STARTING YOUR APP BUSINESS - App Trillionaires: How To Become An App Developer: Enjoy Life, Make Money, and Live Your Dreams! (2013)

App Trillionaires: How To Become An App Developer: Enjoy Life, Make Money, and Live Your Dreams! (2013)

4. STARTING YOUR APP BUSINESS

I have setup much of this book to be in a step-by-step format with little notes and tips as well as possible costs you may incur in each step in US Dollars. Since many of you may be in a different point in the business, please choose to start where you believe you are. For many this may be a new first step, and it is exciting, and so I would recommend that you start here at the beginning. For others who have a running app business, you may want to start at another part, possibly looking into ASO or some of the various techniques and methods I have outlined in later chapters. For those who wish for more or may require some additional help, you may want to join one of my many training programs I am constantly building online for new and current app developers. Simply visit http://www.gamescorpion.com to view many of our trainings and while you’re there make sure to sign up to my newsletter where I am always outlining the latest information and news on the mobile app business as well as providing tips and advice on the industry which I highly recommend!

In addition to this I have setup a Facebook page for those who have read the App Trillionaires book and are part of my programs or are in the mobile industry. I like to hold mastermind meetings every now and again, which really takes you to the next level, where you can meet like minded individuals who are also trying to learn and grow their own app businesses. You can join the group by visiting http://www.facebook.com/AppTrillionaires.

So lets begin with the first steps in starting your new successful App Business!

TIP: I highly recommend actually taking action on the steps I have outlined. If you need to do one step a day that is fine, but at least put it into a calendar and start taking action on it. I cannot stress how many potential app developers fail due to not taking action! If you really want to create a successful app business then you need to take ACTION!

STEP 1: Choose Business Model And Company Name (COST: $0)

a. Choose a business model from the business models I showed you earlier.

b. Choose a company name.

TIP: Keep your company names simple and memorable!

c. Check online to see if your company name and domain name are available. When I first started I used something like GoDaddy.com or Misk.com to view what domain names were available. I would also recommend a Google search to see if the company name you may be looking for exists or not. By making sure your company name is not available you can save yourself a lot of headaches and lawsuits in the future. In fact it took me nearly 2 weeks to really come up with a solid company name and a lot of research, and I finally settled on Game Scorpion. I also had Game Torch in mind at the time, however there was another several places that had that name so I finally chose Game Scorpion and went full force with it.

d. Decide on what business type your company is. Are you an individual (Sole Proprietor)? Do you want to protect your assets and plan a larger undertaking (Corporation)? Whatever you are planning to do will determine how long things take to setup. A sole proprietor for example can be setup on Apple App Store in a day or less whereas a Corporation (Like what I have) can take you three weeks or longer to get approved. If you are not sure, I would recommend talking to a lawyer or accountant who may be versed on advising you on the benefits of what type of company may work better for you.

STEP 2: Open The Business (COST: $60 to $2,000)

a. This week go to your local city hall or business development office to learn how you can open a business. You will be required to pay about $60 to $2,000 depending on which type of business you open. Sole Proprietorships tend to cost much less than corporations so figure out what works best for you and your budget. For me I knew this was my long term business and what I was planning to do full time always so I chose to open a corporation. It cost me personally around $500 in Canada to open the corporation online and pay for a names search.

STEP 3: Website and Domain (COST: $100-$300 / Year)

a. Go to GoDaddy.com or Misk.com and reserve your domain name for your business there for about $10-$20/year. I personally chose a .COM address over any other one due to the fact that a .COM is much more prominent when compared to other domains.

b. Next choose a web hosting service to host your website for you. This could cost you between $80-$200/year. GoDaddy.com offers many basic hosting packages. I personally use Exabytes.com for our hosting package as I find them affordable and more importantly, reliable.

c. For the website I setup a Word Press installation (www.wordpress.org) and obtained a theme for easy website management. There are many places to obtain word press themes such as ThemeForest.net, ElegantThemes.com and TemplateMonster.com.

TIP: If you have trouble in setting this up, simply head on over to www.fiverr.com and outsource the website for just $5! That’s right, one of the nice little tricks we use in the industry is that we try and outsource what we can. Fiverr.com offers many providers who will install and setup your basic word press installation for a low price and you can be up and running easily by simply providing your web hosting details to a service provider. Make sure to change your passwords and access information after they set things up successfully.

d. Take a quick crash course tutorial on how to update and edit your new website and theme. You can find many of these tutorials online by doing a simple Google search or even searching Youtube videos.

STEP 4: Bank Accounts (COST: $10-$20 / Month)

a. This week focus on getting a bank account setup SPECIFICALLY for your business. Even if you are running a Sole Proprietorship, you still should have a separate account for your business. Many banks offer business bank accounts for around $10-$20 per month. In my case as I am considered an International App Developer being in Canada, I had to setup two accounts, one for Canadian Dollars and one for American US Dollars. I set these accounts up for around $15/month per account. When you sign up to app stores in the future steps, you’ll be required to provide this information to them so that they can pay you via direct deposit.

STEP 5: Hardware and Services (COST: Up To $1000-$3000)

TIP: To truly keep your business mobile, purchase development devices that are mobile as well, such as Laptops instead of Desktops.

a. APPLE DEVELOPMENT

Apple Development will require you to purchase a Mac computer system. The Mac must be capable of running the latest version of xCode which means it must most likely be an Intel based Mac computer. Doing a simple Kijiji, Craigslist or local Classified search should yield you many people who are selling their old used Macs for cheaper prices. I was able to work out a deal when I first started and scored a sweet Macbook Air 13 Inch for just $800! Look around and see where you can save your money. The Mac system alone can cost you up to $2000 or more depending on what system you are planning to buy for your development purposes. Another option is to purchase a PC only and use a service called Mac In Cloud (http://www.macincloud.com). Mac In Cloud basically is a Mac computer you can use through the Internet that allows you to submit your app to Apple without requiring a physical Mac computer. This will cost you up to around $50/month to use this service, so it’s a great option for new developers on a budget.

b. ANDROID DEVELOPMENT

For Android Development you will require either a Mac or Windows based system. You can easily purchase very powerful PC Windows Based Laptop system at your local electronics store for around $500. I purchased my laptops for example from Best Buy and Futureshop here in Canada.

The tools I will be recommending for development in this book will be heavily PC and Windows based. Having a solid PC Windows laptop then will be very important for your business.

c. Internet is a REQUIREMENT for this business to run successfully. Sign up for a constant high bandwidth internet connection. You want to be able to upload and download a lot of data without limitations. Most basic monthly internet packages should suffice. In Canada I pay around $40/month for High Speed Internet. This should be comparable to most places around the world. Having a solid internet connection is something that I just can’t stress enough! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE IT!

d. Obtain testing devices to test your apps out. I would recommend to purchase at least one Android device and one Apple device. I personally have an iPhone, iPad and a Google Nexus 7 Android Tablet. You can purchase what you feel would help you the most. I have found that I can purchase tablets and phones easily via Kijiji and Craigslist for relatively low prices. I’ve been able to personally obtain Tablets for as low as $150! Whenever possible, save your money as there are a lot of expenses to get this business up and running.

STEP 6: Sign Up To Various App Markets and Setup Various Accounts (COST: $150-$300)

TIP: Make a special place in your web browser bookmarks section to start putting all the links you come across for your app business. There are a lot of websites and tools you will find along the way so always keep a list so you have easy access and wont forget!

a. Apple App Store

You will need to sign up as a developer by visiting http://developer.apple.com/programs/register/. You want to sign up to the iOS Developer Program and not the Mac Developer Program unless you plan to make Apps for Mac Computers specifically. The cost will be around $99/year to be an Apple App Developer.

b. Google Play Android Market

Visit https://play.google.com/apps/publish/ to sign up to Google Play Market so you can develop for the main Android Marketplace. This will cost you about $25 as a one time fee by Google.

c. Other Markets

The following other markets I have personally tested and highly recommend. Please make sure to sign up for an account on these if you can. Not all of them are available to all countries and regions however these are the ones that I have tested with great results compared to others. There are literally dozens of market places out there for the Android market and only ONE for the Apple market. I personally use the tool ShiVa 3D to make my apps so I can program my apps once and then port them over to many markets without issue, even other alternate markets like RIM Blackberry, HP WebOS and several others. Over the years I have tested out many marketplaces and so the following marketplaces have been tested by me and have made me more money than others.

Alternate Marketplaces to Sign Up To:

i. Amazon (http://developer.amazon.com/)

ii. Barnes and Noble (https://nookdeveloper.barnesandnoble.com)

iii. Samsung (http://seller.samsungapps.com)

iv. Blackberry RIM (https://appworld.blackberry.com/isvportal/)

d. Advertising and Monetization

The following places will allow you to monetize your apps and make money from placing ads within your apps or from sending push notifications. I have listed several places below, however keep in mind there are many more out there and will change over time. This is what has been working for me thus far, however as time goes on this list will change and so I highly recommend to always keep up to date on the latest trends, tools and market news to know what’s the latest and greatest in app monetization. I have personally tested out the following and at this time I can personally highly recommend them. Please sign up and setup accounts at the following places:

i. RevMob.com (http://www.revmob.com/)

ii. AdMob.com (http://www.admob.com)

iii. LinkShare.com (http://www.linkshare.com)

iv. PushWoosh.com (http://www.pushwoosh.com)

v. PushWizard.com (http://www.pushwizard.com)

e. Business Administration

I would highly recommend signing up to the following places and creating accounts which will help you run your business better. I personally have connected up all my emails to Gmail online which allows me to send and receive email from anywhere in the world on any device I want, thus truly making my business mobile! You’ll definitely want to setup Gmail and Google Docs online using the links below as well as Google Calendar.

i. Google Gmail (http://www.gmail.com)

ii. Google Docs (http://docs.google.com)

iii. Google Calendar (http://www.google.com/calendar/)

iv. Warrior Forum - For Marketing (http://www.warriorforum.com/)

v. Reuters Daily Tech News (http://www.reuters.com/news/technology)

vi. App Annie (http://www.appannie.com)

vii. Top App Charts (http://www.topappcharts.com)

viii. AppCod.es (http://www.appcod.es)

ix. Fiverr.com (http://www.fiverr.com)

x. oDesk.com (http://www.odesk.com)

! NOTE ! - The steps outlined thus far should take you about a week to accomplish. Schedule a good week or possibly two to get everything done. Do not move onto the next steps unless you are absolutely sure you have already setup your basic environment and all required membership fees and license fees to be an app developer.

“Never leave that till to-morrow which you can do to-day.”

— Benjamin Franklin