Mobile computing has changed the way we live, work, and communicate. With the shift to mobile computing comes the inevitable rise of mobile application development. This created a niche market that made mobile app developers successful individuals and paved the way for a new brand of entrepreneurs called appreneurs.
What’s an appreneur?
An appreneur is a term coined for entrepreneurs who engage in the business of mobile application development. An appreneur can be anyone, from teenagers to professional software developers, as long as you have great ideas and turn them into quality mobile applications. The high profitability of the application market created new, successful appreneurs who became millionaires.
How do I become an millionaire appreneur?
The app economy, which was worth some $53 billion in 2012, is expected to grow up to $143 billion in two years. This means there are a lot of opportunities is available for budding appreneurs. There are hundreds and thousands of applications in the market now and if you want to break into the mobile application development industry and become the developer of the next million dollar app, you may need to take this advice to heart.
Do your research
Mobile app development is just like any business. You might have an earth shattering app idea, but you cannot just burst into the market without knowing your it very well. For an app to be successful, it must have a good niche market.
Similar to starting a business, conduct thorough market research. According to successful appreneurs, 80 percent of the time what they do is market research on the trending apps. Doing market research on the trending apps requires you to not just follow but download these apps and experience them yourself. You need to know what made these apps get the attention of the users. Understand the user market and let this direct you on how to move forward with your app development.
Another area of research that you should focus on is on what the market needs. You need to fill a demand or create a demand. It is also good that early on the development you have an idea how to further to develop the app and create more apps around it and ultimately making an app empire around that original app.
Get the right tools
To be successful in any field, you need to be equipped with the right tools. For mobile app developers, there are various tools that can help you get started and become successful in no time.
For development and design, sign up for a developer account. For Apple app developers, there is an Apple Developer Account for $99 per year and this will immerse you in the Apple environment and iTunes Connect. As for the software to us, a good option is Xcode as it is the software that most apps are built in. Most app developers also rely on Adobe Photoshop for creative design and it is said to be the best companion for Xcode software. It may also be wise to look at existing app designs and framework to get awesome ideas. One may check App Design Vault, iOS Inspirations, App Icon Template and many more.
Work with talented people
You don’t have to be the greatest programmer to be able to create at great app and you don’t need to be a millionaire to finance such an undertaking.
If you don’t have the talent then look for those who have it. Try outsourcing and open the gold mine of the greatest talents in the world. These great talents may be residing at the other side of the world but it’s possible to tap them. Outsourcing websites like Odesk and Elance popular for a reason–they provide a pool of premier talent and you can hire them to work for you.
Contrary to most reports and claims, you don’t need a lot of money to develop an app. If you outsource some tasks and responsibilities, that will save you a ton of money while getting the same, and sometimes even better, results. If you are not the designer, you can develop a successful app by managing operations and doing marketing well.
Have a business plan
There are several ways to monetize an app and it starts with a good marketing strategy. After all, how will the market know that a good app like yours exists without getting some word out?
Most apps bank on word of mouth and social media for marketing. Research shows that users usually download an app upon recommendation of friends or some personalities. A reason why iOS apps are very popular is because Apple utilizes social media very actively, especially on Facebook and Twitter.
You can make money from your apps in three ways. First there is what they call the premium model, which is the most obvious and straightforward way to earn by charging a download fee. Second is the freemium model, which makes an app available for download for free, but there contents in the app that will only be available when you pay. This upgrade option is also called an in-app purchase and it’s the most popular way to make money with apps because it appeals to cost-conscious users. Another way to monetize an app is through ad networks, which works by providing the app and all it’s content for free but enabling advertising within the app. This doesn’t ensure higher profit margins though as it depends on cost per click.
Frequent Updates
What makes an app successful is a good execution by the developers. You know app developers who want to be really successful because they devote time in making their product a success.
To bring confidence to your users, you need to always keep your app fresh and updated at all times. You also need to hear their feedbacks, clamors and demands. You learn from these and be able to translate them to making your product better.
A devoted and trusted developer will gain some loyal following. This you will need and you can count on your way to building a successful multi-million app and eventually an app empire.
How come a lot of what Melissa writes, contradicts a lot of what carter does and writes? It’s all about making sure you do the right research, getting your app idea right and hitting it big, all of which carter tries to avoid when starting up and just building that portfolio.
I could understand if it’s meant for after succeeding with reskinning.
Carter hasn’t written an article since selling his portfolio a year ago.
Melissa is a cheap writer adding ‘original’ content so the site doesn’t become completely empty and retains google love.
@Patrick – Actually, I’ve written a lot. And Melissa is a great writer who provides good content to a lot of people. If you want to be a hater, go find somewhere else to vent.
Nice…..great insight into an entirely new concept…. Would need to learn more….thanks for this though
Melissa, This is a really good post! I have to agree, doing your research is the most important part of the process. If you skimp on this you might as well just give up. Cannot tell you how many people I have met who think their idea is the next Yik Yak, but have no data or research to even validate their idea.
This blog awesome and i learn a lot about programming from here.The best thing about this blog is that you doing from beginning to experts level.
When I outsource my app, how can I keep it updated all the time?
each time I have to pay a new developer to update it?