We’ll be talking about about all the great things going on in the New Orleans economy, from the tech scene to fashion houses, and all the reasons everyone should start a business in our city.

You can also hear me tell a story about being a roadie for Ringo Starr, why you should invest in Salesforce, and what my former greatest fear was.

Listen on the web here, or better yet you can download the WWNO app for iOS and listen there!

The post Apptitude on WWNO’s Out To Lunch Today appeared first on Apptitude.

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Thanks again to everyone involved for a wonderful night!

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After celebrating Apptitude’s first birthday back on April 2nd, I took a moment to reflect on how much things had grown in such a short amount of time. What at first felt more like a toy plane had grown into something substantial, and had very much taken flight. And now that we had reached cruising altitude, it became clear to me that there was a need in the company for a Community Manager. Someone that had a knack for marketing, social media, brand visibility, and customer happiness.

What I didn’t anticipate when I posted the position was the overwhelming response I would get. So many talented and impressive people submitted applications. Within a few days I had more qualified applicants than I’d ever expected, and soon I had interviewed some of the strongest candidates. One week in late April, they participated in a round of Social Takeover. Each candidate took over Apptitude’s Twitter or Facebook account for a day, was given some simple guidelines about posting, and was set free to post whatever they felt would be relevant.

While each candidate from that week did an amazing job and brought unique and refreshing approaches to Apptitude’s social channels, Susana Bobadilla‘s approach was tremendous. Her attitude, work ethic, diverse background, and impressive experience building brands both in the US and abroad showed me that she would bring great things to Apptitude.

If you’ve never met Susana, you’re missing out, because she’s as cool and hilarious as she is talented. We came up with this quick round of Q&A to help you all get to know her.

Q&A

Who is your celebrity doppelgänger?

People tend to say I look Andie MacDowell, although I’ve also been told I look like Rebecca Gayheart (aka the Noxema Girl) as well as Meryl Streep in her “Out of Africa” years.

What brought you to New Orleans?

I’ve always loved this city’s culture; there’s something about it that just enchanted me and made New Orleans unlike any other city the United States. Every time I came to visit I tried to find reasons why I had to stay. Plus, my best friend Carol Starr had been trying to get me to move down here for years as well, so I also had some coaxing.  I’m a by-product of a Spanish father and a Virginian mother – raised with Southern values in an international environment.  Maybe that’s why New Orleans has always just made sense to me. So when I decided to move back to the United States from Madrid Spain in early 2012, I knew New Orleans was my next home!

What do you look forward to in your new role as Community Manager at Apptitude?
I am very much looking forward to working with Chris Boyd!  I think he’s a brilliant guy with great ideas and an awesome project that is about to grow immensely in the next year. I am certain we are going to make a great team and learn a ton from each other.  I am also really looking forward to being an active member of New Orleans’ thriving tech industry, engaging with the New Orleans business community, as well as a developing Apptitude’s brand through social media and networking.  I am a very social individual so I can’t wait to start developing business relationships for Apptitude both online and in person!

What’s your favorite mobile app?
Tough question, I have too many.  I am a self-proclaimed  an app-addict and tend to have an app for everything I do- be it working, playing, cooking, planning, or listening to music.  Twitter is probably my long-term love, although I’m currently having an affair with Vine.

What is your favorite spot in NOLA?
Another tough one. I love too many spots in this city and I feel like I discover a new favorite spot on a weekly basis.  I like to experience life through my palette, so the New Orleans’ restaurant scene is a great playground. One of my favorite spots is Root- I think Philip Lopez is a really innovative chef, plus it’s always a fun experience!

Temple of Literature,
Hanoi, Vietnam

If you could travel to 5 places where would you go?

1. Hanoi, Vietnam
2. Ooty, India
3. Zanzibar, Tanzania
4. Turks and Caicos
5. Kyoto, Japan

* * *

I’m very excited to have Susana joining the team, and I can’t wait to see all the great things she’ll be sharing with us as Apptitude climbs to new heights.

The post Meet Susana! appeared first on Apptitude.

The post Photo Friday: What’s Your Favorite Street in New Orleans? appeared first on Apptitude.

It’s also a huge honor because of the company I have in the list of nominees. David Crais has been the founder and CEO of several impressive biotech startups and organizations, both here in NOLA and around the country. I am a huge fan of Gary Solomon‘s breathtaking work, and see it nearly every day, whether I’m marveling at the beauty of the Superdome at night, or hearing about the amazing new extensions opening at the World War II Museum. I heard about Arman Sadeghpour’s incredible product, Theodent, when I was a participant in the NOLAbound project. And that same week I had the pleasure of meeting Matt Wisdom and hearing about the beginnings of Turbosquid and all the things they’ve been able to accomplish since.

All of these people are New Orleanians who chose to stay here after the storm, or moved here in the immediate years after to help rebuild. My respect for them–and for every New Orleanian who was here for NOLA in her darkest days–knows no bounds.

We’re very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish at Apptitude in just a single year. We’ve grown from a handful of small projects to an impressive portfolio of enterprise-grade apps around the country. We’ve partnered with some of New Orleans’ most cherished brands to create beautiful things. We’re growing, expanding, and sharpening our tools. Expect even greater things from us in the coming years.

I love that our success at Apptitude helps spread the message of New Orleans’ success. As Jennifer Medbery from Kickboard so eloquently said, “The entire entrepreneurial ecosystem in New Orleans understands that when one rises, we all rise.” And while I lament not being able to be here to help with the heavy lifting in those dark years, I take the responsibility of carrying the message that New Orleans is the greatest city in America very seriously. Because I believe it.

And I’m not alone. Anthony Bourdain agrees. Bob Schieffer agrees. Bloomberg agrees. The list goes on and on and on.

But there will always be fools like Geraldo Rivera who will say uninformed, foolish things about our city. And therefore, even as we get to be here during this incredible renaissance period, Apptitude’s role as ambassador for New Orleans remains as important as ever.

I look forward to having our successes continue to help show the world just how magical and amazing a city New Orleans is, and I’m honored to have been nominated for our efforts here.

The post Downtown NOLA Awards: iMinder of the Year Award appeared first on Apptitude.

The post Photo Friday: New Orleans Food Trucks in the CBD! appeared first on Apptitude.

As a growing business based in the CBD that loves good food and loves New Orleans, we were both excited and appalled to see the coming policy changes regarding food trucks in our city.

The New Orleans Food Truck Coalition has been working tirelessly with City Hall to pass legislation to update our woefully outdated laws as they apply to “street food.”

Our city’s current policy treats food trucks as if they were fly-by-night carnival food vendors that travel the country and have no roots in NOLA. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our growing food truck scene is just like that of every other great American city’s food truck scene: wildly popular, diverse, delicious, and locally based. We don’t know of a single food truck that isn’t owned by a New Orleanian, or, just like Apptitude, a new New Orleanian.

Thanks to Stacy Head‘s excellent leadership, the need for change is readily apparent and understood by our City Council. However, the need for additional regulations and bizarre rules for the food trucks to follow is not. While it makes sense to get rid of the 600-foot buffer zone that food trucks have to put between where they set up and any restaurant, it does not make sense to simply reduce this to 300 feet, as some local restauranteurs are pushing for.

It also makes absolutely no sense for our city that an additional requirement was added by another City Council member, seemingly at random, that food trucks have to have a bathroom within 300 feet at all times. We’re all adults here, nobody needs the government to tell them when and where to go to the bathroom.

Last month, the 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a unanimous decision that says states and cities may not pass laws simply to protect one business from competition by another.  The court’s decision was in response to a lawsuit brought by Louisiana monks who faced the prospect of fines and jail simply for making and selling caskets without first becoming morticians and opening a full-fledged funeral home. It is clear to us that many of these new regulations that have been added to the proposal are simply Old Louisiana-style politics: using legislation and political ties to try to stifle competition and a growing, grassroots movement.

Don’t let City Hall stifle our delicious and amazing food truck scene in New Orleans. Email them right now and let them know you want fewer regulations for food trucks in New Orleans, not more!

The post Support New Orleans Food Trucks! appeared first on Apptitude.

For more info, check out the schedule: http://www.fqfi.org/frenchquarterfest/schedule/

The post Photo Friday – French Quarter Fest appeared first on Apptitude.

Our 7-Step App Development Process

With this in mind, we created this handy infographic to help illustrate our unique 7-step process. This approach is wildly popular with our clients, and we think you’ll love it as well. No mystery, no guesswork, just transparency and results. You know where your app is at every stage, from idea to App Store.

From our initial bid to the launch party, you’ll love the way we take care of your app idea. Because we know this project is your baby, and therefore it’s our baby as well. And we include things no other app development studio gives you – from a Community Manager to help you build your app’s brand and gather important feedback, to our own unique Live Mockups that let you see your app on your device from Day One.

Click the button below to download our infographic and learn all about Apptitude’s app development process. We’ll be happy to chat with you about your app idea. Give us a call today so we can begin working on your app tomorrow!

Download PDF

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