Alex Moss is a director at FireCask, a digital marketing, NFT marketing and web development agency.
Moss founded the Manchester agency in 2013 alongside fellow director Anna Moss.
Here, he shares all his pearls of wisdom and lessons he’s learnt.
Which single daily habit or practice could you not do without?
Snoozing emails. Reminders aren’t enough for me – I like all my tasks to be within my inbox.
What’s been your luckiest break?
Winning a large client in the US because they saw me in a YouTube video years earlier – which neither of us could remember. They stayed with us for years.
What’s your best failure?
In university I failed one of the IT modules where I had to create an ordering system. I built it in PHP at the time, which my teachers could not mark as they wanted delivery in a obsolete language so had to create documentation on how to read my code. Despite failing I was able to sell the code to a client which I then invested into starting my freelance work.
What is the best investment you’ve ever made, either financial or time?
Other than the above, I went on a digital detox trip to Iceland with a bunch of like-minded people wanting to escape the distraction of a device screen. These trips are essential for anyone working in digital in order to help your mindset for years to come.
Which book would you recommend others to read and why?
Oddly I don’t read much to form a good answer here.
What one piece of advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
Launch any of your ideas now while you have the energy – you may not have the same energy in 10 years. Try it, otherwise you’ll regret it later.
Who or what has had the single biggest influence on your working life?
My wife and other director Anna. Without her I wouldn’t be where I am today professionally. She has been able to push me to do have more passion and drive, as well as bounce ideas off all this time.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people.
I used to work in television production which actually taught me a lot on how to deal with difficult people. I have also developed a backpack from beginning to end, teaching me lots about product design and development.
How will the COVID crisis change work for the better?
It will create a better work life balance, and provide opportunities to further your career without the limitation of city or country borders.
What does success look like to you?
Prioritising your personal life over your work life. Whilst your work life is important, there’s no success if it overtakes what is really important which is your own time. Also attempt to be offline as much as possible – walk in the countryside as much as possible.
