A small list for people running lean on open protocols.

The site makes the argument. The list is where a small group of operators talk shop: real questions, what's working, the occasional config, and first word when we publish something new. The complete setup lives in the playbook, free to read. The list is where you compare notes while you build.

It's free. It runs on email. You can unsubscribe the same way you joined.

What's on the list

• Peer discussion. A small group of operators with real businesses asking real questions. Not a forum. Just a mailing list.
• Lighter how-tos. Quick tips and the occasional config, the kind of thing too long for a webpage but too short to put in the playbook.
• First word. Notice when we publish a new case study or a new edition of the playbook, before anyone else.
• A sample from the toolkit. Your welcome email includes the written AI policy we use at La Nao, straight from the paid toolkit, so you can judge the quality before spending anything.
• A way in. The complete templates, scripts, and step-by-step setup are in the playbook. The list is where you decide whether this way of working is for you.

Is this for you?

The list is useful if you're running a business where staying lean matters, you're willing to spend a weekend on setup and a few days training your team, and you're comfortable operating differently from companies that default to whatever SaaS is currently popular.

It's not useful if you're looking for a quick fix. The whole point is that you own the stack, and that comes with responsibility. If you'd rather have someone install it and hand you the keys, that's a different thing: the setup service. We do that for a few companies a year.

Read more about who this approach suits →

Running an open-protocol stack of your own?

Tell us how your business runs on open standards. Reply to any list message with a description of your setup: the tools you use, what you replaced, what surprised you. The interesting ones become case studies on this site.