SIMEFF is an independent publishing and digital ventures company behind Dystinct and Structured Literacy Lab.
We take useful ideas and gradually develop them into publications, educational products and online brands. SIMEFF.com is where we document that work - the decisions we make, the systems we create, the experiments we try and the lessons we learn along the way.
SIMEFF stands for Simple & Effective. That principle influences how we approach everything we build.
How SIMEFF began
SIMEFF Pty Ltd was established more than a decade ago.
During its early years, I used the company for several consulting projects. However, SIMEFF eventually developed in a different direction.
In 2020, my wife, Zahra, and I launched Dystinct (Dystinct.org).
What began as an idea grew into an international magazine that shares the experiences of people with learning differences and publishes contributions from educators, specialists, parents, and advocates.
Producing Dystinct required us to learn how to manage every part of an independent publication.
We worked on the editorial process, designed magazine issues in Canva, coordinated contributors, prepared content for publication and distributed the magazine through its website, Apple, Google Play and other digital platforms.
We didn't start with a large publishing team or an established media organisation behind us. We worked things out gradually, built processes as needed, and used technology and external services where they made sense.
That experience shaped what SIMEFF is today.
Dystinct
Dystinct was launched in 2020 to change the narrative around learning differences.
The publication shares evidence-informed articles, expert perspectives and personal stories from children and adults with dyslexia and other learning difficulties. It has grown from an initial magazine idea into an established international platform with contributors and readers from different parts of the world.
Zahra is the founder and editor of Dystinct. She shapes its editorial direction, works with contributors, and ensures the experiences of people with learning differences remain at the centre of the publication.
My role has largely been behind the scenes - helping build the publishing systems, websites, digital distribution, marketing processes and operational structure that support the publication.
Dystinct showed us that a small, independent team can create a meaningful publication by combining a clear purpose with practical systems and consistent work.
Structured Literacy Lab
Our next publishing venture is Structured Literacy Lab.
The idea came from Zahra’s experience in literacy, her work with Dystinct and her understanding of the difficulties many children experience when learning to read and spell.
Structured Literacy Lab is developing story-based literacy books and supporting resources designed to make structured literacy instruction engaging, memorable and age-appropriate.
This project involves much more than writing the books.
We need to develop and test the concept, design and illustrate the books, organise them into a coherent collection, create the website, prepare the product pages, decide how the books will be published and distributed, build the email system, create free resources and work out how to reach parents, teachers and literacy professionals.
We are currently working through that process.
Why we are documenting the journey
There is a great deal of information online about publishing books, building websites, creating digital products and marketing a new business.
What is often missing is an honest account of how all those pieces come together in a real project.
SIMEFF.com is where we will document how we are building Structured Literacy Lab - from the early idea through to product development, publication, launch and growth.
We will share:
- How we develop and organise the products
- How the books are designed, tested and revised
- How we build the website and landing pages
- How we choose publishing and distribution platforms
- How we use email automation to deliver resources
- How we approach YouTube, search and digital marketing
- Which systems and tools we use
- What our experiments cost in time and money
- What works, what does not work and what we change
- The lessons we carry from one project into the next
This isn't meant to be a perfect formula for building a publishing business. Every project is different.
It records the decisions we make in our own projects and what we learn from the results.
The way we work
SIMEFF is a small, independent company.
We do not have a large department for every part of the business. Instead, we decide what needs to be done, create practical processes and use the right combination of our own skills, technology, contractors and external specialists.
Our approach is simple:
Begin with a useful idea
A project should address a genuine need or create something that is meaningfully useful to its intended audience.
Build it one stage at a time
We do not need to solve every future problem before beginning. We focus on the next important stage, learn from it and use that knowledge to decide what comes next.
Keep the systems practical
A system does not have to be sophisticated to be effective. It may be a spreadsheet, a checklist, a shared folder, an automated email or a clearly documented process.
Test before making bigger decisions
An idea that sounds promising still needs testing with real people. Feedback and actual results are more valuable than assumptions.
Share the reality
Not every idea works as expected. Some decisions take longer than planned, some tools create new problems, and some marketing experiments fail.
Those experiences are part of the journey and often contain the most useful lessons.
Who is behind SIMEFF?
SIMEFF’s publishing projects are developed by Shaf Azam and Zahra Nawaz.
Shaf Azam
I have spent approximately 20 years building and managing businesses.
My experience covers digital marketing, Google/Meta Ads, consulting engagements, business analysis, project management, implementing large-scale projects, regulatory frameworks, process development and managing cross-functional teams and external engagements.
I usually connect the different parts of a project: working out what needs to happen, creating the process, selecting the tools, coordinating implementation, and reviewing the results.
Through SIMEFF.com, I document that practical side of developing and operating our publishing ventures.
Zahra Nawaz
Zahra is the founder and editor of Dystinct and the creator behind Structured Literacy Lab.
She leads the editorial, literacy and educational direction of the projects. Her work includes developing concepts, writing and refining content, collaborating with contributors and creating resources that are meaningful for children, parents and educators.
Our skills are different but complementary. Zahra leads the educational and editorial thinking, while I focus largely on the systems, publishing, technology, marketing and operational work required to bring the projects to life.
What you will find on SIMEFF.com
SIMEFF.com will follow the projects we are actually building.
The content will cover areas such as:
- Publishing and digital distribution
- Educational product development
- Book design and production
- Websites and landing pages
- Email systems and automation
- YouTube and digital marketing
- Project management
- Business expenses and administration
- Outsourcing and working with external providers
- Launch results and lessons learned
Some articles will explain a particular system. Others will document a decision, experiment, problem or milestone within one of our projects.
Together, they will create a practical record of how a small independent company turns an idea into a published product or digital venture.
Follow the journey
Structured Literacy Lab is the next major project we are building through SIMEFF.
Over the coming months, we will document the journey from product development and website preparation through to publishing, marketing and launch.
If you are building a publication, educational product or independent digital project of your own, you may find something useful in the decisions we make - and in the mistakes we make along the way.
Join SIMEFF to follow the journey and receive new articles, practical resources and project updates as they are published.
We build. We publish. We share what we learn.