Taking a break

Hey,

I know you were probably expecting an issue this week given I missed last week’s. I’m sorry that this isn’t that — let me explain why you’re getting this note instead.

I started the issue during a professional break. My personal goal was to build something, hopefully something useful. Why? Because building things to solve problems is something I really enjoy. I was writing issues alongside a few freelance consulting projects. It was an easy balance: researching topics and delivering ideas to your inbox, alongside working on docs, decks & sheets, sending emails and having meetings. I could do it all.

If we’re connected on LinkedIn you may have seen my post yesterday. Since December I’ve been working with a really exciting early-stage startup called yarn. Yarn is solving the issue of kid’s screen time, and the feelings of guilt parents often have due to the poor options of online media they have for their kids. Yarn is an AI-powered interactive storyteller enabling kids to create stories, not just watch them. You can read Sally’s (one of the co-founders) blog post on yarn’s origin story to learn more.

It was always the plan that my primary task/goal with yarn was to drive forward the Seed fundraise. I felt confident I could slot this into my work and continue writing the issue.

I was wrong.

It’s not so much balancing my time that’s the problem. It’s that in yarn I have found an issue to solve that I’m passionate about. A vision (to nourish every child’s mind and nurture their community) that I’m excited about. In other words, I’m actually helping to build something that is solving a problem. Not just writing about it.

In doing all the activities building yarn involves, I’ve found no headspace to explore (and solve) other business issues as is the purpose of the issue. I don’t want to deliver average-to-poor issues, and I know I can’t deliver my best when I can’t get yarn, kids screen time, storytelling, creativity and investor pitch decks out of my head.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a good thing. I love what I’m doing and I’m incredibly excited about the future. This is the right choice, because building a startup takes a huge commitment and focus — and as is the case with yarn, it is a commitment I’m more than happy to give.

So, it’s bye for now.

Maybe you’ll see me in your inbox after we close yarn’s raise, maybe it won’t be for a few months after that. Maybe it won’t be at all. And if I do come back, maybe the issue will look quite different (I’ve been wondering what ‘issue’ the issue actually solves anyway, but that’s something for another time).

Thank you so much for reading, subscribing and humouring me. And if you also get a chance to build things to solve a problem, dive in.

See you around.

Ollie