How to Start a Home-based Mobile App Developer Business

by Chad Brooks

Overview

With the app market exploding, app designers will need a solid how-to guide to help them start their home-based business. This book will guide the reader through all the steps from design to marketing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493006861
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	01/07/2014
Series:	Home-Based Business Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	200
File size:	483 KB

About the Author

Chad Brooks has logged nearly 15 years in the media business. He started his career at the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago, where he spent more than a decade covering an array of topics, including local and state government, crime and the legal system and education. Following his years at the newspaper, Brooks transitioned to public relations, where he helped promote small businesses across the country – landing media placements for his clients in local, regional and national outlets. During that time, he gained a unique perspective on what it takes to launch and sustain a successful small business. Today, Brooks spends his time as a Chicago-based freelance writer, covering business and technology stories for a number of online outlets. His work regularly appears in Business News Daily, The Huffington Post, Yahoo! and Fox Business.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction ix

01 So You Want to Start a Home-based App Developer Business 1

Time 1

Space 2

Money 4

Motivation 6

Personality 6

Why Apps? 7

Controlled Creativity 7

02 Envision Your Business 11

Part Time or Full Time? 11

Type of Apps 13

Who Is Coding the App? 14

Apple vs. Android 16

Business Plans 19

03 Forming Your Business 23

Choosing a Name and Domain Name 23

Legal Structure 24

Opening a Bank Account 26

Money 28

Odds and Ends 30

04 Researching the Marketplace 32

Getting Perspective 32

The Competition 33

App Design and Function 34

App Pricing Strategies 36

05 Registering as a Developer 39

Becoming a Registered Apple Developer 39

Becoming a Registered Android Developer 43

06 Building an App Yourself 47

Pros and Cons 47

Programming for Apple iOS 48

Programming for Android 51

Using a Do-lt-Yourself Service 54

07 Building an App with the Help of a Developer 57

Pros and Cons 57

Hiring a Freelance Developer 58

Hiring a Digital Agency 65

Negotiating a Contract 69

08 Working with Your Programmer 78

Keeping Programmers Focused 80

09 Testing and Submitting for Approval 84

Initial Testing 84

Beta Testing 85

Apple Approval 90

Google Play and Android Approval 92

Amazon Approval 94

10 Selling Your App 97

Download Purchases 97

In-App Purchases 98

In-App Advertising 101

Setting a Price 104

Pricing Paid Downloads 108

Pricing In-App Purchases 111

11 Marketing Your App in Mobile App Stores 115

Naming Your Mobile App 115

Product Description 118

Product Screenshots 121

App Icons 122

Keywords 124

12 Marketing Your App Outside of the App Stores 129

Creating a Website for Your App 129

Launching Your Website 135

Social Media 135

Traditional and Online Media 140

Media Messaging 142

Marketing to the App Stores 149

Paid PR 150

13 Running Your Business 153

Day-to-Day Operations 153

App Updates 154

Financial Bookkeeping 157

How to Keep Financial Records 157

14 Business Endgame 160

Shutting Down 160

Growing Your Business 161

Money 162

Down the Road 163

Appendix A Glossary 167

Appendix B Online Resources 170

Index 180

About the Author 188