Welcome Everybody,

Busy weeks are testing my ability to write consistently.

And doing it in two different places is not helping. Towards the end of the year I will probably start to phase out this mailing-list.

So please make sure you're registered for the Askara's Source Journal if you want to stay informed on my latest developments: https://askara.solutions/

Enjoy!

✍🏻 Week 44 - Cutting Back to Move Forward

Hey there,

This past week brought one of those inflection points where clarity cuts through complexity like a sharp blade. After weeks of juggling multiple possibilities, we made the hard calls that separate focused companies from scattered ones. The result? A team fully aligned around a single, beautiful goal: our Risk Engine.

Pruning the Garden

The betting table meetings we held over the past fortnight forced us to confront an uncomfortable truth: we’d been nurturing too many seedlings, hoping they’d all bloom simultaneously. Some were client projects initiated over summer, others were exciting experiments, and a few were obligations we’d accumulated along the way. Each had merit, but together they were choking our ability to grow anything substantial.

The decision was surgical and necessary. We’re cutting away everything that doesn’t belong to our core business of cybersecurity compliance. This meant making tough calls on products we’d invested months developing, telling clients we wouldn’t be pursuing further sales efforts, and saying no to opportunities that would have provided income but pulled us off course.

What made this possible was the funding from the cyber accelerator programme. Without it, we’d need to keep these other clients as income sources, perpetually stuck in the freelance trap of serving multiple masters. Now we can focus on what really matters: building something unique that people will actually want to buy. The freedom to say no might be the most valuable currency a startup can have.

Aligning the Orchestra

With clarity on direction came the necessity of alignment in execution. If we’re going to build this Risk Engine over the next seven months, every team member needs to know their role in the symphony. This week, we started that sometimes uncomfortable process of defining boundaries and contributions, ensuring talents shine without stepping on each other’s toes.

Simon and I had several difficult conversations that pushed us through what Tuckman calls the “storming phase” of team development. These weren’t easy discussions. They required us to be honest about strengths, weaknesses, and where we might be getting in each other’s way. But they were necessary for becoming the high-performing team we’re committed to building.

Through my yoga practice this week, I had a realisation about how much the inner work I’ve done enables me to navigate these conversations from a place of clarity rather than ego. Being able to discern fact from feeling, knowing where to focus attention, not letting wrong notions cloud judgement. These skills divide the good from the great. But they only work when you have conversation partners emotionally mature enough to engage at that level. Fortunately, we do.

What’s emerging is a streamlined approach where everyone understands their contribution to the Risk Engine. We’re applying Model Driven Development principles, where AI bridges the gap between design and code in days rather than months. Each role feeds the next: shapers define what needs building, stewards create the designs that drive code generation, builders refine and implement, and the cycle continues.

Ascending Together

The foundation we’ve been laying all year is finally starting to show its strength. Our Shape Up cycles, aligned with natural rhythms of equinoxes and solstices, have created a consistent heartbeat for the company. We always have time to address what’s most important while maintaining the steady rhythm that compounds our effectiveness as a team.

The latest habits we’re stacking onto these cycles include financial reviews, marketing sprints, and personal growth sessions. After a year of setting this up, we’ve incorporated almost every aspect of running a successful business into these rhythms and habits. We’re priming all team roles and business processes towards the same focal point, walking in step together.

There’s something powerful about being able to structure things right from the start. After years of working with clients who required me to navigate legacy systems and inherited chaos, we can finally build something clean, intentional, and aligned from day one. It’s going to be remarkable to see how effective this team becomes when every element is designed to support our collective success.

Integration

The pruning hurt. Letting go of projects and possibilities always does. The alignment work was uncomfortable. Honest conversations about roles and boundaries usually are. But what’s emerging from this crucible is a team with absolute clarity on where we’re going and how we’ll get there together.

We’re entering that rare state where focus meets funding, where talent meets purpose, and where the hard conversations have cleared the path for exceptional execution. The Risk Engine isn’t just our product; it’s becoming the gravitational centre that’s pulling everything into coherent orbit.

Sometimes you have to cut away the good to make room for the great. This week, we did exactly that.

With care,
Ben

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P.S. If you’ve ever wanted to live more in sync with the flow of life, my Start Tapping Into Source email course might be just what you need. It’s a simple system for aligning your inner and outer worlds through intentional practices. Ready to dive in? Check it out here.

P.S.S Have you ever wondered how aligning your journaling practice with the seasons of the year could amplify your growth? My Tuning into the Seasons course dives deep into this practice, showing you how to ride the natural ebb and flow of life for clarity, growth, and balance. Curious? Learn more here.​
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