Small-Business

Comic: a ringing desk phone spews tangled gibberish while the host leans back holding a cardboard sign that says TEXT ME. His speech bubble says PUT IT IN WRITING.

Why I Don't Take Phone Calls (It's Not Because I'm Difficult)

I can’t hear you well, I won’t remember it all, and I’ll say the wrong thing on the spot. Then a client proved the fifth reason for me.

Comic: the host stands on a hill at night beside his lime-green scooter, looking down at a small town where teal text bubbles float up like lanterns, holding a receipt that reads 332 TEXTS: $2.48. He says WORTH EVERY PENNY.

What It Costs and What I'd Tell You

MY OWN TEXTING · MESSAGE 08 · THE RECEIPTGoogle Voice was free. This costs a little. Here's exactly how little, and what it bought me. The bill I pulled these numbers straight from Telnyx’s usage records while writing this. This is the last 30 days for all my lines, not just my main number: ...

Comic: the host sits on a park bench at dusk while a long scroll of text bubbles spills out of his phone, with a giant doorless gray tower labeled NO API behind him. He says TEN YEARS IN THERE?

Ten Years on a Borrowed Number

MY OWN TEXTING · MESSAGE 01 · THE PROBLEMFree is a great price until you want to do something the free thing doesn't allow. A great deal, for a while I got my business number through Google Voice in November 2015. It was perfect for a one-person shop. One number rang every device, texts showed up on my phone and my PC, voicemails got transcribed, and it cost nothing. ...

Still Building

A brain without a manual. A body with other plans.

Justin talking to his phone while an AI companion helps resolve a customer issue

Apparently, My Job Is Talking to My Phone Now

I run an IT business. Lately, getting things fixed feels suspiciously like having a conversation.