FOUNDERS DIARY: ENTRY 11.11.24: Approaching the Start Line.

Reaching the start line is often a thankless task, who is going to thank you for showing up? As people gather around, watching you stretch and breathe, the countdown to zero ticks away. You focus your gaze forward, never backward. The goal is ahead, and together with everyone lining the sidelines, there’s a collective anticipation for the sharp, echoing “bang” that signals the true start of the race.

Your chest pounds, adrenaline surges through your veins. Fear, excitement, and anticipation mix with the overwhelming urge not to stumble. Many are watching, and while most may be cheering, there will always be a few waiting to see someone falter. But no one truly understands the grit and effort required just to reach the starting line. It demands commitment. You have to be your own coach and cheerleader, persevering through rain, snow, and wind, driven by the singular knowledge that you must keep moving forward.

Today, I’m standing at my own start line. I’ve been preparing for this moment not just for months but for years. Turning a concept into something tangible that others can see, feel, and interact with has been like racing barefoot around the world — except this world is made of lava. “Tough” doesn’t even begin to cover how challenging it has been to get here, to wake up each day with the motivation to work, set deadlines, deliver results, and impose structure and routine. And those are just the basics. Bringing passion, creativity, and originality to the table has been equally taxing, demanding a toll on the mind, body, and soul.

Waking up is a gift, but when every day feels like boot camp, exhaustion is inevitable. Going solo means being independent in every sense of the word. On those dark days when running feels impossible, you must remind yourself: if you don’t get up and train, no one else will do it for you. Running someone else’s race doesn’t move you forward.

Life today is unrecognizable from a year or even two years ago, let alone three. But that’s what I love about life: nothing is static. We are fluid, capable of change and growth. We don’t have to remain who we were; we are not stuck.

Many of us feel like pawns in a vast chess game, but few realise that a pawn can cross the board and become any piece it chooses (well, not the king). Even a pawn can transform into a queen — a piece that can move in any direction it desires. We don’t have to stay stuck. If we keep pushing forward, navigating past the sneaky rooks and knights, we can cross the board and become what we want, moving freely wherever we like.

Thank you for being here at the start line with me. I hope you’re here to cheer, so we can eventually say “cheers” together at the finish line.

Ciao for now,

Josh