Same dream. Different blueprint.
I ran a creative agency for 14 years.
Clients came to us because we had process, polish, and a team that could scale with them.
But if I were starting today, I'm not sure I'd build an agency the same way.
Not because the work is less valuable—but because the way value is delivered has changed.
Getting from zero to one is faster than ever. A single person with the right AI-assisted tools can design, ship, and test ideas in days—not months.
When I think about the extended discovery phases, the wireframes, the polished decks we used to send—it's harder to justify that cycle now.
You can build something simple, put it into the world, and start collecting real feedback almost instantly.
That doesn't make agencies irrelevant. But it does make the old model harder to defend.
The margin, the speed, the iteration loops—all favor a different kind of business now.
Smaller. Tighter. Less human overhead. More systems thinking.
If I were starting today, I'd focus less on building a team—and more on building a system that could adapt, learn, and ship faster than the competition.
That's where the leverage is and where we're heading.
Most Interesting
What I learned at Figma
Robert Bye's reflections on his time at Figma emphasize the importance of developing strong product sense, including customer-centric thinking, collab culture, and iterative learning.
Tom Blomfield on what happens when AI makes everything cheaper to create.
In this oldie but goodie, Sam Altman emphasizes the significance of choosing the right work, cultivating independent thought, and surrounding oneself with positive, driven individuals.
Top Resources
Easy file transfers for creatives. A native macOS app designed to send large files (up to 2TB) directly from the desktop.
The AI coding assistant gets a major upgrade.
A font by Displaay Type Foundry available in 8 weights with italics and variable fonts. This blend of mechanical precision and humanistic quirks makes it a perfect choice for editorial and branding use.
What's Trending
Sequoia Capital's article explores how AI is transitioning industries into continuous, 24/7 operations by eliminating temporal constraints.
What I'd do as a college freshman
Murat Demirbas reflects on what he'd prioritize if starting over today.
OpenAI, Windsurf, and the future of AI workspaces
OpenAI is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire Windsurf (formerly Codeium) for approximately $3 billion, marking its largest acquisition to date. OpenAI wants to develop the platform beyond a coding tool—making it a general-purpose AI workspace.
Closing Thought
The old model isn't dead—but the leverage has shifted. Build systems, not just teams.
