I have an idea for an app - “What Do You Mean” that I should not just hire a dev team to build it?
A question I am asked often when I tell new people about Kaboo or my children’s books is — “I have an idea for a app, but I dont know what I should do next?” or “I want to create this tech product but I don’t know where to begin.” I honestly love hearing that because everyone should have a dream or idea that they are itching to make real. It’s because that lightbulb moment, that spark of inspiration—it comes from a pain that we experience in our every day lives. This is what presents the opportunity for a business or a product.
Having an idea is just the beginning of a journey filled with twists and turns, highs and lows. It's time to roll up your sleeves and turn that idea into a reality. And dont let the naysayers bring you down — and trust me there are plenty of those. However, that does not mean you should impatiently spend tens of thousands of dollars (I’ve heard of some say they spent $100K or more too!) to hire a dev team off Fiverr or through a friend of a friend who knows a development agency overseas or locally in your country.
Here's my quick playbook on what to do before investing in a development team or getting hung up on finding a technical co-founder:
Validate Your Idea - By Asking About The Problem
Before diving headfirst into development, take the time to validate your idea. Talk to atleast a hundred, if not more, potential customers, gather feedback. Remember, dont feature bomb them and if they would use your product.
What you want to know is….is there a real need for your product? Does it solve a problem or fulfill a desire? So ask your customers about their problem…and offer them different possible solutions, and then ask them which would they choose and why. The trick here is also to keep it short and simple. Nobody wants to take a 15 minute survey with 30 questions. Just ask them 5 key questions - so that their responses are almost reactions rather than well-thought out and rationalized responses.
When I first the idea for Kaboo, I conducted surveys via forms and also by talking to my target customers casually at parties, or casual get-togethers This helped me get both formal and informal feedback on the problem of how parents felt about kids keeping in touch with their long-distance family, and if the lack of it really bothered the parents. I also found out how much time and money parents were willing to spend on the problem. I did this for about 2.5 years before I actually started working on the company full-time. You don’t need to wait as long as I did…but the point is this — validate your idea early to avoid investing resources into something that may not resonate with your target audience.
Conduct Market Research
To stand out in a crowded marketplace, you need to understand your competition. Who else is offering a similar product or service? What makes your idea unique? Conduct thorough market research to identify your competitors, analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and determine how you can differentiate yourself in the market. You can also figure this out by talking to your target customers — is there something they use that they love that they believe solves their problem right now?
Pitch with Passion
Once you have some of these initial puzzle pieces done, start talking about your idea only then. This is also the phase when I invested in a UI/UX designer to help me build Figma prototypes. I would go to events and social parties, and mid-conversation just pull out my phone to “show” them what I meant by the idea of my app. It helped the concept click really well, and actually got them excited. But again, I did a lot more of the problem research before I started sharing the solution. That also helped me introduce my pitch in a way that they were hooked even before they got a demo of “my app” (I say that because the app was still in ideation!).
So, learn to pitch your idea with passion and conviction. Your enthusiasm can be infectious and can help others see the potential in your idea. Be prepared to communicate your vision clearly and succinctly, highlighting the value proposition and unique selling points of your product.
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In conclusion, having an idea is just the beginning of the journey. By validating your idea, conducting market research, determining market demand, and pitching with passion, you can tweak your idea into a the first phase of a successful product launch. You can do it!
