By Georgina Joy Read No Clucks Given Journal

What moves things forwards? Janu-ready.

Hi Reader

January has a particular energy in South Africa.
It’s often spoken about as a month to survive — jokingly called Janu-worry.

This year, I’m coming in Janu-ready.
Here’s how you can too.

Ready means grounded. Oriented. Willing to begin from where you actually are. It’s still early in the month, and you may be thinking about the year ahead. If you’ve written something down for 2026 — a direction, a focus, a question — you’re welcome to reply and share it with me. I read every one, and I’m happy to be an accountability partner where it helps.

For today, I want to name something I see often at the start of a year — or at the start of a new business or project.

When there is energy, action follows. Ideas form. We’re busy. Flap, flap, flap.​
We do work around products, services, pages, content, and structure. This work feels productive, familiar, and easy. It looks like progress.

But truth be told it is a deception. Growth doesn’t happen there.
Inner capacity isn’t built there.

Growth comes from where you are uncomfortable. You must make a sale.

Contact with customers.
Contact with conversations.
Contact with feedback.

This is where businesses actually move forwards.​
When you allow yourself and your idea to be tested out there.

We hesitate because contact brings discomfort. Opinions. Reactions. Learning. Adjustment.
Ugh!

And yet — that discomfort is the signal.​
It tells you The Work has begun.

This is The Inner Work of Entrepreneurship: expanding your inner capacity by doing something that stretches you.

So here’s a Janu-ready question to consider:

What is the one action that places you in direct contact and conversation with the people you’re building for?

Hit reply and share it with me. I read every one.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu,
Georgina 🐣
​The Hatch and Hustle™​

PS. If you know someone who would benefit from these journal entries, you’re welcome to invite them to join here.​

PPS. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu is a Japanese phrase that is so useful. It doesn’t translate concisely into English, but in this context it means something like: let’s work well together from here. An acknowledgement of shared effort, respect, and what is to come.

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