STEP 3: CREATE THE APP - 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)

9. STEP 3: CREATE THE APP

In this step you are required to do what it takes to start creating your app. If you are planning to outsource, then start outsourcing on oDesk for an app developer or app development company. Make sure you have written NDAs and have your materials and resources ready to give to the developers to start working.

Weigh your options carefully when just starting out! As your business grows, you will eventually have to convert over to the Outsourcing route, but to start with you may want to try your hand at developing yourself. Not only does this help you save some money upfront as you grow your business, but later in the future when other developers are quoting you prices on work, you will know what developer is taking you for a ride and what developer is not. Once again it comes back to SAVING MONEY!

Let’s go over the outsourcing route here in a more detailed step by step method.

OUTSOURCING THE APP

STEP 1. CREATE THE AD

a. Outsourcing Websites for App Development

There are two main types of outsourcing websites available in the market; Regular Outsourcing and Micro-Service Outsourcing. Regular Outsourcing focuses on major projects that are large. The following are some very highly used outsourcing websites that are for major projects. On these sites you can set a budget size of any amount. I personally have used and can recommend oDesk, but I am listing others so you have some options as well.

http://www.guru.com

http://www.odesk.com

http://www.elance.com

TIP: I would highly recommend only sticking to regular outsourcing websites for your main app development. It is a very big mistake to go to micro-service outsourcing websites expecting a full app to be made for a cheap price. Remember, you get what you pay for at the end of the day!

b. Ad Basics

Create an ad on one of these sites that shows outsourced service providers what you are looking to have made. Do not put specifics or your app idea in the job posting unless you want to risk your idea being stolen! Your goal is to keep it simple, for example, “Looking for an app developer to make an Entertainment or Utility app” and then go into details on what you expect from a service provider. Whatever you do, do NOT put your exact idea there!

STEP 2. HOW TO SELECT AN OUTSOURCING SERVICE PROVIDER

a. Select a Service Provider

Selecting an outsourcing provider is based very similarly to any auction website. You simply see the feedback score and review previous work a service provider has done and then go from there. That’s the first step.

b. Do an Interview

The second step is conducting an interview to basically check if everything that the service provider stated lines up in the interview. For example if they say they are fluent 10/10 in English and can communicate correctly, and you interview them and they can barely speak English, then they have just lied on the resume. This would be important for you if you were looking for someone who was going to MARKET YOUR APP for example. In my case, I hired several people for creating press releases for me. This interview process helped me to weed out those who were just lying to get the gig versus those who were really genuine.

c. Probation Contract

The third step after all the items check out is to do a PROBATION contract first. This is simply a week or a few days or even a single hour or even a small project (Depending on what’s being done), just to test the service provider. Before you go full force with a service provider, take a small budget for testing the provider out. You should do this with only those who have passed your interview. Take a small part of your budget to test out their skills. After this, make your final selection and complete your app. Always have one or two people as a BACKUP from the above steps, just incase a provider screws you over or you just decide you are not satisfied with the work.

After selecting a service provider, have them sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement with you (I recommend you speak with a lawyer or find guidance on how to create/obtain a NDA Agreement).

Before you begin to discuss ANY ideas with any service provider, always have an agreement signed by them. This may be hard to enforce in various parts of the world, but at the end of the day it shows the service provider that you mean business and that your idea is valuable.

TIP: This 3 Step method will in most cases get you a decent service provider who will give you the results you want. Finding a solid service provider can take YEARS! It is not an overnight ordeal! You are building a relationship with your developer, so do not expect to have this happen overnight.

KILLER OUTSOURCING TIPS

Here are some things to look out for when outsourcing to various parts of the world based on my own experiences.

a. The FURTHER EAST, the LOWER THE PRICE!

All Asian Countries are very low in price!

b. The FURTHER WEST, the HIGHER THE PRICE!

Euro/North American Countries are very high in price

c. The FURTHER EAST, the LOWER THE QUALITY!

This is generally true, but in some rare cases you end up getting a good solid app.

d. The FURTHER WEST, the HIGHER THE QUALITTY!

Once again this is generally true.

TIP: When looking to hire an outsourced service provider, rank them based on the following points:

a. Price

b. Estimated Time to Create app

c. Feedback score

d. Synergy (Who seems like they work well with you and can understand what you want more than someone else based on your interview?)

e. Overall Quality of Output (How is the quality of output of the previous apps this service provider has made for others?)

MICRO SERVICE WEBSITES

Micro-service outsourcing focuses on services that have a lower cost to them. For example, most of the Micro-Service websites focus on a low fee per service rendered model. This means that for $5 or something as low as that, people are willing to provide you a specific service, from simple icon design to singing you a birthday song on youtube!

The most popular micro service websites are listed below:

http://www.fiverr.com

http://www.tenbux.com

http://www.gigbucks.com

SELF DEVELOPING THE APP

This is by far amongst the most challenging, yet the most rewarding option available in the app business. I highly recommend starting to develop yourself so that you start to learn the ins and outs of what goes into making an app and how to get your app into the app store.

I use a special tool to create apps across multiple markets called ShiVa 3D. ShiVa 3D is a state of the art 3D WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) app and game development tool. Its greatest strength lies in its ability to port a completed app or game into various marketplaces without much recoding of your original app.

In fact I have created many tools and programs that revolve around ShiVa 3D that can help you in your app development and creation. It is however going to take you time to learn to develop using this tool and will require some form of programming knowledge and background.

Over the next several pages I will be going over a basic overview of ShiVa 3D so that you get a taste of this development environment and can start learning to develop your own apps.

However before you begin going down the ShiVa 3D road, let me point out that there are other options as well if you are looking for something less extensive when it comes to programming.

LIST OF APP CREATION AND DIY TOOLS

The following is a list of other development tools and websites you can use to create apps fast and easy:

1. Appmakr.com (http://www.appmakr.com/)

This website features codeless app creation for free based on creating web apps.

2. GameSalad Creator (http://www.gamesalad.com/creator)

GameSalad is a great WYSIWYG tool to create 2D Video Games for iOS and Android devices. It also features a very little/no-coding based system that you can use to start developing apps immediately.

3. TapLynx (http://www.taplynx.com/)

This is another codeless app development tool to create iPhone apps.

4. MobileRoadie (http://mobileroadie.com/)

Another app building website focusing on easy app creation.

5. iTorque 2D GarageGames (http://www.garagegames.com/)

A powerful set of tools to create games and apps for iPhone and iPad.

6. PhoneGap (http://www.phonegap.com/)

A mobile app building tool.

7. Unity 3D (http://unity3d.com/)

Another extensive tool like ShiVa 3D, however requires a lot more coding background.

So there you have several app and game development tools that you can use to start your own development of apps. I however would still recommend spending several months and learning ShiVa 3D development and programming as it will allow you to scale up as you grow. Not only will you be able to create basic 2D apps with ShiVa 3D but you can also build full high end 3D Video Games! The most important strength behind ShiVa 3D is its porting capabilities that will get you into more markets and hence, increase your profit potential!

KILLER SELF DEVELOPMENT TIPS

a. Not all programming tools are made equal

If you get something too simple, as you grow you’ll end up being limited to the type of apps you can make and thus will have to re-learn something new just stay up to date. I would recommend learning a tool that will last you for a long time rather than a tool that will limit you in the future.

b. Keep reference material close at hand

If you can find a website which lists the documentation of the tool you use or common functions or programming reference items, then I highly recommend you have it all bookmarked! I personally have all the ShiVa 3D documentation bookmarked and close at hand whenever I need to find a specific code function.

c. Join forums and ask for help!

Always join the community forums of the tool that you are going to use to create apps. You can always ask for advice or tutorials from other successful or more experienced developers. Joining a forum is always a great idea and will help you start the process of developing.

d. Search Youtube for Video Tutorials

This is a great way to learn new things and little tricks that people with experience may have placed on youtube. I can’t tell you how many times I found great little golden nuggets on Youtube about development and programming in 3D when I was just starting out. If an image is worth a thousand words, a youtube video is worth infinite words! It can definitely save you hours of reading lengthy documents!

e. RE-USE Code!

After developing a few apps, re-use old code to speed up the app development process! You can end up creating apps in a fraction of the time by re-using your old code! I highly recommend it!

f. Don’t give up!

Programming can be a challenge, but learning how to develop apps will help you understand what future developers you hire or outsource may be going through. You’ll also learn the terminology well which will help you in running your business. Another great strength is that by knowing how to code and develop yourself, when new devices come out or when new technologies come out, you can be amongst the first early adopters to integrate and incorporate them and thus have a greater chance at increased profits!

SELF DEVELOPMENT: SHIVA 3D OVERVIEW

Let me start by giving you a quick introduction to the world of ShiVa 3D. You can start off by visiting http://www.stonetrip.com and get yourself a copy of the FREE web edition of ShiVa 3D. This will allow you to make apps for the web, but if you seriously want to develop commercial apps and games then I recommend purchasing the Basic version. Before you purchase however, first go through some of the basic tutorials and walkthrough and see if ShiVa 3D is right for you.

SO WHAT IS SHIVA 3D AND WHY SHOULD WE USE IT?

ShiVa 3D is a special software program that we use to develop apps and programs that run on computer systems and devices known as HARDWARE, such as an iPhone or an iPad. The term APP, as stated earlier, is a short form for the word APPlication which is the word we use in the computer world for a computer program. In order for a piece of HARDWARE to work, it needs Applications which are commonly referred to as Software programs. Software programs can be as large as an Operating System or as small as a simple calculator. Each program has a specific function that it must do on the machine or piece of hardware. If there was no software, the hardware would pretty much be a dead paper weight.

So Why Use ShiVa 3D?

Well there are many reasons for this as I have outlined below:

1. Price vs other tools on the market! ShiVa 3D is priced at around $400 USD for their basic version which gives you commercial creation capabilities.

2. Ease of programming! ShiVa 3D features LUA Scripting vs. much more advanced C/C++ or Java programming that other tools require.

3. Portability! ShiVa 3D allows you to develop ONE TIME, but export that same app to MANY platforms including, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch), Android (Google Play, Samsung, Kindle Fire, Barnes and Noble Nook, etc.), Blackberry (Blackberry Playbook and even now the latest BB10 Platform), WebOS (Palm and HP Touchpad), and many more systems coming out all the time. It even allows you to get into the CONSOLE market and port full games over to Nintendo Wii, XBOX 360 and other popular consoles as well!

4. No ADDITIONAL Fees for new markets! The ShiVa team keeps coming out with new places you can port your app to. Just recently they brought out in BETA form, Windows Phone capability. You would not be paying for this as a developer which is an ADDED bonus! A new market means a NEW POTENTIAL CASHFLOW and you won’t have to re-code all your previous apps again! Simply use the ShiVa Authoring tool and your app will be ported to the new platform!

5. Supportive Developer Forum. Whenever you are stuck, having others who are also developing helping you out can save you a lot of time. ShiVa forums are a great place where all the developers work together to help each other out. This is a great way for you to be able to troubleshoot issues you may have within your apps.

SHIVA 3D ACTION STEP

Start off by downloading yourself a free copy of ShiVa 3D Web Edition and start trying out some of the many tutorials available to you as a new developer.

You can find some of the latest tutorials and walkthroughs for ShiVa 3D by visiting the ShiVa Wiki and clicking on Get Started: http://www.stonetrip.com/developer/wiki

Try making some small applications to start with, such as a simple button app, and then try and port it out to the various devices such as an iPad, iPhone or Android device if you have any. Once you know you can do this and test it out successfully, try creating a more advanced app and keep on upgrading your skills.

If after testing out ShiVa 3D you find that it is something that you believe would be of benefit, then I have a special offer for our readers and users of my books, app tools and programs for 10% off your purchase of ShiVa 3D. Simply visit the Stonetrip website at http://www.stonetrip.com and use the coupon code: kaw3pRap.

“Tears won’t change your situation. Get up, move forward & make your dreams come true! Positive action yields results.

— Abhinav Gupta