What a crazy few weeks it’s been! This nontechnical person has been keyboard and carpal tunnel’s deep in technical detail. My month has been filled with new learnings, mistakes, victories and lot’s of chocolate.

It began with my first developer’s meetup in Seattle. I spend my days alone holed up in my office in front of my computer with ergonomically incorrect equipment, coffee, water and my faithful dog Waldorf fast asleep under the table. It is comfortable to be alone since I’m new at everything and constantly making mistakes. It’s embarrassing to ask very patient people what a “back link” is or how to upload the latest build of Kidpix on to my husband’s Android phone for testing. I truly don’t understand that platform nor why anyone on earth would use a droid? But, it is apparently the new wave of the app revolution and a necessary part of a developer’s business. That’s at least what Samar says as well as every other tech blog out there.

So, I forced myself to drive an hour in to Seattle to attend a meetup about app monetization. I have learned the most from other appreneurs and always feel better and get inspired by the insights they share. It’s like exercise I tell myself. You never want to do it but always feel better when you do.

I arrive in this beautiful office in the heart of downtown filled with sharp young minds eager and ready to create the next great thing. I love the millennial generation. They always have beer at business functions no matter the time of day. This was true in my last position and true for the meetup. I was one of the few women there in a sea of mostly young twenty-something men. I tried to find a cluster of people to join but had no idea what to say and panicked. I found an open seat next to another woman and thought it might be easier to connect from a fixed position.

I spoke with a lovely young woman who was articulate, smart and spent her days as an event coordinator and nights as a developer. She used phrases like the opportunity “in this space” and “crowd funding” and “the gamification” of her fitness app.  I felt totally inadequate and very much my age.

Then a man sat next to me who seemed comfortable and relaxed. He had an energy that was calming and confident. I asked him if he had made any apps and why he’s here at the meetup. He told me that he was one of the presenters and immediately changed the subject to me and my app. I rambled on and on about how wonderful and fun my app was and asked if he had children. He had three. He downloaded Kidpix: Save Your Kid’s Art as we were speaking and promised to give it a try. He had some suggestions for me and I soon realized that this wasn’t just another app developer. This man was a huge titan in the industry and I was really lucky to have his attention. I better hang on his every word which I did.

During the three presentations I realized how much more I needed to learn and how fast app development was changing. I was really challenged to drill down to the details of how things work and to pay closer attention to the analytics. This is not my strong suit. I learned how vital every decision is and how much information is available if you know where to look and what to look for.

I left the meetup glad that I attended but painfully aware of how new I was and how I needed to shift my focus.

Since then I’ve learned all about SEO, meta data and how to tag and back link  your website. I’ve registered with Google and Yahoo so that I’m able to be found in search engines. I have installed new plugins and widgets on to my blog and learned how to use photoshop. Okay…not really photoshop. A much cheaper knock-off called Pixelmator that sort of does the same thing. It took me three days but I made new screenshots for Kidpix in iTunes and the Google Play store. I learned how to research keywords and how to use them to my advantage to be found in iTunes. In the process, I violated someone’s trademark and received a letter threatening legal action. Whoopsie! Of course I received the notice Friday evening when there was nothing I could do about it until Monday morning. That was the LONGEST WEEKEND OF MY LIFE. I just knew we’d be sued, homeless and disgraced. Fortunately, I was able to take immediate action, apologize profusely and learn a powerful lesson about business ethics.

I say these things because I really want to underscore how hard it is to start a new business and learn a new industry. Nothing happens easily nor without hours of hard work, frustration, errors, set-backs and wasted resources. Ironically, I am working more hours now than I did at my old job when I resolved to make positive changes in favor of work/life balance.

However, I enjoy what I’m doing much more and while some days end in tears and frustration, I really am up for meeting every challenge. I have really been blessed with some great mentors, a fantastic Woman Developer’s Facebook Group and the support and encouragement of family and friends. As my three-year old says, “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.” taken from his favorite book The Little Engine That Could. (If I’m violating a copyright please send me a legal notice BEFORE 5 P.M.)

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“My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.” George Washington 

The USA has changed from our early days of civil debate, manners and decent behavior. While I’m sure George would love the advances of cosmetic dentistry, he would be saddened to know that the plague of mankind as he defined it in 1776 has morphed in to a zombie apocalypse and an unending war against the poor, minorities, environment, democracy, our bodies and terrorists.

Nonetheless, we celebrate his birth today as one of the The United States of America’s founding fathers.

Here is a multi-media drawing of Abe Lincoln’s House P.J. made in school on Tuesday for President’s Day. Using popsicle sticks as cabin logs along with a penny for the window frame is genius. The finger looking thing to the left is a mountain with snow on top crawling with green bugs with bald and golden eagles flying over head.

P.J. believes that John Wilkes Booth is also the man who killed Dr. Martin Luther King, and they were both assassinated with flame throwing rocket shooters. The historic holidays combined with super hero lore is hard to keep straight. I’m sure my 30 minutes this morning showing him the best Harlem Shake memes isn’t helping anything. Not only have I done nothing to help my child learn about our nation’s history, but I’ve wound him up shaking like a rubber chicken excited to share The Harlem Shake with his friends during show and tell at circle time. I will have to remember to have his Dad pick him up from school this afternoon.

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Today is a huge day and a milestone for Applaudable. Kidpix has received two great reviews from some very influential and reputable tech blogs- The iMums and The iPhone Mom. Being the featured Free App of the day on The iMums is the realization of a dream. Reading Alison say, “Trust me – this is a MUST download.” is euphoric. Not only that but The iPhone Mom used three exclamation marks in her review. How cool is that!!!  It is so satisfying to see the fruits of my labor recognized by some very tech-savvy women. Knowing that other parents are using and enjoying my app is a great feeling. I’m humbled and so very grateful.

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Apparently, I should have had my marketing strategy defined during the months of development. There are pre-launch press releases and social media campaigns, launch press releases and social media campaigns and then come the reviews. I didn’t do any of this. I was so consumed by the features and functionality of the app that I neglected to consider the need for downloads. I had the magical thinking most first time developers have of believing that if you build a quality app, the users will come. Ha! There is a reason why Coke and Pepsi continue to advertise.

So, here I sit with a great app without a lot of users. I think of the story Tony Robbins tells of Colonel Sanders with his dynamite chicken recipe. He had a quality product and knocked on 1,000 doors before someone decided to buy it and support his fried chicken dreams. My college roommate Michele used to say, “Slow and steady wins the race.”

I bolster my courage and optimism through daily meditation and attention to my vision board. I had the privilege of hearing John Asaraf speak at an app conference in December. He urged us to make a vision board for the new year and to keep our thoughts and actions focused on the outcome of our dreams. So, I tell myself every morning that I”m an app millionaire, the right people and resources easily come my way and that I am in flow with my life’s purpose in every moment. I am happy, healthy and have all that I need for myself and to give to others.

Keep Calm And App On!!!

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From The Bathtub To The App Store Part 1

I began to research everything I could on journaling, art organization and art display. With Pinterest as my guide, I learned of all the ways crafty and sophisticated moms were handling this problem. I found another app that stored kid’s artwork ranked very high in the App Store. This one was even more complicated than the first. The concept was great but the design wasn’t very appealing and confusing. It too lacked key social sharing features.  I knew parents needed to make the process of saving artwork easy and fun.  Parents lives are busy and demanding. To win their attention and repeat use, the design had to be straightforward, simple and fun to use. If parents were buying these other apps then they’d absolutely buy mine!

I reached out to several development agencies in the US to talk over my idea and get an estimate for how much it would cost to make Kidpix. Surprisingly, two large agencies told me that I had a good idea but could never make it within my budget. I spoke with three other smaller agencies that liked my idea and said they’d get back to me with an estimate within three working days. Five business days passed which felt like an eternity and none of them provided estimates. WTH? My information got “lost” in their inboxes. Clearly these businesses were overwhelmed with projects and not in a position to take me on as a client. I was so disappointed and getting very frustrated. It had taken me so long to come up with a good idea. Now that I had one I was ready to start immediately. I said a prayer, took some deep breaths and walked my dog.

Later that day, out of the blue Samar Singla from Click-Labs sent me an email following-up from my first job posting on the freelance website. He was checking in to see how I was and if I was ready to begin a new project.  Within a few hours he had an estimate for me and listened to my ideas with excitement. He thought it was a great idea with a lot of potential. Right away we were brainstorming possibilities and I could tell that he was genuinely enthusiastic about my idea and eager to get to work. He was a kindred spirit.

Over the next few months I worked with Click-Labs to develop a sleek design with all the features I envisioned parents would love. Kidpix was easy to use and had a fun and engaging user interface. Not only could you snap a picture of your kid’s artwork to save and store, you could also surround it with a beautiful gallery quality frame showcasing the masterpiece of your young artist. Parents post pictures of their kids on their blogs and Facebook constantly. I wanted them to share the same pride with their Kidpix creations. I also wanted them to be able to make a postcard keepsake of their kid’s artwork to send to grandparents, aunts and uncles or whomever else was involved in their kid’s lives. Kid’s art tells a story. It’s a story meant to share.

When I started to beta test Kidpix it was thrilling. My idea was at long last coming together. After more than 100 tweaks and modifications were made, Kidpix was complete. The team worked really hard to get it done and worked with Apple to have it released before Christmas.

Kidpix just keeps getting better and better. I am so glad that Samar took the time in September to reach out and follow-up. I couldn’t have asked for a better team of professionals to guide me through the development of my first app.

Now let’s hope people find it, buy the in-app purchases and let me keep developing more apps!!!! If you like Kidpix please help me spread the word.

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My journey as an appreneur began exactly one year ago. I was giving my children a bath after a very long and stressful workday. My youngest son who was 1 at the time said a new word. My heart sunk, as I knew I’d forget to enter it in to his baby book along with countless other milestones I’d missed. I thought to myself that there should be an app to record kid’s milestones making the process easier for exhausted working parents. Then I wondered how one makes an app and went to bed.

The next day instead of making sales calls I Googled “how to make an app”. I stumbled upon a guest blog post by Chad Mureta on how to build an app empire. After reading his post I felt energized and excited and had to know more. I ordered his book, impatiently waited for three days and then read it cover to cover in one night. This was more exciting than 50 Shades of Grey. I thought to myself that I could do it too- I could build my own app empire! Normally I talk myself out of these things with rationalizations and logical reasons why my ideas won’t work. This time, however, there was nothing inside me whispering fears and lists of why I couldn’t switch careers.

My sales job was becoming miserable- one step above waterboarding. I was working long hours, worried all the time and missing out on time with my family. Many of my colleagues had left the company to pursue their own interests as entrepreneurs. One of these women asked me what I wanted to do if I could begin again and the answer was clear- make apps. She sent me an email the following week about a course Chad Mureta was teaching on how to build an app empire. I had never mentioned his name to her so this felt like an uncanny coincidence I couldn’t ignore.

I enrolled in Chad’s 7-week app development course while still working trying to make time for them both. I was the only breadwinner since my husband was in graduate school and so letting go of income just didn’t seem possible. My plan was to work and take the course simultaneously with an exit strategy.

About three weeks in to the course I got a minor infection. Because I was so focused on meeting my sales goals, I neglected my family and my health. I waited for three days to fill my prescription for antibiotics. What began as a small and common infection rapidly turned in to sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening illness that can occur when the whole body reacts to an infection. It can lead to organ failure and blood clots if not treated immediately. By the fourth day of the infection, my thinking was impaired and I was severely dehydrated. My husband made me go to the walk-in clinic after enduring a long night of me moaning in agony delirious with a fever of 103. I resisted. I thought I was fine and that my very high fever would break with some more sleep. I was totally clueless. The thought to go see the doctor never crossed my mind. Fortunately for me, the doctor I saw at the walk-in clinic recognized my symptoms immediately and had me admitted in the intensive care unit of the hospital within a few hours. What? The hospital? Me? Thank God Pedar got me to the doctor. Thank God I was lucky enough that she knew exactly what to do.

Lying in a hospital bed watching your life swing in the balance is a sobering experience! I stayed there for three days with nurses working around the clock pumping fluids and antibiotics in me. I realized that I couldn’t work my job any longer. It was literally killing me. The decision was easy to quit my job and to pour every resource I had in to making apps.

Once I returned home from the hospital, it took me two months to finish the course and to fully recover.

For the next few weeks I studied the app store and searched for a great app that I could emulate and improve upon.  I searched and searched and just couldn’t find an app that grabbed me. The last game I played was on an Atari so finding a gem in a sea of games was tough. I knew I had to make something fun that was centered on my interests and to keep looking.

My first idea was to create an automatic text responder. Since everyone was texting me instead of calling it would be nice to let people know when I was unavailable.  After posting a job order on a free-lance development site, I interviewed a few programmers. I quickly learned that it just wasn’t feasible without banks of servers and a huge budget. Since I knew the idea wasn’t going to work and I didn’t have another idea in place, I canceled the job order and moved on.

One night about a month later, I was reading my Parents magazine. In the back there was an ad for an app that allowed you to save your kid’s artwork for .99. I had stacks of artwork on my desk, in my filing cabinet and on the walls. With two kids making art around the clock, I had accumulated a lot of artwork. Each scribble they made on napkins and scrap paper I thought was a masterpiece and couldn’t throw away. The thought of storing the artwork digitally would solve a huge problem.  I could purge the clutter without guilt and keep a history of their artistic development. Awesome!

When I opened up the app I was very disappointed. It wasn’t very attractive or intuitive and lacked some key social sharing functions I thought the app should include. Eureka! Here it was- an app I could improve. Overwhelming art clutter was a problem I had and knew I could solve; The idea for Kidpix was born.

Part 2 next….

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Welcome to my blog. As a new appreneur, I will document the highs and the lows of my journey through mobile app development. My hope is to shed some light on the process, learning curve and ins and outs of what it takes to create applaudable apps!

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