Talking Yourself into a Solution:

Entrepreneurship's Silent Companion

Welcome back to the diary of a Runpreneur. For those new to my journey, today marks consecutive day 1167, a monumental testament to resilience and persistence. I invite you to subscribe, share, like, and comment as each interaction brings us closer to raising more funds in my quest to save the lives of children through the ultimate ultra marathon challenge. All the details about how you can support this cause are in the link below. Now, let's dive into today's topic: talking yourself into a solution.

Lately, I've been feeling particularly overwhelmed. I know I've mentioned this before, and I'm sorry if it sounds repetitive, but this has been my reality—juggling a myriad of responsibilities while implementing a significant transition in my operating systems across both my entrepreneurial ventures and personal life. Enter Airtable, a database relationship management software heralded for its vast capabilities. While it's indeed powerful, setting it up and optimizing its functions requires an enormous commitment of time and effort. You work in beta mode, then optimize, iterate, and measure—a cycle that seems never-ending.

Three months into this process, I still find myself struggling with data accuracy—which impacts my ability to make informed business decisions. However, there is a silver lining on the horizon. Last week, I explored leveraging the latest technology to import all our bank feeds into Airtable. This innovation promises real-time data access, a game-changer. Previously, I waited four to six weeks for financial data from the accountant—time during which my financial circumstances could change drastically. Real-time data means I can now make instantaneous, informed decisions.

It reminds me of Simon Jordan, a renowned entrepreneur in the UK, who also owned the Crystal Palace football club. He recounted how accessing real-time financial data turned his business around, enabling him to steer his enterprise effectively. Comparing myself to Simon, a hundred or even a thousand steps ahead in the entrepreneurial journey, may seem ambitious, but his experience underscores the power of immediate data.

Today, I had an enlightening conversation with one of my mentors, who is assisting me in setting up the Airtable infrastructure. We were discussing how to link bank transactional data to the various sections of Airtable. Whether tenant payments, investor payments, or different types of costs, it seemed a complex puzzle. However, while expressing my challenges out loud during our call, something remarkable happened—I found the solution myself.

This episode underscored a significant learning—entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey, filled with problems that can often feel isolating. We tend to bottle up these challenges, attempting to solve them independently, which only increases the pressure. It's like steam building up in a pipe, weighing down on you. The release mechanism I found today was simply talking. Articulating my problems out loud facilitated the discovery of a simpler solution. Instead of figuring out how to link transactional data to different areas, the answer lay in consolidating variable data with transactional data in one place, simplifying the reporting protocols for my business.

In essence, talking your way through a dilemma can unlock solutions that previously seemed elusive. Bottling things up is never the answer.

That’s it for today's entry. As always, feel free to drop any questions or comments. I'll do my best to respond to each one. And remember, your support through subscribing, sharing, liking, and commenting not only helps spread this knowledge but significantly contributes to our altruistic ambitions.

Thank you for tuning in. Stay positive, stay happy, and I'll see you again tomorrow.

Kevin Brittain