Entrepreneurs ready to start an app startup have an exciting, yet challenging road ahead. You need to have a unique app idea, ensure development is not too costly, and have a market-ready to use the app.
If you don’t take the necessary steps, you could go over budget and put your app startup business in a bad financial position before app launch. There’s certainly plenty to consider, from app security to container registry and other application development and deployment must-haves.
The good news is that we compiled a few app startup essentials to have in place for success. Let’s dive in!
1. Understand What Development Resources You’ll Need
Creating a buzz around your app and your app startup prior to launch is important. This means that you’ll need to have a good idea of the development resources you’ll need for an app development time frame.
Most apps for new startups take around a year to come to fruition. To find your time frame, discuss the project with your development and operations team. Planning and development aspects to discuss are mapping, programming language, wireframing, coding, design, and testing, among other processes.
Thinking about app support after launch is also important. And you should do this as early on as possible to streamline the app deployment and management stages. This means considering app monitoring, user experience optimization, crash logs analytics, and more.
2. Security Needs To Be A Top Priority
There is no shortage of security issues with apps. Especially new apps from new app startups. Having security at the forefront from the start can ensure your app is not going to have issues down the road.
For instance, you will need to have a privacy policy and terms of use ready to go. But this can take time due to the legal support you will most likely need, unless you’re a lawyer.
Security of the app needs to be priority #1, and the sooner you begin thinking about it, the earlier you can implement security measures into your development process moving forward.
3. Market Research Is A Must
The top reason a startup will fail is lack of market. This makes researching your market a must-do. Understand the current market for your app and then find what users want and need to make your app startup a success. A few questions to ask include:
- Who are your competitors?
- What features do competing apps have?
- What is the competitor strategy?
- What are your app’s strengths and weaknesses compared to competitors?
- How positive are reviews and ratings?
- What is the competing app value proposition?
Answering the above questions can help you determine selling points and other key aspects for app success before and after launch.
4. Native App? Hybrid App? Web Application?
This app startup essential to have in place for success is a very critical step. Deciding what type of app you will have early can have implications in your development process, as well as down the road post-launch.
Your market research will help you decide if you should have a native, hybrid, or web application. It really comes down to functionality. For example, key differences are what programming languages will be built in, access to native device APIs, the distribution method, and whether or not your app will have multi-platform support.
Ntive apps, for instance, have the power to do heavy tasks, like those needed for gaming apps, or apps that utilize video and images. But this means that updates become more challenging, when compared to web apps.
Deciding what app type will ultimately guide you in what resources you will need in place to plan overall development sprints and goals. This is why this app startup essential is a must.
5. Have An App Monetization Plan
Making money from your app is very important to the growth and success of your app startup. You want to profit and have a strong bottom line for your business, and having an app monetization plan can help.
Think about the role you want your app to play when it comes to profits and your overall business model. Here are a few forms of app monetization:
- Freemium apps with paid upgraded features within app
- Paid apps that cost to download
- In-app purchases (mobile commerce sales channel)
- Subscription based app monetization model
- Sponsorships
- In-app advertisements via ad platforms designed for apps
Wrapping Up . . .
The road ahead is an exciting one for entrepreneurs ready to start an app startup business. However, there are plenty of considerations to address moving forward. The above 5 app startup essentials to have in place for success can prove helpful. Are you ready to begin development?
