| Startup or not, you need a plan and a real value proposition. Most people building apps don't have much of either. You need: - To understand what pain you are solving, and have a compelling reason to believe a mobile app is a suitable solution and not a solution in search of a problem. - What competition there is, and how you will beat them or at least compete on level footing. If there is no competition there is probably no market. - Understand who your audience is. - Understand how to message your audience. And understand out to get that message out. - Have a way to get feedback, and have a conversation with your audience. - Have a way to leverage your early adopters to drive more usage. - Have a way to put money and time in one end and get positive App Store reviews out the other. (Pre-requisites: a product people really like.) - Understand your fixed and variable costs. Understand your margins. - Have a way to measure success or failure. Have a way to A/B test and iterate. Be able to see what people are doing in your app and where they are falling off. - Have an plan on how to do all this quickly and objectively. - Be able to tell the difference between a doomed idea and an app that just needs product refinement. - Make calculated risks that can be measured. Throwing a giant PR launch over the fence and saying a prayer is not a calculated, measurable risk. |