Founders Diary January 2026 - Meetings, decks, how I set my annual strategic goals and the real reason I did an event in NYC.
I’m writing this on the train to London with that chemical cocktail of fear and excitement running through my veins because tomorrow I’m going to Japan for a 10 day research trip.
Originally I booked this as a holiday for my son’s 15th birthday. I was so excited to give him this present at Christmas!! I wrapped up a bento box with a fake ticket and when he opened it he was like…. Thanks.
I was like - what do you mean? Aren’t you *excited* and he was like… “well I wanna go on holiday with my friends OBVIOUSLY! not be crawling around a country I’m obsessed with, with my middle aged mom you loser IDIOT!”
Well that’s not AT ALL what he said, (he’s a wonderfully polite young man who hates hurting people’s feelings) but that’s what I heard. After 24 hours my bruised ego was softened and I thought - fair enough, he’s a teenager, we should really go on holiday with other teens. Okay I’ll do my collection research instead!
One long phone call to BA later to discover his ticket was non refundable or changeable so I couldn’t take anyone else with me, I just accepted that I was going to Japan by myself.
Now y’all know I’ve been a long time solo traveller. It’s not that I actually SOLO TRAVEL it’s that I mainly travel for work or press trips and I always meet my international girl crew or end up in a group. However this time I am going to be alone and very far from home so honestly, I’m a bit scared.
I can’t explain it, I just am.
Anyway, regular readers will know that I do everything at the 11th hour so my poor right hand woman Latticia has been incredible at booking my workshops and tours which I absolutely cannot wait to share with you.
I will post my Japan daily, because I imagine I’ll have way too much content to wait until the end of the trip, plus it will make me feel less lonely each evening.
That said, I realise how behind I am on this newsletter and on my posting schedule. When I started writing this newsletter you couldn’t stop me! I was posting 2-3 times a week resulting in my close friends asking - you ok hun?
The fact is, I was inspired, I was excited and most importantly, I didn’t really have a job. Well now I do, and 39BC is popping off. I’m only 4 weeks into 2026 and already so much has happened! And I’m already so exhausted! My back is killing me rn as Im writing this so a massage in Japan will be my first call for sure.
So many things have happened this month that I think are useful and beautiful. Useful for you brand builders out there who might want to understand my strategy and what the next year looks like for 39BC, but also beautiful because as ever, I’m lucky to have some amazing experiences and products that shape my world.
After the paywall, you’ll find a day by day account (I’ll do my best to keep it short haha!) of January to get you up to date.
