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Developing your own IM software?

by jimenywo
8 replies
Been working in IM for some time (first site in 1999), but know zilch about developing software.

I get the impression that many of the software programs offered on WF are initiated by a warrior who takes the concept to a developer. Is this generally the case? Or, are most software program owners and develpers one in the same?

I'm asking because I have, what I believe to be, a strong concept for a program. My intent is to use it for my personal marketing.

Yes, I have been to a few developer webites and see that I can hire a programmer for $15 ish per hour. Just nervous about stepping into ths area without a bit of guidance.

What can you tell me?
#developer #developing #software
  • Profile picture of the author ClayWhite
    I've never developed my own software, even though I've thought about it many times, but I have done some research on the idea.

    First to answer the question about if people develop themselves or outsource it... From what I've been able to find, about 80% or more of these programs are outsourced.

    If you feel you really have a market for your idea then I would say run with it. Go to places like eLance or my favorite, oDesk, and find yourself a cheap programer to quickly put something together for you. It doesn't have to be perfect because you are going to want to run a few beta tests before you go live (depending on how complicated your software/program will be)

    This will help get all the bugs out and you might find better ways of tweaking your idea. Then when you have something you are happy with, you should look into hiring a higher skilled programer and have them develop a finished product.

    Once you're ready and happy with what you have then you can release it for sale. Now you can always skip the beta tests but if your program is full of bugs and crashes all the time you will get huge returns and that will hurt your credibility.

    But that's just my two and a half cents. Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author jimenywo
    Thanks, Clay.

    Think your 80% is probably correct.

    These were the 2 sites I was investigating. I will focus on odesk.

    Other questions I would have are about non-disclosure and any sense of cost for a fairly basic program? Yes its a loaded question...but perhaps you have some thoughts.

    Thanks again.
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  • Profile picture of the author ClayWhite
    You can do one of two things when it comes to NDA's. You can Google it, find examples, and write your own... or the better option would be to use a site like rocketlawyer.com and use their templete... I think Legal Zoom also offers this service, but I found Rocket Lawyer to be a pretty good starting point and the price is better than Legal Zoom.

    Now about price; It's really hard to give advice if I don't know what exactly you are doing (I'm not asking you to tell me). If it's some type of monthly paid service and it's really simple a good starting point is $10 to $20 per month... maybe add an activation fee. If it's a one time deal, and again if it's simple a good number is $20 to $40. If it's an app then the most you will get is about $3.

    Hope that helped.
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  • Profile picture of the author vndnbrgj
    I think about software sometimes.
    There are people on this forum that build great software.

    I don't like the idea of hiring a cheap starter programmer, and then hiring a good one.
    I prefer to use a good one the whole time.
    Pricing, I know for the guy I trust, it starts around $15,000.

    What you could do to help offset the costs, is offer a cheap version for beta.
    Let them try it out, and give feedback in exchange for a discounted copy.

    Then when you launch with the polished version, you have testimonials as well.

    A good piece of software can give you a 10 to 1 ROI.
    If you sell 1,000 copies at $97....
    Even 500 copies....
    I know people that have made mid six figures....

    But, I guess for personal use you might be able to get away with a cheap programmer.
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    • Profile picture of the author ClayWhite
      Originally Posted by vndnbrgj View Post

      I don't like the idea of hiring a cheap starter programmer, and then hiring a good one.
      I prefer to use a good one the whole time.
      Pricing, I know for the guy I trust, it starts around $15,000.
      My reason behind suggesting to start with a cheap programmer is the starting budget. If you are starting on a shoestring budget then you really can't afford to pay $15,000 for a programmer.

      You can use the cheap one to sell the beta's and make some extra money for future programming and at the same time acquire some testimonials to help launch your finished product.

      But if you have the money then start with the best so you can launch your product quicker. and if your product is higher quality and offers true value then yes, a $97 or even $197 price tag will work. But if it's simple and easily marketable then you might get more sales from a lower price point... But NEVER sell yourself short!
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  • Profile picture of the author jimenywo
    thank you both.
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    • Profile picture of the author Haroon Ballim
      My gut feel is that most warriors selling software are not developers . Sellers mainly concentrate on marketing the product and ideas about how the product should work.

      Basically you need a clear idea of how you want your application to flow and discuss it with the developer . Yes it is a good idea to get a good developer however I think you can recruit a good developer for much less than the $15 000 stated here . It would depend of course on what you want your application to do . In fact spending $15 000 on your first app is high risk , unless you know its an in demand product and have JV Partners and Affiliates already lined up .

      One of the key things about making sales is having support from super affiliates to help you market the product.
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  • Profile picture of the author d0rhk
    Before you even start to think about costs involved, do some research into the application development lifecycle.

    You need to layout exactly how your app will work. Your programmer probably isnt a creative individual, so he wont be able to just come up with stuff you leave out.. Planning will take a long time. It needs to be very detailed and precise in order to get what you want.

    Hope that helps!
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