Hello, my name is Lee Handley, Workamapro’s founder. I launched Workamapro Inc. in 2008 as the first company to offer consulting, training, and support devoted solely to Workamajig Creative Management. Since then I have worked with over 100 agencies, and two things have not changed: 1). Workamajig remains the best choice for agencies looking to perform at peak proficiency, and 2). Agencies underestimate the implications of implementation–and the potentials of doing it right.
So my job? Very simple. I turn your agency into a Pro Jig user. But even more than that, I want to show you how to use Jig to skyrocket productivity, profitability, and your team’s job satisfaction. Because the truth is that if you fully implement Workamajig and allow it to optimize the quirks and culture of your agency, then you are in for much better days (cue the soundtrack here). Due to the holistic nature of this software, it can’t go any other way.
This is hugely satisfying to me. But before I tell you more about my story, let me introduce you to the 3 hats I wear. I am your Sherpa, your Guide, and at times your Map Maker as we travel on this journey together.
As your Sherpa, I work for you, the Boss, to get done what you need to get done to have Workamajig fully operational for you. As your experienced Guide, I keep you on track to make the most of your agency’s capability and potential. And as the Map Maker, I throw in a little magic from my years of Workamajig and agency experience (merged with my accounting background) to show you operational terrain you don’t even know exists. I promise.
How Did I Become ‘The Expert‘?
First of all, I have spent most of my career managing advertising agencies–which means that I come from your world and get it. I’ve felt the daily pain points and stresses of maintaining a thriving agency. And I’ve personally faced the fears, concerns and responsibilities that accompany a software implementation.
I first came across Creative Manager Pro, now known as Workamajig, in 2003. We purchased this software package because we needed a software solution that could manage every aspect of our agency’s business. What I didn’t yet understand is how this software, fully implemented, can revolutionize an agency. But then, that’s exactly what happened.
Unlike most Workamajig users, I found myself in a unique situation where it was my full-time job for 6 months to make sense of and implement Workamajig. As a systems and database nerd with a degree in accounting, I can’t overstate my excitement. I went completely to town–and the results were staggering, game-changing, and a whole list of similar, over-the-top adjectives. Monthly billing went from a painstaking 2-week process of scheduling meetings, reviews and approvals to a small chore performed during breakfast in Telluride.
When this initial success got some attention in my local market, I was lured away to run a larger, regional agency with similar processes and problems. They were going through a complete company turnaround, and I was brought in to tie everything together. I was concerned that my conclusion — “we just need Workamajig” — might be seen as a little too simple. Once again, by fully implementing Workamajig, we did what seemed impossible.
Within a few months we had stellar results:
- Monthly financials were produced in less than ten days, where before it had taken 6-8 weeks.
- Monthly overhead expenses were predictable. We were no longer slaves to the postal service — we knew which bills were expected and which had arrived (or not).
- We no longer worried about whether or not everything had been billed and at the right amount.
- Having created a disciplined system for our operational processes, we essentially automated work that had been time-consuming and laborious.
- Our new operational procedures with Jig freed us up for even greater efficiencies and productivity.
When I say that Workamajig taught our agency how to perform at its peak efficiency, I am talking as much about the intangibles of the creativity business as well as dollars and cents.
That means the highest level of project management, trafficking and financial reporting–AND the creative fire and joy that results from real-world, efficient business operations. Because in Jig, these worlds are not mutually exclusive. Both in 2003 and 2006, we quickly discovered that truth by adapting our system to the “Workamajig Way.” This meant that when we were at first unable to utilize all of the functions Workamajig provided in its program, we changed how we did things, our culture really, until we were lined up and in sync. And then an offer to become a partner in the agency came along with the win. Boom.
This all happened over 10 years ago, which has been plenty of time to confirm that our experience was repeatable–and even easily beatable. In fact, at this point I find that my biggest challenge with potential clients is to communicate the scope of what is possible.
Bottom Line
Workamajig has enabled the agencies I have managed to achieve operational and financial success–quite often way beyond expectations. The changes were not always easy, but the results have always proven that the pain of change was worth it. When you systematize operations holistically, a whole new level of ease becomes everyday normal.
In fact, I became so passionate about assisting creative agencies to be more and more creative (and profitable) that I turned down agency ownership and decided to focus my career on doing exactly that. I continue to be super-passionate about guiding agencies using Workamajig to maximize their full potential–wherever they currently are on the journey. Because when agencies properly utilize Workamajig to handle business functions, they can focus on what drives them–Creativity. And that really works for me.