Source Journal
The Instrument
Hey there, Some weeks the work itself reminds you of something you already know but haven't had to articulate in a while. This was one of those weeks. After a s...
March 10, 2026 · Ben Visser · 5 min read
When Flaws Become Features
Hey there, Last week I wrote about the gravitational pull of productive flow, that difficulty of stopping when the feedback loop between building and seeing res...
March 4, 2026 · Ben Visser · 4 min read
When AI Makes You Work More, Not Less
Hey there, There's a narrative floating around the AI space that these tools will give us all more free time. That we'll work less, automate the tedious bits aw...
February 25, 2026 · Ben Visser · 6 min read
The OpenClaw Inflection Point
Hey there, We just wrapped up our first build cycle of 2026, and what a cycle it was. We successfully submitted the CIF-NL subsidy proposal. Established our con...
February 17, 2026 · Ben Visser · 5 min read
Building What Can't Be Rushed
Hey there, This week one found me scrolling LinkedIn, watching another entrepreneur in our space gain real traction with his compliance tool. He's been building...
February 11, 2026 · Ben Visser · 4 min read
The Revival of Building in Public
This week brought an unexpected revival of something I'd set aside two years ago. Not because it failed, but because I couldn't quite make it work in the contex...
February 3, 2026 · Ben Visser · 4 min read
A Playbook for European Cyber Community
Hey there, Last week took me back to Tallinn, but not for the usual monthly accelerator day. This time it was Connect4Cyber, a consortium matchmaking event that...
January 29, 2026 · Ben Visser · 3 min read
Tuning the Machine as It Starts to Hum
Hey there, We're slowly but surely getting up to speed in this new year. The different cycle projects are all in motion now, each with their own throughput time...
January 22, 2026 · Ben Visser · 4 min read
The Week That Set Up the Year
Hey there, Some weeks feel like maintenance. Others feel like building. And then there are weeks like this one, where you suddenly realise the ecosystem around...
January 14, 2026 · Ben Visser · 4 min read
Askara Year One: A Full Circle Review
Hey there, As 2025 closes, I find myself looking back at a year that started with a simple idea and ended with something far more substantial than I could have...
December 24, 2025 · Ben Visser · 5 min read
Playing the European Game
Hey there, This week took me back to Tallinn for an accelerator day. Solo travel this time, which turned out to be exactly what I needed. There's something abou...
December 16, 2025 · Ben Visser · 4 min read
Serve to Lead
Hey there, We finished our last build cycle of the year and are now moving into goal-setting mode until the fifth of January. A good moment to pause and take st...
December 8, 2025 · Ben Visser · 5 min read
Manifestation Through Declaration
Hey there, I'm writing this fresh off the Trade Mission to Toulouse, still processing everything that unfolded there. What started as a networking trip turned i...
December 2, 2025 · Ben Visser · 4 min read
From Professional Masks to Shared Ownership
Hey there, This past week marked a true milestone for Askara. Through three days of intensive workshops that pushed us into emotional territory we hadn't explor...
November 18, 2025 · Ben Visser · 5 min read
Leveling Up Our Vision
Hey there, Last week was one of those glorious periods of deep work and flow states that every creator dreams about. Multiple valuable outcomes emerged from sus...
November 10, 2025 · Ben Visser · 5 min read
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 poss...
November 3, 2025 · Ben Visser · 4 min read
You Can't Force the Source
Hey there, This week I want to share something fundamental about building a company that goes against everything the startup world tells you. It's about timing,...
October 20, 2025 · Ben Visser · 5 min read
Seven Months to Unity
Hey there, Last week I wrote about the Risk Wheel insight that emerged from our ISO27001 audit. That breakthrough wasn't just a conceptual win—it's become the c...
October 13, 2025 · Ben Visser · 4 min read
When the Wheel Started Turning
Hey there, The past few weeks have been intense, and part of that was due to building up to an ISO27001 audit that happened this week. That deadline pushed ever...
October 6, 2025 · Ben Visser · 5 min read
Growing Without Growing
Hey there, Last week I briefly mentioned that we'd have an opportunity to pitch Askara at Vandebron. I didn't want to make too big a deal out of it since we wer...
September 29, 2025 · Ben Visser · 6 min read
Stepping Through the Fall Equinox Portal
What a whirlwind these past few weeks have been. I've been so swamped since the week before our wedding that I haven't been able to journal properly. Between ar...
September 25, 2025 · Ben Visser · 5 min read
A Garden of Compounding Efforts
This past week was a wonderful summer week, and it really felt like living the theme of _blossoming_. We’re in that season of enjoying the greenery and flowers...
Augustus 18, 2025 · Ben Visser · 3 min read
Discovering the Missing Half of Our AI Vision
Hey there, This week marked my return from La Gomera, and with it came one of those breakthrough moments that perfectly illustrates why trusting synchronicity a...
Augustus 11, 2025 · Ben Visser · 4 min read
The Lovable Shift
I mentioned last week that after three weeks on this paradise island, all the big things I'd planned to achieve were done. I had this feeling of being complete...
Augustus 5, 2025 · Ben Visser · 7 min read
Time to Speak Out
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 incre...
Augustus 1, 2025 · Ben Visser · 3 min read