Friends, family, colleagues and complete strangers all ask me on a regular basis how they can start making money in the wonderful world of apps. Everyone wants to build an app. You want to make some passive income while relaxing on the beach. Or maybe make some extra money on the side to take the stress out of your day job.
The problem is, most people aren’t coders. And that, right there, is the biggest barrier to entry. But the truth is, it’s not really a barrier at all.
The obvious and most tried solution is to go out and buy a bunch of books and courses aimed at teaching you, the non-coder, how to code your first app. What a novel approach.
Related: 7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Developing an App
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“If you want something done right, do it yourself.”
That’s what we’ve been taught all these years, right? Except for, you know, those master crafts like medicine, carpentry and even some newer ones like app development.
The truth is, coding takes years to master. You can probably learn some tricks of the trade right off the bat, but to truly be able to actually build something of value will take a long time. And that means that your app will never see the light of day.
Don’t believe me? Let’s look at this from a different angle.
I want a bigger house. We want more kids, a better view of the open bay, a bigger yard, etc. So the best course of action is obviously to go buy the land, some wood and screws and buy a book on home building. How crazy does that sound?
If I did that, I would either:
- Never get the house built. Ever.
- Get it done in 10 years -- at least I’d save a bunch of money, I guess. Although, there would be a good chance that the house collapses and kills us all in our sleep.
On second thought, I think I’ll opt for finding a professional to get it done right, on time and in budget.
Related: A Step-by-Step Guide To Building Your First Mobile App
This is how it should be for your app too.
Get a mentor, plan your app, get a freelancer to build it out at a reasonable price and get it earning money for you as soon as humanly possible.
This is a time honored strategy that works. Need some proof?
Yes / No Messenger is a social messaging and polling app that was created by, you guessed it, non-coders. They are entrepreneurs that hated traditional group messaging, so they found a better way of doing it and outsourced the development to make their own app.
LearnVest is changing the way you think about money. Say goodbye to guessing about your retirement and using expensive financial planners --- just use this app to get the plan, tools and resources you need to make better financial decisions. All started by a business school dropout.
Nerdwallet helps you pick the right credit card, bank account, investment accounts and everything else financial where you have a decision. Founded by a non-techie and currently employing over 100 people in the Bay Area.
And that’s not all. There are thousands upon thousands of worthy examples to prove this point: You don’t need to code your own app. Find someone that knows what they are doing, get them to help you and actually get your app built.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Hiring a Freelancer
Are you going to spend five years trying to build your own house, knowing that if you ever finish, it has a good chance of crashing down one day?
Or are you going to hire the master that lives and breathes home construction. The one that will get it built right. Safely, on time and in budget.
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