imagined—founder, yes, but also more conscious father, more present husband, more grounded human.

I remembered that I’ve always transformed in pressure: from a schoolboy who struggled to make grades into a computer science engineer at EPFL. From fisherman and cold-call salesman to teacher, plumber, banker, auditor. Every chapter taught me something.

But the biggest truth?

Whether I’m a dog or a wolf.

The dog in me likes comfort, validation, approval. But the wolf? The wolf is hungry, uncomfortable—and at peace with that. Because out there, in the wild, is where growth lives.

And now, strangely, I find myself circling another turning point.

Maybe my greatest test as a leader is yet to come—not by building, but by letting go. Maybe Droople needs someone new to take it further, someone with fresh hunger. Maybe my role is evolving.

It’s hard to admit, but I’m not afraid. Because this isn’t about clinging to control. It’s about listening deeply to what’s next. And trusting the ones I’ve built with.

So to any CEO reading this—especially the ones secretly wondering if they’re enough:

Dream big, but achieve little every day and be proud.

We founders can be brutal on ourselves. We forget to look back. But it’s not about speed. It’s not even about growth. It’s about becoming the best version of yourself—slowly, steadily, intentionally.

If you pass that test, the terms of success become yours.

Signature Story written by Ramzi Bouzerda, Founder & CEO of Droople

Submit your Signature Story today using Real Leaders Signature Story Coach, an AI-assisted writing tool for authentic leaders.