Writing for Business Owners

Two Decades of Insights (And Still Going)

Though we grew up poor, my dad bought us a typewriter and made us learn how to touch-type. He said we’d appreciate it someday in the future when everyone used computers. He wasn’t wrong.

I’ve written more than a hundred articles about business, marketing, branding, and design for publications like Inc. Magazine and others, as well as for my own various blogs and websites.

“James consistently amazes me with his insights on design, marketing, and business process.”
—Troy Busot (Founder & CEO, Athlinks)

Articles

3 Essential Elements of a Rock-Solid Brand

3 Essential Elements of a Rock-Solid Brand

Over the years, we’ve found that there are three foundational elements to almost any brand: purpose, values, and style. BRAND PURPOSE Research cited in Built to Last (by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras) indicates that purpose-driven companies can outperform the...

Getting Back to Reality

Getting Back to Reality

We now live in a world where almost everything is abstracted and over-processed to the point of barely being real. Take hamburgers, for example. What once referred to a thick, juicy slab of minced beef flavored with regional spices now typically refers to a thin,...

Special K and Wheaties: A Lesson in Positioning

Special K and Wheaties: A Lesson in Positioning

Cereal is great. You throw some milk on it, and you’ve got a tasty and relatively nutritious breakfast. Theoretically, cereals–at least the basic, unadorned ones–should be relatively universal. There’s not much about them that predisposes them to any particular...

ROI is What Actually Happens

ROI is What Actually Happens

Executives tend to be short-term thinkers. Their career has grown through easy-quantifiable successes, and they’re constantly pressured — by other short-term thinking executives — to base their actions around short-term metrics. It’s all about what happened last...

What Happens After Your Revolution

What Happens After Your Revolution

Revolution is easy when you don’t have anything to lose. You say the things everyone’s afraid to say, kick in some doors, fire your guns into the air, depose some tyrannical leaders, and declare your way to be the new way of doing things. When you’re a startup, it’s...

The 30-and-30 Rule for Websites

The 30-and-30 Rule for Websites

When designing a website, it’s important to remember that not everyone processes information the same way you do. You might enjoy taking your time and absorbing all the details, while someone else is just trying to get in, get what they need, and get out. When...

Your Spreadsheet Isn’t Telling You the Whole Story

Your Spreadsheet Isn’t Telling You the Whole Story

Human behavior is based on emotion first, logic second As technology has given our industry the ability to measure more things faster than ever, there’s been a steady trend towards having metrics serve as the basis for design and creative work, with the idea that this...