When you run more than one business, things break constantly: a payment link, a DNS record, a renewal nobody noticed. The fix is usually quick. The expensive part is when the same thing breaks again three months later and you've forgotten how you fixed it.
That's what a what-broke log is for. It's one of the four parts of the Portfolio Operator OS, the system Linkedd LLC's founder uses to run six businesses.
The four columns
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| What broke | The specific thing, in plain words |
| What it cost | Money, hours, a lost customer, a missed day: whatever it actually cost |
| The fix | Exactly what you did, so future-you can repeat it |
| How to stop it happening again | The change that prevents a repeat |
That's it. It's a running log, not a report.
How to use it
- Write it the same day. The details fade fast.
- Be honest about the cost. A rough figure is fine. "Lost an afternoon" counts.
- Don't skip the last column. The fix gets you through today. The prevention step is what pays off later.
- Review it with your weekly plan. If the same business keeps showing up, that's a signal about where your attention needs to go.
Why it matters more with several businesses
Across several businesses, many of the same parts show up again and again, such as domains, payments, email, legal pages and refunds. A fix you logged for one business is often the fix for the next one. One log, kept in one place, turns every breakage into a checklist item.
Get the template
The Portfolio Operator OS includes the what-broke log plus:
- A portfolio dashboard: status, the next action, money in and out this week, and what's blocked
- A weekly attention plan
- A launch checklist
It works in Google Sheets or Excel, with printable PDFs. It's $39 one-time, or free with an annual membership. It's an operating system, not a get-rich plan, and it makes no promises of income.
Frequently asked questions
What is a what-broke log?
A running log of what broke in your business, what it cost, the fix and how to stop it happening again, so you don't solve the same problem twice.
What should a small business incident log include?
Four columns work: what broke, what it cost, the fix you used, and the change that will stop it happening again.
Where can I get a what-broke log template?
It's part of Linkedd LLC's Portfolio Operator OS, which costs $39 one-time or is free with an annual membership. It works in Google Sheets or Excel.
Is the Portfolio Operator OS a way to make money?
No. Linkedd LLC says it's an operating system for running businesses, not a get-rich plan, and it makes no promises of income.