This is all good news.  It means that our clients are running more and more projects through the Appingo system and becoming more efficient.  It means that they are hitting (or BEATING) their deadlines — consistently and easily.

It means they aren’t using Excel anymore.

It means that their bosses are able to find out “How we doing?” without bothering anyone.

It means that freelancers are getting their files without having to fish through a complicated FTP site.

It means that production meetings are being used to plan for tomorrow instead of catching up on yesterday.

And hopefully it means that there are more happy people working in the publishing business than there was before.  Hopefully it means that the people who are used to wasting a lot of time working in a tangled process, are starting to realize that they have more free time than they used to.  Hopefully, they are using that free time in ways that make them happier…
Cheers!
Derek

Maybe the cat was scratching, or the baby needed to be fed, or somthing went bump.

Does your mind start to race? Do you wonder if your remote teams did their work? Do you dread the commute and the stuffed full in-box. Big files attached… takes forever to download only to have to re-send to some one else. Oh, now your late for that meeting…

Here’s a note from my in box this morning.

Thanks. I laughed when I saw that you closed your tasks at 1:30 AM. I love seeing this happen on the Appingo system.
Hope we both get to bed soon.
Cheers

So, if knowing that your projects continue along while you are sleeping (or should be sleeping) is important, give us a call at Appingo. See how we can help.

-Steve

When we decided to build the Appingo software system, we wanted to build a tool to UNTANGLE the process of making a book — specifically the processes of the production department.   So we spent a lot of time building the tool.  And it’s really great.

The Appingo software is a great DETANGLING tool.  Like a great brush.  And for some organizations, a brush is all they need.  But in the short time we’ve been licensing the software to publishing companies around the country, we have realized that more than a few of our customers need more than just the brush.  They have been working in a overly complicated, TANGLED system for so long that they have a hard time thinking about a better process…a more organized and efficient way.  They also don’t HAVE THE TIME to think about a better process because they are already overworked and drowning in their TANGLES.  We’ve actually had a potential customer tell us,

We know our process stinks and we know it can be better, it’s just not worth it to us to spend the time to fix it.

Hmmm…eventually they may have plenty of time to fix it.  When they shut down operations because their inefficiencies have resulted in their margins dissolving to the point where they can’t afford to be in business.

But I digress.  As we have brought our clients up to speed on how to use our software, we have realized that a good brush is a good start.  But you also need someone to use the brush.  And you also need good detangling technique.  The person using the brush should be a strong leader within the organization.  Someone who is going to excite his or her team to work toward a better process.  If not, it can be someone from the outside who drives the initiative.

Appingo’s new business opportunity lies in the area of the detangling technique.  The Appingo system was build from a scalable, process-based foundation.  In building and actually working with the system, the Appingo team has become very knowledgeable and experienced in designing scalable, efficient processes in a publishing environment.  So we have started to work with some of our clients in this capacity.  Not only licensing and training them on the Appingo software, but actually going into their organizations and improving their processes.  We are helping companies think like this:

It’s what we call, the Appingo Way.  Companies who commit to thinking like this will scale and scale gracefully.  And they’ll have a good time doing it.  Appingo is now helping to make this a reality.

Teaching the Appingo Way has become a very valuable service for our our clients and it’s a great way for us to grow our business as well.  It’s a win-win.  And we will have good success stories on this front to share in the near future…

Having the brush is half the battle.  We’re now here to help you use the brush more effectively.  The goal is nice straight hair. We’ll get you there.

Derek

Ship To Printer

The team at Velo is small, but strong.  And looking for growth.  And looking to be more strategic.  They are looking to Appingo to help them create the space they need to do both.  We’re happy to oblige…

Welcome aboard to the crew at Velo Press.  Happy to have you and excited to be a part of your growth!

Derek

My first boss ever, Lenny Higgins of Higgins Ice Cream, always said ‘Take and Fill a #10 tin with hot soapy water and clean the…”

Lenny had it almost right. The task is very clear, “Clean the…”  all the rest are ‘To-Do’s’ which are part of the task. There was no question about who or when, or how much money, Lenny was always looking at YOU, and the time frame was always NOW! and the rate was ridiculously low.

Envision yourself answering the simple question, “What do you want me to do?” Answer it simply and clearly with an acive verb first;  Write, Edit, Design, Deliver, Proofread, Draw, Clean. These are the task names.

All the rest, specific instruction, files, money, assignees, due dates, are all details that are appended to the task.

When we start thinking simply about tasks, we can start to build them into a workflow that is predictable, replicable, and transferable.

Higgins Ice Cream is long gone, but some of us still remember the lessons.

-Steve