{"id":2978,"date":"2024-12-16T21:34:38","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T21:34:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apptechllc.com\/?p=2978"},"modified":"2025-07-27T21:42:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T21:42:17","slug":"3-lessons-from-20-years-of-building-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apptechllc.com\/3-lessons-from-20-years-of-building-software\/","title":{"rendered":"3 lessons from 20+ years of building software"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Paul McLaughlin<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I like to joke that I’ve never had a \u201creal job\u201d because I launched APP Tech, straight out of college with a buddy of mine, Peter. At the time \u2014\u00a0this was 2003 \u2014 I knew I wanted to build software, and didn’t really care what the industry was, but Peter\u2019s father owned a group of transportation companies in the Philadelphia area, and so that\u2019s where we started.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

This post will cover a few key lessons I\u2019ve learned in the decades since. Peter left the company in 2005 to dedicate himself full-time to his father\u2019s business (we\u2019re still great friends), and I feel extremely blessed to have helped grow this company from these humble beginnings into a successful software business with an amazing team and hundreds of customers across North America.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

More than 20 years ago, my APP Tech co-founder and I started with a simple goal: build meaningful, customer-focused solutions that solve real-world challenges. Simple enough on paper, but from the start, our journey at APP Tech has been a continuous learning opportunity, and no doubt that will continue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our first software deliverables were a handful of products designed for a single customer in a single industry. From these early projects, our team and our vision grew, and we\u2019ve learned valuable lessons about listening, adapting, and, above all, the importance of building strong, trusting relationships. Here are a few of those lessons.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Embrace outsiders: There\u2019s power in new and diverse perspectives<\/b><\/h3>\n

When my co-founder, Peter, and I started our company, we were winging it. Fresh out of college and with zero industry experience, we had one client, Peter\u2019s father\u2019s transportation company. We knew how to build software and we knew how to ask good questions, that was pretty much all we had going for us.<\/span><\/p>\n

But after only 18 months in business, we landed a contract to build a claims-management solution for Greater Houston Transportation (GHT). At that time, GHT was the second-largest taxicab company in the U.S. This was a major win, and our industry-outsider status turned out to be a critical factor in closing the deal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We were at a trade show and met a guy named Raymond Turner \u2014 a big, tall Texan with a cowboy hat and swagger. He had worked in tech before, but was a newcomer in the claims world. When he walked by our booth, he saw what we were doing and said something like, \u201cThis industry is backwards. It\u2019s out of date, and you have a fresh take on this. That\u2019s going to be really good for us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He saw that the transportation industry had become insular, in a way, and was in a rut \u2014 confined by the way things were done in the past.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Outsiders see things differently, and can draw new conclusions from the same old facts. They notice opportunities that aren\u2019t obvious to people who have spent too long looking at the same problems and solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Entering the claims industry without conventional experience, our team had a fresh approach, which was to focus on the incidents that lead to claims, rather than starting with claims themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

As an outsider himself, Raymond Turner saw the value of our fresh perspective, and he hired APP Tech for GHT. After that deal, we managed to land Total Transit in Phoenix, and APP Tech was off to the races.<\/span><\/p>\n

Valuing the outsider mindset has since become a defining feature of our work at APP Tech, even shaping our hiring practices to favor diverse backgrounds, passion, and potential over narrow industry expertise. We\u2019ve come to learn that this approach drives innovation and keeps the team focused on real-world problem-solving.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Adaptability and intention are key: Find what works, adjust, and focus<\/b><\/h3>\n

APP Tech launched with a suite of three software products \u2014 vehicle fleet management, HR compliance, and claims management \u2014 all built for the transportation industry. But over our first few years in business, we discovered that the need for our claims management solution cut across industries, and there was ample opportunity in retail, property management, construction, and other fields. We didn\u2019t come to this realization on our own, we heard it from our clients and prospective clients first.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the time, we were hesitant to pull the plug on our other software offerings, but the writing on the wall became clear: Claims management was worthy of our undivided attention. This was the idea worth building our business on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

APP Tech\u2019s \u201cincident-first\u201d claims management approach, developed from an outsider\u2019s perspective, resonated with clients by offering a unique and practical solution that traditional claims systems overlooked. So, we shifted the team to focus on that one product, IMS, which would later become our flagship offering, Cloud Claims.<\/span><\/p>\n

We went deep on functionality, user experience, and real-world use cases, ultimately delivering a claims-management system that was distinctive, flexible, and highly reliable \u2014 across various industries.<\/span><\/p>\n

This shift from a diversified product lineup to a specialized focus allowed the team to build a pinpointed solution for a widespread need. Many enterprise solutions attempt to cover too many bases, which often leaves them \u201ca jack of all trades, master of none.\u201d We listened to the voice of the customer, pivoted, and found our niche.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Get out there: Customer relationships are your greatest asset<\/b><\/h3>\n

The most impactful interaction I ever had with a client came at a trade show. In 2007, I was manning our booth and having a conversation with a prospect. I saw one of our customers, LaMonte Jackson from Total Transit, walk up and kind of stop. He could hear my conversation, and at some point, he stepped in and addressed the prospect. He said something like, \u201cWe work with these guys and they are fantastic.\u201d Then he went on to give us a ringing endorsement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the prospect eventually left, I thanked LaMonte for his words, and he just looked at me and shook his head. “No, man. It’s all good,\u201d he said. \u201cYou guys are great to work with.” And he reached over and he patted my chest. It kind of shocked me. “Never lose this, man. Never lose that right there.”<\/span><\/p>\n

This meant so much to me, because I really respect LaMonte. He’s a wise man, and he showed me that he really appreciated not just what we accomplished together, but the relationship we built while doing it. It touched me in a way that has affected my life. Sometimes you feel like you’re working so hard, and sacrificing, and you don\u2019t know if the work is good enough, and you don\u2019t know whether anybody really cares or notices. But to get that kind of feedback from a customer, where it’s all about what’s in your heart, that’s better than any compliment you could give me on our software.<\/span><\/p>\n

And it gave me encouragement to just stay true to that path, not to lose that heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

Customer relationships are at the core of APP Tech’s approach. We make it a point to have frequent interactions and on-site visits with our clients \u2014 and yes, we still go to trade shows!\u00a0 Because face-to-face time provides unique moments, insights into client needs, and lets us see the real-world impact of our work. Being there in person reinforces our commitment to listening and adapting to serve our clients better. It\u2019s critical, especially in industries where clients prioritize trust and personal connections. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Paul McLaughlin   I like to joke that I’ve never had a \u201creal job\u201d because I launched APP Tech, straight out of college with a buddy of mine, Peter. At the time \u2014\u00a0this was 2003 \u2014 I knew I wanted to build software, and didn’t really care what the industry was, but Peter\u2019s father […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3006,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n3 lessons from 20+ years of building software - APP Tech<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our founders have learned a few lessons navigating the software industry from humble beginnings to today. 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