This past week clearly marked the peak of my La Gomera chapter. The first two weeks were more of a slow build-up, but this one brought the crescendo. It’s incredible how much I’ve managed to get done. I’ll return home with real peace of mind, having wrapped up so many lingering things. Especially with Simon joining me, we were able to bring closure to projects that had been pushed aside by day-to-day demands. Now there's actual room for new growth.
Key Actions and Highlights
#### Foundational Systems Locked In
Before Simon arrived, I completed the migration of the IMS to Airtable. That was a huge milestone. With that out of the way, we can now start refining it, building automations around it, and making it truly work for us. I also finalised our internal Askara management system, creating clear overviews of our aims, objectives, and projects for the second half of the year.
#### Solidifying Askara’s Foundation
Once Simon got here, we updated and signed our shareholder agreement, tying up that chapter. We also refined our financial model and were happy to conclude that with the current proposals we’ve landed, we have enough runway to pay our people until the end of the year. That should be more than enough time to secure new assignments and take big steps toward selling our first products.
#### A Hike, a Vlog, and a Whole New Channel
On the second day of Simon’s stay, we went on an incredible hike and ended up recording the very first vlog for the Askara YouTube channel. What made it feel so right was that we didn’t try to compete in the crowded AI space. Instead, we focused on the new ways of working we’re exploring: what it means to self-manage, to work with deep trust, and to embrace decentralised leadership. These are the conversations we naturally have anyway, and it felt great to share them publicly.
We also decided not to over-explain. We’ll speak directly to the audience we know is already out there: the people who get Source Work, Sociocracy, and async culture. No need to start from scratch. And as a surprise kick-off to our new newsletter, we’ll be dropping that first video this week.
Reflections and Next Steps
What stood out most this week is how much space opened up—mentally, emotionally, and creatively. Closing loops and wrapping up half-done projects is clearing the road for what comes next. I no longer feel like I’m dragging a bag of unresolved "shoulds" around. This final week on La Gomera feels like a clean break into a new rhythm.
I’m especially excited about launching the Source Journal newsletter under the Askara banner. It will be rooted in the same Source Work principles we’re living out: leadership through listening, alignment through resonance, and building from within. The first vlog already touches on some of the frameworks we’re using and the challenges we’ve faced in putting them into practice.
We haven’t figured out our entire content strategy yet, but the important thing is that we’re getting started. There’s an intuitive sense that now is the time. And we’re done waiting.
So from here on out, we’ll just let it unfold.
Take care,
Ben