The Journal

Running a business

Sorted by topic — plain-English notes on keeping your platform fast, stable, and out of your way.

Running a business

I’m a ____ who helps ____ with ____ (and why that blank is so damn hard to fill)

Most owners cannot say what their business does without rambling through fifteen things. Here is how a laser-focused…

Jun 29, 2026
Running a business

We Gave Away a Detailed Scope for Free. Here’s Why That’s the New Normal.

AI collapsed the cost of detailed scoping — so we give ten-page scopes away before a contract is…

Jun 17, 2026
Running a business

5 signs you’ve become your business’s accidental IT manager

You started a business, not an IT department. If three of these five signs sound familiar, your tech…

Jun 2, 2026
Running a business

Flat-rate vs hourly: what website care should actually cost

Hourly billing makes you hesitate to report problems with your own website. That misaligned incentive — not the…

May 24, 2026
Running a business

When to fire your website

Some websites deserve a fix. Some deserve a severance package. Five clear tests for telling the difference —…

Apr 30, 2026
Running a business

Why we quote fixed fees

Hourly billing rewards slow work and punishes candor. Why we quote fixed fees instead — and what that…

Mar 19, 2026
Running a business

Demand a Proper Scope Phase

What follows is a lesson for people looking to hire a freelancer or agency to build out your…

May 8, 2017
Running a business

Life Balance Tips — Kick Ass at Work Without Going Insane (or Why Spending Time Away from Work is the Best Way to Kick Ass at Work)

I’d like to start by acknowledging the irony that I’m writing a blog post about this—I’m going to…

Aug 5, 2016
Running a business

ActiveCollab 5 vs. Asana

How we work; how we set up our workflows and go about our day-to-day business is a very…

Jun 30, 2016
Running a business

Blogs on the Internet You Should Read

The internet is a huge place. More content is generated today than at any other time. It’s hard…

May 25, 2016
Running a business

Self Hosted Invoicing

Today’s post is aimed at my fellow agency owners and freelancers. What are we going to talk about?…

Feb 22, 2016
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