James Costa A batch of thoughts, resources, and motivation from a friendly digital agency owner delivered every Monday at 6am ET. 61 subscribers 55 issues Subscribe to my list This thingy has to be empti pwieshh
#55 June 12, 2017 Issue #55: Parents in tech – A few days ago, Jason Fried noticed a telling ad that Apple was promoting. In it, they quote Andrew K
#54 June 5, 2017 Issue #54: Shaping perception – Lately I've been thinking about the complex relationship managers and employees have. While managers
#53 May 29, 2017 Issue #53: Toot your own horn – A while ago I followed a brand designer named Jeff Fisher who spoke a lot about tooting your own horn
#52 May 22, 2017 Issue #52: Finding direction – When people are lost they generally slow down or stop to get their bearings straight before moving ah
#51 April 10, 2017 Issue #51: Bitter sweet symphony – Running a business is tough. Keeping sustained momentum in the face of defeat, difficulty, and emotio
#50 April 3, 2017 Issue #50: What're you doing with your dash? – We're all going to die (unless we create AI that makes us immortal). When we're buried, our headstone
#49 March 27, 2017 Issue #49: I am because we are – When I started Phuse, my life was tailspinning. Within the span of a couple months, I lost the place
#48 March 20, 2017 Issue #48: Why we complain – When I was in high school I worked at a large telemarketing company conducting surveys for big brands
#47 March 6, 2017 Issue #47: Embrace the grey – Don't worry, this week I won't be trying to convince you to try BDSM. Instead, I'd like to talk about
#46 February 27, 2017 Issue #46: Tough feedback – I've had a rough couple weeks, but this past week was particularly tough. It started by finding a pre
#45 February 20, 2017 Issue #45: Set yourself up for success – It can feel like we're fighting against ourselves at times to be productive. We feel overwhelmed, but
#44 February 13, 2017 Issue #44: What would you change? – Starting Phuse 8 years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. A lot in my life had changed when I made
#43 January 30, 2017 Issue #43: Technology is killing communication – If you're anything like me, you have an awful habit of checking your emails in the bed every morning.
#42 January 23, 2017 Issue #42: What's next? – When kids grow up, their successes and developments are pretty standard. In the first three months, k
#41 January 16, 2017 Issue #41: Setting the framework for decisions – I hate making decisions. A few weeks ago I had to book an AirBNB for a trip to Atlanta, and it took m
#40 January 9, 2017 Issue #40: There's always a journey – Welcome back. How's it feel to be back in the middle of madness? I'm glad to have you back, and hope
#39 December 19, 2016 Issue #39: Stop wasting time on resolutions and just take action – As we approach the end of the year, there's this tendency to stop what you're doing and prepare for a
#38 December 12, 2016 Issue #38: We need to embrace "bold" – Last week I was talking to a coffee shop owner about Starbucks' move to double-down on high-end store
#37 December 5, 2016 Issue #37: People – People are the hardest thing to get right in running a business. Even 7 years in, I'm still learning
#36 November 28, 2016 Issue #36: Practice active recovery – I have a personal trainer that I see twice a week who keeps me accountable for my health and fitness.
#35 November 21, 2016 Issue #35: The problem with process is process – Every week my laundry consists of 6 (shades of) grey shirts, 6 pairs of underwear, 6 pairs of socks,
#34 November 14, 2016 Issue #34: Everyone has a story – I recently went to brunch for a friend's birthday and got to listen to a folk band play songs in Yidd
#33 November 8, 2016 Issue #33: Humble confidence – I took Phuse full-time when I was 18. I had reached a crossroads where, between working at an educati
#32 October 31, 2016 Issue #32: Nothing is as important as you make it – I have a love-hate relationship with email. I love the feeling of archiving email and having a clean
#31 October 24, 2016 Issue #31: Take a Moment to Step Back – Last week I was given the opportunity to help facilitate two retreats with Positive Gear where we cha
#30 October 17, 2016 Issue #30: The Other Side of Simple – Sitting in bed bored on my iPad a few weeks ago, I went on a cruise through the App Store. Feeling li
#29 October 10, 2016 Issue #29: There Are No Mistakes, Just Bad Decisions – In any way you look at it, this year has been a down year for Phuse. Our top-line numbers are down ac
#28 September 26, 2016 Issue #28: Time and Perspective – A few years ago, we worked on a project for a startup in the gaming industry. We were designing a com
#27 September 19, 2016 Issue #27: Running an Honest Business – As a professor of auto mechanics at a college in Toronto, my dad is the mechanic of the family. As a
#26 September 13, 2016 Issue #26: When Things Get Crazy – We tend to think about what we'd like to be doing a lot; we see another parent with a yoga mat while
#25 September 5, 2016 Issue #25: Get To Know People – Having a strong network of connections is extremely helpful when you need things. But here's the thin
#24 August 30, 2016 Issue #24: The ROI on Risk – If you haven't seen it, a couple years ago Jim Carrey did an incredible commencement speech at the Ma
#23 August 22, 2016 Issue #23: Why Do CEOs Do It? – Last week I had a conversation with another business owner about the stress and amount of hustle that
#22 August 15, 2016 Issue #22: Sorry Not Sorry (For Being Sorry) – I say sorry a lot. Like, a lot. Most of the time I say it without it really being necessary. This mig
#21 August 8, 2016 Issue #21: You're Going to Get Rejected – When I was in high school, I had a few jobs that kept me busy (though certainly not out of trouble).
#20 August 1, 2016 Issue #20: Rallying to Build Momentum – Two years ago, we hit a really rough patch. We had roughly 10 people, were expending about $60k per m
#19 July 25, 2016 Issue #19: We Need More Than Just Mentors – I'm pretty grateful to have had the opportunity to trick really smart people into mentoring me. In th
#18 July 18, 2016 Issue #18: Mindfulness – Lately, I've been trying to A/B split test my days to see what actions positively and negatively impa
#17 July 12, 2016 Issue #17: Getting Through Working Vacations – Last week I spent time with family at a cottage and attempted a working vacation. We were spoiled wit
#16 July 4, 2016 Issue #16: Stop Hiring People Like You – (Note: Sorry for missing out last week. I was celebrating my birthday (🎂) and in the midst of the exc
#15 June 20, 2016 Issue #15: Sometimes It Sucks – Last week sucked. In fact, the last few weeks have been pretty rough. There's no other way to say it.
#14 June 13, 2016 Issue #14: Share Your Work – I think there are two sides to the imposter syndrome coin. First is an overwhelming fear that we're n
#13 June 6, 2016 Issue #13: The Art of Making a Decision – Yesterday while having brunch with a friend of mine who is also a small business owner, she remarked
#12 May 30, 2016 Issue #12: On Taking a Productive Vacation – Imagine you're on a boat. Relaxing somewhere in the middle of the Caribbean. Enjoying your strawberry
#11 May 9, 2016 Issue #11: On Being a Leader – Taking the step back to be a leader is scary. For those of us running agencies, we mostly started the
#10 May 2, 2016 Issue #10: Iterating on Life – This past weekend I spent my time doing two things:Saturday: moved houses. After 6 years of living in
#9 April 25, 2016 Issue #9: Resetting – It's 2:21am and I'm exhausted. For those of you who don't know, this weekend I organized NASA's Space
#8 April 18, 2016 Issue #8: Perspective – We don't take enough time to reflect in the day-to-day. This especially doesn't happen when things ar
#7 April 11, 2016 Issue #7: On Being an "Entrepreneur" – The word "entrepreneur" has always made me cringe. For me, the thought of being an entrepreneur meant
#6 April 4, 2016 Issue #6: On Diversity – A couple of weeks ago, my friend (I hope he's alright that I call him that) Mustefa wrote a short ess
#5 March 28, 2016 Issue #5: Being Grateful – A few months ago I discovered J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive album. The last track on it ("Note to
#4 March 21, 2016 Issue #4: Juggling – For the majority of my life I've been a juggler. Whether it was being a part of a competing wind ense
#3 March 14, 2016 Issue #3: Breathing Room – I've always been jealous of my friends who are able to take time off from work. Whether they travel a
#2 March 7, 2016 Issue #2: Creating Momentum – We're creatures of habit. Perhaps you've heard this before. If anything has taught me this, it's been
#1 February 29, 2016 Issue #1: Beginnings – Sometimes in the craziness of the day-to-day, we tend to forget completely about why we're doing what
