How To Become A Freelance App Developer

When it comes to becoming a freelance app developer, you may find yourself in a place where you have to make some big decisions.

You may be asking yourself:

• What's the first step in establishing my business?
• How much will it cost to start my freelance app developer?
• How do I price my freelance app developer?
• How do I market my freelance app developer?
• ... so much more!

We walk you through all of the steps; from idea → starting → launching → growing → running your business.

The purpose of this guide is to act as an outline for the steps you'll need to take to get your business running successfully!

💡 Introduction To Becoming A Freelance App Developer

Is Becoming A Freelance App Developer Right For You?

There are many factors to consider when becoming a freelance app developer.

We put together the main pros and cons for you here:

Pros of becoming a freelance app developer

• Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

• Little startup costs required

The cost to start a freelance app developer costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 62 to 39,111.

• Rewarding work

Starting a freelance app developer can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

• High customer retention rates

Once a customer invests in your product, they've invested their time and energy to utilize your product/service which is highly valuable to them. Typically, your product or service becomes indispensable to your customer.

• Quick build time

The average time it takes to build your product is quick - typically around 8 months. This will allow you to bring your product to market faster.

• Pick & choose the clients you work with

Freelance App Developeres have the ability to choose the clients they work with. You have the freedom to work with only a few loyal clients or with hundreds of clients!

• Control of workload

With becoming a freelance app developer, you have the unique ability to choose how little or how much you want to work. You also have the freedom to decide which projects you want to work on, and can turn down the ones that do not interest you.

• Gain exposure and experience

This career allows you to gain experience working for multiple different businesses - which will benefit your resume and also keep things interesting for you!

• Unlimited income potential

With becoming a freelance app developer there is no cap as to how much income you can make. The stronger your business skills and the more energy/time you put into your career, the more you'll make.

Cons of becoming a freelance app developer

• Crowded Space

Competition is high when it comes to your freelance app developer, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.

• Security Issues

With any Saas business, data loss and security issues may arise throughout your process of building your product. It's critical that you understand exactly what you're responsible for and how to avoid potential issues down the road.

• Work can be inconsistent

As a freelance app developer, the amount of work assigned to you and schedule tends to be more inconsistent, which may make your income less stable. It's important to set boundaries and budget accordingly based on the amount of work you plan to have.

• Lack of benefits

With a freelance app developer, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming.

• Isolation

Often times, as a freelance app developer, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members.

• Taxes

As a freelance app developer, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.

• No safety net

Typically, as a freelance app developer, you do not receive a consistent pay-check and instead earn money based on your transactions each month. During the slow periods, you typically take away less since the job is based on commission. It's important to budget accordingly for the slow times.

Players

Big Players

• Moovit (8.41K Alexa Ranking)
• DevExpress (9.35K Alexa Ranking)
• Truelancer.com (9.68K Alexa Ranking)
• Cash App (9.96K Alexa Ranking)
• Glide (23.6K Alexa Ranking)

Small Players

• Krit - Revenue $91K/month
• Appsitude - Revenue $50K/month
• Pioneer Mobile Applications - Revenue $30K/month
• Zovo Team Ltd. - Revenue $20K/month
• LowCode Agency - Revenue $10K/month

Search Interest

Let's take a look at the search trends for app development services over the last year:

How To Name Your Freelance App Developer

It's important to find a catchy name for your freelance app developer so that you can stand out in your space.

Here are some general tips to consider when naming your freelance app developer

• Avoid hard to spell names: you want something easy to remember and easy to spell for your customers
• Conduct a search to see if others in the space have the same name
• Try not to pick a name that limits growth opportunities for your business (ie. if you decide to expand into other product lines)
• As soon as you have an idea (or ideas) of a few names that you love, register the domain name(s) as soon as possible!

Why is naming your freelance app developer so important?

The name of your business will forever play a role in:

• Your customers first impression
• Your businesses identity
• The power behind the type of customer your brand attracts
• If you're memorable or not

It's important to verify that the domain name is available for your freelance app developer.

You can search domain availability here:

Although .com names are the most common and easiest to remember, there are other options if your .com domain name is not available. Depending on your audience, it may not matter as much as you think.

It's also important to thoroughly check if social media handles are available.

As soon as you resonate with a name (or names), secure the domain and SM handles as soon as possible to ensure they don't get taken.

Here's some inspiration for naming your freelance app developer:

• The Daily Developer check availability
• My App check availability
• The Innovator check availability
• Independent Creator check availability
• Brains check availability
• App Founder check availability
• The Freelance Method check availability
• Originator check availability
• The Daily Design check availability
• Pathfinder check availability
• The Fabricator check availability
• App Builder check availability
• Daily Develop Help check availability
• The Guide check availability
• Make My App check availability
• Highly Developed check availability
• Modern Creator check availability
• Light Initiator check availability
• Freelance Designer check availability
• Goofy Techie check availability
• The Sigh check availability
• Discriminator Co. check availability
• The App Geek check availability
• Applicator check availability
• DevelopMental check availability
• Rapid App Co. check availability
• Well Developed Freelancer check availability
• Deep Freelancer check availability
• Digital Native check availability
• Alpha Geek check availability
• Simple check availability
• Tech Maker check availability
• The Electronic Type check availability
• App Built check availability
• Maker Team check availability
• Micro Enterprise Trading check availability
• App Pop Shop check availability
• Sole App Maker check availability
• App Contributor check availability
• Independent Coder check availability
• The Critic Coder check availability
• Freelance Journal check availability
• Temporary App Media check availability
• The Home Worker App check availability
• App Supplier check availability
• Expert Hub check availability
• My Techie check availability
• The Noob Developer check availability
• Helping Aid check availability
• Mediator check availability
• Impartial check availability
• Freelancer Objective check availability
• Equitable check availability
• Neutral App check availability
• Uncolored check availability
• The Square check availability
• The Private Creator check availability
• The Separate Freelance check availability
• Tech Savvy check availability
• Private Web check availability
• Hyper Hub check availability
• Illusionary check availability
• Level check availability
• Relentless check availability
• Happy Freelancer check availability
• Creative Studio check availability
• Interactive Media check availability
• Formal check availability
• The Local Creator check availability
• Better Development check availability
• Leisure Backend check availability
• Pious Programmer check availability
• The Collective Co. check availability
• Initial Team check availability
• Regular check availability
• The Careless check availability
• Ancient check availability
• The Classic check availability
• Modern Makeshift check availability
• Enterprising Mercenary Trading Co check availability
• Focus Mobile check availability
• Inexperienced Freedom Place check availability
• Anonymous Appendices check availability
• Anti Annex check availability
• Careless check availability
• Inexperienced Self Employed Person Group check availability
• Little Seasonal Place check availability
• New Self Employed check availability
• AntebellumMobile check availability
• Movable Spot check availability
• Individual Self Employed Person check availability
• Nomadic Trading Co check availability
• The 25 40 check availability
• Inexperienced Temporary Group check availability
• Deficit Development check availability
• Cognitive Evolution Trading Co check availability
• Commercial Ontogenesis check availability
• ProfessionalFreelance check availability
• Non Pal check availability
• Time Employed check availability
• Young Self Employed Place check availability
• Casual Collective check availability
• Enterprising Independant Trading Co check availability
• Individual Mercenary check availability
• Broken Mobile check availability
• The Literary Freedom check availability
• Temporary Place check availability
• Occasional Seasonal Pro check availability
• NextApp check availability
• Human check availability
• Associated Annex check availability
• Anonymous check availability
• Spiritual check availability
• Inexperienced Paid Trading Co check availability
• Independent check availability
• Aged Apartment check availability
• The Anonymous Application check availability
• 30 40 Self Employed Place check availability
• 5 10 Seasonal Spot check availability
• Professional Developing Co check availability
• Metropolitan Manoeuvrable check availability

Read our full guide on naming your freelance app developer ➜

How To Create A Slogan For Your Freelance App Developer:

Slogans are a critical piece of your marketing and advertising strategy.

The role of your slogan is to help your customer understand the benefits of your product/service - so it's important to find a catchy and effective slogan name.

Often times, your slogan can even be more important than the name of your brand.

Here are 6 tips for creating a catchy slogan for your freelance app developer:

1. Keep it short, simple and avoid difficult words

A great rule of thumb is that your slogan should be under 10 words. This will make it easy for your customer to understand and remember.

2. Tell what you do and focus on what makes you different

There are a few different ways you can incorporate what makes your business special in your slogan:

• Explain the target customer you are catering your services towards
• What problem do you solve?
• How do you make other people, clients, or your employer look good?
• Do you make people more successful? How?

3. Be consistent

Chances are, if you're coming up with a slogan, you may already have your business name, logo, mission, branding etc.

It's important to create a slogan that is consistent with all of the above.

4. Ensure the longevity of your slogan

Times are changing quickly, and so are businesses.

When coming up with your slogan, you may want to consider creating something that is timeless and won't just fade with new trends.

5. Consider your audience

When finding a catchy slogan name, you'll want to make sure that this resonates across your entire audience.

It's possible that your slogan could make complete sense to your audience in Europe, but may not resonate with your US audience.

6. Get feedback!

This is one of the easiest ways to know if your slogan will be perceived well, and a step that a lot of brands drop the ball on.

Ask friends, family, strangers, and most importantly, those that are considered to be in your target market.

Here's some inspiration for coming up with a slogan for your freelance app developer:

• Best yet affordable freelance app developer
• Creator of excellent freelance apps
• We produce a product of creativity
• We've got the best development solutions in town
• Freelancers' BFF in the online world
• Building the best freelance app for smart freelancers
• Best freelance app creation partner
• A future career with freelance app developer
• Easy to navigate freelance apps
• Freelance-friendly applications
• Create better apps for every freelancer
• Freelance App made simple and easy
• Digital expert freelance app developer
• Infinite possibilities for app development
• Detail-oriented freelance app developer
• The best partner in-app creations
• Be competitive with our best app creations
• Building your dream app into reality
• Blazing speed freelance apps online
• Up-to-date technology plus creativity
• Turning your dreams into reality
• Get your application designed by the experts
• Continuous improvement is in our blood
• Quality freelance app at an affordable price
• We truly value your money
• We value your expectations
• We'll build it just for you
• Building functional and user-friendly freelance apps
• Coolest and smartest freelance app developer squad
• Team doers, thinkers, and innovators
• Bringing your idea to life
• Powerful apps for achievers
• We build the best freelance apps
• Freelance app for online achievers
• Designing our digital future together
• Order A Freelance Today.
• Freelance For When It's Quitting Time.
• Excellent And Elegant
• Excellent And Benevolent
• Unzip A Freelance.
• Literary Independent, 5 10 Seasonal
• Work Hard, Free Lance Harder
• Expat Is What We Do
• Australians Wouldn't Give A Development For Anything Else.
• Freelance Keeps Going, And Going, And Going...
• Freelances With Employee
• More Freedom, Political Temporary
• Freelance, Fits The Bill.
• Little Space Writers Are What We Do
• Ding-Dong! Freelance Calling!
• 30 40 Intrepids Are What We Do
• Made In Scotland From Freelance.
• More And Sheer
• Base Of The Self Employed
• Freelance, You Can't Live Without It.
• Don't Play With Fire, Play With Freelance.
• More Mercenary, Little Temporary
• The Joy Of Freelance.
• Semiprofessional Is What We Do
• Freelance - Enjoy The Difference.
• Freelances With History
• Freelance - See The Light!
• Can You Feel Freelance?
• Go To Work On A Freelance.
• Time Freelance, Better Results
• Freelance The Only Way To Fly.
• Saved By Freelance
• Political And Unequivocal
• 20 40 Freelance, We Are Here
• Work Hard, Free Lance Harder
• Freelance - One Name. One Legend.

How To Find Work As A Freelance App Developer

Nowadays, finding work as a freelance app developer is not difficult.

There are various platforms that allow you to build your profile and by the touch of a button, become exposed to thousands of businesses looking for your work.

Here are the most popular freelance platforms out there:

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• freelance.com
• FreeeUp

Here's what you need to know about the two most popular freelancer platforms + examples of businesses who use them:

Upwork

The largest freelancing website, where businesses connect with talented freelancers.

• Pricing: Freemium
• Twitter: @upwork
• Website: upwork.com

Businesses using Upwork:

571 successful businesses are using Upwork ➜

Get Upwork ➜

Fiverr

Freelance services marketplace at affordable costs.

• Pricing: Freemium
• Twitter: @fiverr
• Website: https://www.fiverr.com/

Businesses using Fiverr:

510 successful businesses are using Fiverr ➜

Get Fiverr ➜

The Consulting Business Model

When implementing a consulting business model, you have a number of approaches to choose from:

Here are a few of the most common consulting business models:

1. The Time-Based Model

This is one of the more traditional consulting business models - where your rate, terms, and scope of work are outlined at the very beginning of the project.

Typically, with this model you would choose a day rate or an hourly rate.

2. The Project-Based Model

With a project-based model, you and your client agree on the scope of work you will be performing for a set amount of money.

There is typically a contract in place which covers the deliverables and expectations from both parties.

3. The Retainer-Based Model

The retainer model involves providing ongoing service for your clients over a specific period of time.

You may not provide a specific deliverable for your client, but instead, a broad scope of work over a set period.

4. The Consulting-Firm Model

This model is becoming more and more popular. The consulting firm model involves hiring freelancers or employees to complete work for your clients on your behalf.

Typically, in this situation, you still manage the relationship with the client, but you delegate some or all of the work to your team.

Which model should you choose?

The best way to determine which business model you will choose is to research other entrepreneurs or agencies in your space that are offering the same or similar service.

This will allow you to identify your competition, set your pricing, and determine your target audience.

Learn more about starting a freelance app developer:

Where to start?

-> How much does it cost to start a freelance app developer?
-> Pros and cons of a freelance app developer

Need inspiration?

-> Other freelance app developer success stories
-> Examples of established freelance app developer
-> Marketing ideas for a freelance app developer
-> Freelance app developer slogans
-> Freelance app developer names

Other resources

-> Freelance app developer tips

🎬 How To Become A Freelance App Developer

How Much Does It Cost To Become A Freelance App Developer

If you are planning to become a freelance app developer, the costs are relatively low. This, of course, depends on if you decide to start the business with lean expenses or bringing in a large team and spending more money.

We’ve outlined two common scenarios for “pre-opening” costs of becoming a freelance app developer and outline the costs you should expect for each:

• The estimated minimum starting cost = $62
• The estimated maximum starting cost = $39,111

Startup Expenses: Average expenses incurred when starting a freelance app developer.	Min Startup Costs: You plan to execute on your own. You’re able to work from home with minimal costs.	Max Startup Costs: You have started with 1+ other team members.
Office Space Expenses
Rent: This refers to the office space you use for your business and give money to the landlord. To minimize costs, you may want to consider starting your business from home or renting an office in a coworking space.	$0	$5,750
Utility Costs For Office Space: Utility costs are the expense for all the services you use in your office, including electricity, gas, fuels, telephone, water, sewerage, etc.	$0	$1,150
WiFi & Internet: Whether you work from home or in an office space, WiFi is essential. Although the cost is minimal in most cases, it should be appropriately budgeted for each month!	$0	$100
Total Office Space Expenses	$0 (min)	$7,000 (max)
Employee & Freelancer Expenses
Payroll Costs & Fees: Payroll cost means the expense of paying your employees, which includes salaries, wages, and other benefits. This number depends on if you decide to pay yourself a salary upfront and how many employees you have on payroll. At first, many founders take on all responsibilities until the business is up and running. You can always hire down the road when you understand where you need help. Keep in mind, if you do plan to pay yourself, the average salary founders make is $50K.	$150	$250
Employee Hiring Expenses: Apart from payroll and benefits, there are other hiring employees costs. This includes the cost to advertise the job, the time it takes to interview candidates, and any other turnover that may result from hiring the wrong candidate.	$1	$2
Employee Rewards: It's vital to acknowledge and reward workers, whether they hit their goals or do a great job. This does not have to be costly. In fact, simply taking workers out to a meal or giving a gift or bonus is among the many ways to show how the worker is valued!	$0	$100
Total Employee & Freelancer Expenses	$151 (min)	$352 (max)
Website Costs
Website Builder: The cost of your website will vary depending on which platform you choose. There are many website builders on the market, so it's important you choose the right one for your business and overall goals. To learn more about your options + how to build a great website, check out this article.	$10	$500
Web Designer: Web design includes several different aspects, including webpage layout, content creation, and design elements.If you have the skills and knowledge to design your website on your own, then outsourcing this to an expert may not be necessary. There are plenty of other ways you can design a beautiful website using design tools and software.	$200	$6,000
Domain Name: Your domain name is the URL and name of your website - this is how internet users find you and your website.Domain names are extremely important and should match your company name and brand. This makes it easier for customers to remember you and return to your website.	$12	$200
Business Email Hosting Service: An email hosting runs a dedicated email server. Once you have your domain name, you can set up email accounts for each user on your team. The most common email hosts are G Suite and Microsoft 365 Suite. The number of email accounts you set up will determine the monthly cost breakdown.	$1	$15
Website Hosting Costs: Server hosting is an IT service typically offered by a cloud service provider that hosts the website information and allows remote access through the internet. A hosted server can help you scale up and increase your business’s efficacy, relieving you from the hassles of on-premise operations.	$0	$300
Website & Live Chat Tool: If your business values high-end customer service, you must consider utilizing a website chatbot. Website chatbots play a pivotal role in converting site visitors into long-term customers. Typically, there are different tiers of pricing and features offered by Live Chat service providers.	$0	$200
Total Website Costs	$223 (min)	$7,215 (max)
Business Formation Fees
Small Business Insurance: Depending on which state you live in and the business you're operating, the costs and requirements for small business insurance vary. You can learn more here.	$500	$2,000
Permit and License Fees: Depending on your industry, there are certain licenses and permits you may need in order to comply with state, local, and federal regulations. Here is an article that goes over all the permits and licenses you may need for your freelance app developer.	$50	$700
Trademark: Filing trademark registration will protect your brand and prevent other businesses from copying your name or product. USPTO has several different types of trademarks, so the cost to apply can vary (typically anywhere from $400-$700).	$0	$700
Lawyer Fees: Although you may want to avoid attorney fees, it's important that your business (and you) are covered at all costs. This comes into play when creating founder agreements, setting up your business legal structure, and of course, any unforeseen circumstances that may happen when dealing with customers or other businesses.	$0	$1,500
A Patent: Patents provide protection against others stealing or selling your idea.Securing a patent can be very valuable, but it's important that you are 100% sure this will be a smart business move for you, or if this is something to consider down the line.The process of securing a US patent can be both lengthy and pricey, and typically includes filing an application with the USPTO.	$5,000	$15,000
Set up business: LLC & Corporations: The first step in setting up your business is deciding whether your business is an LLC, S Corp or C Corp. The cost for this depends on which state you form your business and which structure you decide on. We put together an article that goes over the 10 Steps To Setting Up A Business.	$50	$500
Total Business Formation Fees	$5,600 (min)	$20,400 (max)
Training & Education Expenses
Online Learning Sites: With a freelance app developer, you and your team may not know all the steps for starting and growing a business. There are plenty of resources out there to help you, such as online courses or learning platforms, but they aren't always free! Starter Story is a great resource for case studies, guides and courses for starting your business.	$0	$1,000
Total Training & Education Expenses	$0 (min)	$1,000 (max)
Software Expenses
Design Programs & Software: These programs might include the Adobe family of design tools: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and others. This is typically a monthly subscription ranging from $10-$50/mo.	$0	$50
Email marketing tool: If you plan to grow your email list and email marketing efforts, you may want to consider investing in an email marketing platform (ie. Klaviyo, MailChimp). We put together a detailed guide on all of the email marketing tools out there + the pricing models for each one here.	$0	$100
IT Support: IT support installs and configures hardware and software and solves any technical issues that may arise.IT support can be used internally or for your customers experiencing issues with your product/service.There are a variety of tools and software you can use to help with any technical issues you or your customers are experiencing. This is a great option for businesses that do not have the means to hire a team of professionals.	$150	$2,000
Accounting & Invoicing Software: It's important to have an accounting system and process in place to manage financials, reporting, planning and tax preparation. Here are the 30 best accounting tools for small businesses.	$0	$50
CRM Software: CRM (customer relationship management) software system is used to track and analyze your company’s interactions with clients and prospects. Although this is not a necessary tool to have for your business, implementing this, in the beginning, may set your business up for success and save you valuable time.	$12	$300
Project Management Software: You may want to consider using a project management and collaboration tool to organize your day-to-day. This can also be very beneficial if you have a larger team and want to keep track of everyones tasks and productivity. For a full list of project management tools, check out this full list here.	$0	$25
Internal Communication Tool: If you plan to have multiple members on your team, you may want to consider an instant message tool such as Slack or Telegram. The cost is usually billed per month (approx $5/user/month) or there are freemium versions available on many platforms.	$0	$20
Social Media Management Tools: If you plan to do social media marketing for your freelance app developer, you should consider investing in a social media automation or publishing tool. This will save you time and allow you to track performance and engagement for your posts. Here is a list of 28 best social media tools for your small business.	$0	$50
Payroll Software: The main purpose of payroll software is to help you pay your team and track each of those payments (so that you don't have to do it manually). If you do not have any employees or have a very small team, payroll software may not be necessary at this stage. Here are the 11 best payroll tools for small businesses!	$0	$200
File Hosting Service: It's important to make sure the information for your freelance app developer is stored and protected should something happen to your computer or hard drive. The cost for this is affordable and depends on how much data you need to store. To learn more about the different options and pricing on the market, check out this article.	$0	$299
Total Software Expenses	$162 (min)	$3,094 (max)
Advertising & Marketing Costs
Business Cards: A freelance app developer involves quite a bit of customer interaction, whether that is attending tradeshows, sales calls or simply having face to face interaction with prospective clients. Business cards are a great way to stay front of mind with your clients.	$0	$50
Total Advertising & Marketing Costs	$0 (min)	$50 (max)
Total Starting Costs	$62 (min)	$39,111 (max)

Raising Money For Your Freelance App Developer

Here are the most common ways to raise money for your freelance app developer:

Bootstrapping

You may not need funding for your freelance app developer.

In fact, many entrepreneurs take this approach when starting their own business, whether they have a little amount of cash or a substantial amount to get started.

So what exactly does the term "bootstrapping" mean?

This method essentially refers to self-funding your businesswithout external help or capital and reinvesting your earnings back into the business**

Bootstrapping means building your company from the ground up with your own, or your loved ones, personal savings and reinvesting all earnings back into the business

Here are some tips to consider when bootstrapping your business:

• Use your savings as your capital - one of the best ways to bootstrap your business is to collect your savings and use them as startup capital. This will also help you avoid using your personal or business credit cards when getting started.
• Determine exactly how much capital you need and how much capital you have to get your business off the ground. Generally, when bootstrapping your business, you may want to consider starting a business that involves less startup capital.
• Consider starting a business that will generate immediate returns so you can put money back into the business
• Be as lean as possible - this refers to cutting down expenses as much as possible, such as payroll, fancy software tools, unnecessary travel, renting an office, etc
• Consider outsourcing instead of hiring - in the beginning, you may not need to hire someone permanently to help run your business. It tends to be much less expensive to outsource work to a freelancer and hire someone permanently down the road!

Want to learn more about bootstrapping your business? Check out this article

What Skills Do I Need To Succeed In Becoming A Freelance App Developer?

As a freelance app developer, there are several essential skills and characteristics that are important to identify prior to starting your business.

Let’s look at these skills in more detail so you can identify what you need to succeed in your day-to-day business operations:

Coding Skills

Here are some critical skills you will need to start your freelance app developer:

• Language acquisition: Common languages include Java, Ruby, Python, HTML)
• Creative thinking: Ability to develop innovative solutions and think outside the box
• Analytical skills: Ability to troubleshoot issues quickly and efficiently
• Attention to detail: Precise and detailed in the approach so that little to no errors arise
• Calm & Collective: Critical that you are able to stay patient when challenges arise
• Communication skills: The ability to explain your approach in a clear and concise way that all team members can understand.

To see more skills and qualities people look for in a freelance app developer, check out this article.

Advice For Becoming A Freelance App Developer

We've interviewed thousands of successful founders at Starter Story and asked what advice they would give to entrepreneurs who are just getting started.

Here's the best advice we discovered for becoming a freelance app developer:

Andrew Askins, founder of Krit ($91K/month):

Learn what makes you great and where you need help. It will be worth every penny.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Phil Scarfi, founder of Pioneer Mobile Applications ($30K/month):

Maintaining a close relationship with our customers has helped us not only retain clients, but attract new ones.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Aleksandr Lanin, founder of Bloomy Lab ($40K/month):

Move fast and break things. Broaden your horizons and be curious - you never know what skills might come in handy.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Georgina Lupu Florian, founder of Wolfpack Digital ($300K/month):

Stay true to what makes you tick! Be persevering and results will come in the end. Don’t forget to play and experiment, besides sticking to the plan!

Read the full interview ➜

-

Georgina Lupu Florian, founder of Wolfpack Digital ($300K/month):

Be careful about keeping your mental health in good shape, as you are in for a marathon, not a sprint.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Cam Upson, founder of Appsitude ($50K/month):

If it's not your area of expertise and you have the money I would recommend hiring out for positions your not good at.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Jesus Vargas, founder of LowCode Agency ($10K/month):

Probably the best decision was to hire early. Hiring has allowed me to focus on growth instead of building apps.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Andrew Askins, founder of Krit ($91K/month):

For years we branded ourselves as a technical co-founder for hire, which is a horizontal position, but our clients were difficult to find and we felt like we were outgrowing our market

Read the full interview ➜

-

Andrew Askins, founder of Krit ($91K/month):

Don’t get too caught up in arbitrary goals, it’s your business you can move as fast or as slow as you find fulfilling and sustainable.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Jesus Vargas, founder of LowCode Agency ($10K/month):

Listen to your customers. You might need to pivot your offer if you’re not growing as you want.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Georgina Lupu Florian, founder of Wolfpack Digital ($300K/month):

You need leaders who deliver and support teams at a minimum level regardless of the times you are facing.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Aleksandr Lanin, founder of Bloomy Lab ($40K/month):

Not all decisions that end up in failure are wrong, you may have done everything right, but the situation in the market or world may not be in your favor.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Marvin Collins Hosea, founder of Apps:Lab ($6K/month):

Don’t ever be charitable to people or the community when you’ve not figured it out yet, build yourself/business first up to a point where you’re making profits and enough money to help you sustain yourself and your charity activities.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Phil Scarfi, founder of Pioneer Mobile Applications ($30K/month):

Being successful isn’t supposed to be easy, if it was everyone would be trying to do the same thing you are doing.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Marvin Collins Hosea, founder of Apps:Lab ($6K/month):

The best decision I have made since we started the company is being transparent and let everyone run the company.

Read the full interview ➜

-

Write a Business Plan

Writing a business plan from the start is critical for the success of your freelance app developer.

Why?

Because this allows you to roadmap exactly what you do, what your overall structure will look like, and where you want to be in the future.

For many entrepreneurs, writing out the business plan helps validate their idea and decide whether or not they should move forward with starting the business.

You may want to consider expanding upon these sections in your business plan:

• Executive Summary: Brief outline of your product, the market, and growth opportunities
• Overviews and Objectives: Overview of your business, target customers, and what you need to run your business
• Products and Services: Specifics on the products and services your business will provide
• Market Opportunities: Analysis of customer demographics, buyer habits and if your product is in demand
• Marketing: Outline of your marketing plan and how you plan to differentiate yourself from other customers
• Competitive analysis: Analysis of your competition and the strengths and weaknesses therein
• Operations: Hierarchal structure of the company and what it will take to run the business on the day-to-day
• Leadership Team: Detailing roles and responsibilities of each manager based on their specific skill-set
• Financial Analysis Understanding of all expenses, operating budgets, and projections for the future.

Learn more about how to write a business plan here

Determine Which Business Bank Account You Need

There are hundreds of banks out there, and it can be overwhelming to find one that's right for your business.

Here are some factors you may want to consider:

• Location - Is your bank close enough that you can easily make deposits or get cash?
• Low Fees - Make sure to understand any and all fees associated with setting up and maintaining your bank account. Ask for a list - banks usually try to keep this hidden and in the fine print.
• Online Banking Services - Make sure you can easily navigate through your online portal and you have easy access to everything you need.
• Line of Credit - What do your options look like (even if you don't need this now, you may need this down the road).
• Every bank has something that differentiates them from the rest, so make sure whatever that is applied to your needs and values.

Check out this list of the 13 Best Banks for Small Business in 2020 and what makes them so unique.

Setting Up Your Freelance App Developer (Formation and Legal)

When it comes to setting up your business, you may find yourself in a place where you have to make some financial and legal decisions.

The first thing you'll want to decide on is whether you want to be an LLC, S-Corp, or C-Corp.

These three options are found to be the most common when starting a small business, and all serve to protect your personal assets and also provide you with certain tax benefits.

• LLC: All income and expenses from the business are reported on the LLC personal income tax return.
• S corp: Owners pay themselves salaries + receive dividends from profits.
• C Corp: C Corps are separately taxable entities that file a corporate tax return (Form 1120). No income tax is paid at the corporate level and any tax due is paid at the owners individual expense.

Depending on where you're conducting business, you'll also want to consider securing the proper permits, licenses and liability insurance.

Learn more about securing the right permits and licenses ➜

Need to start an LLC? Create an LLC in minutes with ZenBusiness.

How Do I Pay Myself As A Small Business Owner?

Most entrepreneurs start a business to do something they love- but at the end of the day, you still have bills to pay (maybe now more than ever).

But it's important to strike the right balance - if you pay yourself too much, you could be putting your business at risk.

There are two common ways to pay yourself as a business owner:

1. Owner's Draw

Many entrepreneurs pay themselves through an owner's draw. This means that you are technically sean as "self-employed" through the eyes of the IRS and are not paid through regular wages.

At the point that you collect money from the draw, taxes typically are not taken out - so make sure you are prepared to pay these taxes once you file your individual return.

As an owner who takes a draw, you can legally take out as much as you want from your equity.

This type of compensation is suited for Sole props, LLCs, and partnerships. If you’re an S corp, you can pay yourself through both a salary and draw if you choose.

2. Salary

If you decide to pay yourself a salary, you will receive a set and recurring amount. This will be taxed by the federal government and the state you reside in.

The reality is that it can be really complicated to set your own salary, so we have some tips for you to consider:

• Take out a reasonable amount that allows you to live comfortably but also sets your business up for success
• Consider the number of hours you are working weekly + the type of duties you are performing.
• Set your salary based on your industry-standard, location, and profits (or projected profits)
• Look at your P&L statement: Deduct your own pay from that amount. This is important so you can first tackle important business expenses, and then pay yourself from the amount leftover.
• Pick a payroll schedule (and stick to it)! In the US, it's most common to pay yourself and employees twice a month.

To learn more about how to pay yourself and what is a reasonable amount, check out this article.

How To Price Your App Development Services

One of the most challenging aspects to becoming a freelance app developer is determining how much to charge for your app development services.

When businesses under-price their product, this can be extremely detrimental to their bottom line and reputation.

Often times, businesses under-price their products to drive demand and volume, but that last thing you want is for customers to view your product/service as "cheap." Additionally, this can have a big impact on the type of customer you attract, which can be difficult to recover from.

On the other hand, when businesses over-price, this tends to be just as damaging to the business.

When customers buy, it's likely that they will explore the internet and look at other competitors to ensure they're getting the best value + deal. This is why it's so important that you research your competition and understand where you land in the marketplace.

Here are some factors to consider when pricing your product:

Understand your customer

It's important that out of the gates, you identify the type of customer you want to attract and how much they're willing to pay for your service. One great way to do this is by surveying your customers. Here are some important items you'll want to takeaway:

• Customer demographic: Age, gender, location, etc.
• Buying habits of your customer: What they buy + when they buy
• Level of price sensitivity with your customer

All of these segments will help you identify the type of customer you're attracting and how to price your product accordingly.

Understand your costs

When pricing your app development services, it's critical that you first identify all of your costs and consequently mark up your app development services so you can factor in a profit.

The actual cost of your app development services may include things like:

• The actual cost to make the product (ie. raw materials, supplies, manufacturer).
• Shipping + overhead fees
• Rent
• Operating costs to run your business

You may want to consider creating a spreadsheet with every single expense involved in operating/owning your business. This will give you an idea as to what you need to generate in order to at the very least, break-even and will help you price your products to factor in a profit.

Create revenue goals

When determining the price of your app development services, you'll want to create goals for revenue + how much profit you want your freelance app developer to make.

This process is simpler than you may think:

1. Think about your breakeven cost (by completing the above step).
2. Create a revenue goal based on your break-even cost
3. Evaluate the # of items you plan to sell in a given period (make sure this is a realistic number)
4. Divide your revenue goal by the number of items you plan to sell

This figure will help determine your estimated price per product in order to meet your revenue goals.

Evaluate your competition

The last piece in determining how to price your app development services is by simply looking at your competition.

The best way to do this is by finding like-minded businesses that offer product(s) with similar perceived value. Then, you can compare prices of the different businesses and determine where your app development services fits best in the marketplace.

All of these factors play an equal part in pricing your app development services, so it's important you evaluate each one individually to come up with an accurate price that will help optimize your business from the start.

Rate Calculator: How to Calculate The Price For Your App Development Services Services

Our calculator is designed to be simple and easy to use.

The goal is to help you set realistic expectations and understand the hourly rate you should be charging to make your desired profit.

Please input below:

What Type Of Clients Will Buy Your App Development Services

It's important to first establish who you will be selling to, whether it's to businesses or consumers.

Typically, in this industry, products are sold to B2B markets (business-to-business).

Let's take a look at what this means for your freelance app developer:

B2B (or business to business) is a transaction where your freelance app developer sell's your product or service to other businesses to help them grow.

Business-to business industries typically includes SaaS products, B2B marketing firms, and other business supply companies.

Unlike B2C markets, the audience is not a consumer at all, but instead a business - so it's important to understand how to best market your product/services to that target audience.

With B2B, driving leads means understanding another company's business processes and creating a business strategy that will help their operation scale and grow.

Here are some tips to consider:

• Your main focus when selling to other businesses is showing value to their business and overall return on investment
• Focus on building relationships, rather than extending your brand awareness through social networks.
• Marketing approach should include things like attending conventions, conferences, and optimizing your online presence (SEO, email outreach, etc)
• Understand that the sales process may mean more effort educating your client, so it's important that you have a well-trained sales team that is knowledgable about the product

Identify Target Customer

A very critical piece in building freelance app developer is to identify your ideal target customer.

• Develop a niche and create a consistent brand that reflects your target customer.
• The colors, logo, content, and overall website should resonate with your target customer and should draw them in by helping them solve their specific "need".

Building an MVP (Minimal Viable Product)

When building a freelance app developer, it's critical that you first validate your product/service rather than rushing to build it right away.

This could save you months, if not years of building the wrong product/service.

If you're hoping to decrease any sort of risk that comes with launching your freelance app developer, designing a prototype can be a great way to de-risk your situation.

The point of your app development services prototype is that it doesn't have to be perfect.

In the beginning stages, it doesn't matter how rough V1 of your prototype is, it's more important to just get started and you can always refine from there based on feedback from your network and most importantly your customers.

How To Build A MVP

Here are several different ways of building a prototype/MVP:

• Start by building a landing page to see if customers actually need your product and if they are willing to pay for it
• Build a very basic version of your idea and ask for immediate feedback from potential customers
• Present a problem and solution via Facebook/Instagram Ads and see what the response is like

Mahamud Hasan, founder of Zovo Team Ltd. dives deep into the process of designing and prototyping their product:

🚀 How To Launch Your Freelance App Developer

Build A Website

Building a website is imperative when launching your business, and with the right tools in place, this can be a simple task to check off the list (without having to hire someone).

1. Pick a domain name that's easy to remember and easy to type
2. Choose a Web Hosting Plan (ie. Shopify, Squarespace)
3. Make sure you choose the right theme and design
4. Implement the proper page structure (ie. about page, contact page, pricing etc)

To learn more about how to build a stellar website with little stress, we give you all the details on this step-by-step guide.

Best Website Platforms To Use For Your Freelance App Developer:

There are a variety of websites platforms out there, and it's important to choose the right one that will set you up for success.

Here's everything you need to know about the two most common platforms for your freelance app developer:

WordPress

Free and open-source content management system based on PHP and MySQL.

Free to use/open source but you will need to pay for the hosting.

• Pricing: Freemium
• Twitter: @WordPress
• Website: https://wordpress.com/

Businesses using WordPress:

844 successful businesses are using WordPress ➜

Get WordPress ➜

Squarespace

The all-in-one solution for anyone looking to create a beautiful website.

• Personal Plan: $12/month
• Business Plan: $18/month
• Basic: $26/month

• Advanced: $40/month

• Pricing: Freemium

• Twitter: @squarespace

• Website: squarespace.com

Businesses using Squarespace:

134 successful businesses are using Squarespace ➜

Get Squarespace ➜

Web Design

Once you have chosen the domain, web hosting, and platform, it's time to get started with the design phase.

Themes are a great way to produce the fundamental style and identity of your website - this includes everything from your font design to your blog post styles.

One of the best ways to get started is to simply explore the various themes (free or paid depending on what you're looking for) and test them on your site.

If web-design really isn't in the cards for you, you may want to consider outsourcing a web designer to help bring your vision and brand to life.

Traditional Launch Strategies For Your Freelance App Developer:

There are various different ways you can launch your freelance app developer successfully.

Here are a few different strategies to get customers excited about your freelance app developer:

• Set up a Facebook page for your business. This is a great way to establish an online presence
• Host an event in a fun location with drinks & food. This is a great way to get exposure in the local community.
• Get Press! Pitch your story to the media and you may just land in an amazing publication
• Live sales to get customers excited
• Send a hand-written letter in the mail with a discount on your services to the local community/neighborhoods.

Andrew Askins, founder of Krit dives deep into the process of launching the business:

🌱 How To Grow Your Freelance App Developer

Improve your SEO

SEO is not just about driving traffic to your site, it's about driving the RIGHT traffic to your site, and ultimately, converting leads into customers.

One of the most important aspects of SEO is understanding what your customers are searching for, otherwise known as "keyword research."

Here are some tools that can help you choose the right keywords for your freelance app developer.

• Google Ads Keyword Planner invaluable for discovering search trends.
• Google Search Console is very helpful once your website is up as it shows you what words/phrases are generating traffic.
• Ahrefs and SEMRush are paid tools that allow you to look at results of your competitor's website.

Publish Great Content

Finding keywords is an important piece of the puzzle, but Google also ranks your site based on the actual content you produce, as this is what your customers are reading and engaging with.

There are various different "forms" of content that you may want to consider diversifying on your sites, such as blog posts, articles, studies, and videos.

So let's discuss what google considers "good content:"

• Length - This will vary depending on the page, however, generally having a sufficient amount of content helps search engines recognize that your site is a good source for a specific topic
• Engagement - The longer people stay on your website to read your content, the higher Google will rank your website. It's important to have informative and "thick" content that keeps people reading
• Avoid Duplicating Content - Google will recognize this and may consider your content to have low value
• Ensure pages load quickly - This will also help with engagement and time spent on your website
• Shareability - Create content that people want to share, and is easy for them to share, especially to their social media accounts (ie. "click to tweet" is a great example of this).

Another element of creating good content is creating consistent content.

If (and hopefully you are) publishing content frequently, it's important to stick to a schedule - this helps build brand trust and easy user experience with your customers.

Planning out your content with a content calendar is key to staying consistent.

Here are a few great content calendar tools that can help you:

• Trello
• Airtable
• If you prefer to keep it simple, your average spreadsheet is just as useful!

Backlinks

Backlinks are an important piece to SEO, as they allow for other websites to link to your content.

Search engines recognize that other sites are essentially "verifying" your content and essentially rank you higher because of this.

Of course, some links are more valuable than others and can affect your site in different ways.

For example, if a highly valuable and credible site like the New York Times links to a page on your website, this could be remarkable from an SEO perspective.

Aside from organically getting mentioned from other sites, there are other ways that you can increase and earn backlinks:

• Create infographics with relevant data that people want to share
• Promote your content on different sites/look into "guest blogging"
• Contact influencers/journalists/bloggers and ask them to mention you!
• Write testimonials for other sites in exchange for a backlink
• Leverage existing business relationships

Learn more about the fundamentals of SEO ➜ here and check out Neil Patel's 3 Powerful SEO Tips below

Build A Blog

One of the most effective ways to build brand awareness and grow your business is through consistently blogging.

We've outlined some useful tips for you to consider when creating content:

Consistency and Quantity

Quality is important, but it should be the standard for any content you publish.

What’s more important is consistency and quantity.

Consistency is as simple as committing to publishing and sharing a certain number of posts per week. For me, that’s three per week right now.

This kind of commitment is key, because one day, a random post will blow up, and you will have never expected it.

Oversaturation

The easiest mind trap is to think "I’m posting too much", and “I need to give my readers/audience/this platform a break”.

This is nonsense.

There is no such thing as oversaturation. Well, there is, but it is just someone else’s opinion.

For every person that tells you you are posting too much, there is another person that wants even more of your content.

You should ignore people’s opinions on how much you post.

Patience & Persistence

Keep posting, keep trying, and keep putting out good content on the regular. Your time will come, and when it does, it will change everything.

The only thing you have control over is your content.

You can’t control how people will react to it. You can’t control pageviews, likes, or shares.

So the only metric you should focus on is how much content you can put out in a week, month, etc.

Where to share your blog content

Mailing List

I know it sounds obvious, but the best places to share your content is on your mailing list. It is guaranteed traffic and it is a great way to get rapid feedback from your most loyal readers.

Send newsletters often. I have done once a week since starting, and I’m moving to twice a week soon.

Work on increasing your mailing list as well. Look into ways to increase your conversion rate to your mailing list. I added a flyout popup thing to my site and now I’m collecting ~30 emails per day.

An email newsletter is one of the most powerful assets you can have and it is worth its weight in gold.

Reddit

Reddit is one of my favorite places to promote content.

It is a very scary place because you will often get banned or heckled, but it can really pay off.

Create social media accounts for your blog, the main ones I use:

Twitter Facebook Instagram LinkedIn

Set up Buffer and share all of your blog posts to all of your accounts. All of these little shares really do add up.

Automate this as much as possible. I automated all of my social media for Starter Story.

Facebook Groups

When I started out, I put together a spreadsheet of relevant Facebook groups for my niche, and I would post to these groups whenever I had a big story I wanted to share.

Social Media Advertising

Social Media Advertising is one of the leading ways to get the word out when it comes to freelance app developer.

There are various different Social Media platforms available to you. Some may be more critical for your marketing efforts than others, however, it's important to have an understanding of what's out there and available to you.

Let's talk about a few of the main platforms and what makes them unique:

• Facebook Advertising - more than 2 billion monthly users. Facebook is the best for lead generation + capturing email addresses for e-commerce businesses.
• Instagram Advertising - approximately 500 million monthly users and has a higher audience engagement rate than any other platform. Instagram ads are best for linking to a product page or landing page and reaches the 18-29 age group most effectively.
• Twitter Advertising- Small businesses typically use twitter ads to drive brand awareness, but the platform is meant more for organic engagement (and is not as heavily used for paid advertising)
• Pinterest Advertising - 175 million monthly users and most effectively reaches the female audience. Pinterest is great for promoting products without "promoted". The promoted pins have a way of blending right in.
• LinkedIn Advertising - 227 million monthly users and is geared towards the B2B market and generates the highest quality leads. Great platform for recruiters, high-end products and services that will help businesses

It's important to first define your goal/objective so that you don't waste time and money into the wrong platform:

Here are some different questions to ask yourself as it relates to your goals:

• Do I want to simply drive brand awareness?
• Do I want to drive users to my website to gather information?
• Do I want to increase sales and get my customer to take action?

From there, choose the platform that targets your audience best and start experimenting!

Learn more about social media advertising ➜ here.

Experiment With Pay Per Click Ads (PPC)

Pay-per-click (PPC) is a performance-based marketing method that allows you to show specific ads for services or products oriented to a very defined target, with the goal that the user visits your website or landing page.

Here are some tips to consider:

• Consider connecting the ad to your corresponding landing page so that the audience receives the necessary information after clicking on the ad.
• Conversion Tracking: When running PPC campaigns, be sure to run the ads with conversion tracking.
• Focus on quality keywords, even if there are few as this will save you time and money. When assessing the performance of a keyword, it's important to track the expense, conversion, and cost per conversion, as well as the ROI.

PPC advertising can be a very important lead generator as long as it's done properly. Your PPC campaign is intended to drive traffic to your website and help the business scale.

Additionally, if the campaign is not having the desired results, you can make the necessary changes immediately to improve them.

Grow Your Email List

The more engaged list of emails, the more engaged customers, which ultimately leads to more sales.

One of the best ways to start growing your list is by providing your customer with something free (or discounted) in return.

This could also be anything from:

• Ebook
• Fascinating case study
• Video series
• Free week of the product
• Discount on the product

Learn more about how to grow your email list and improve email marketing ➜ here.

Add an exit-intent popup to your online store

A great way to double, or even triple, your email opt-in rate and to grow your list is to add an exit-intent popup to your site, and offering a discount or content upgrade for subscribers.

Here's an example of what that might look like:

Improve Your Email Marketing

Different types of emails

Here are the most common types of email campaigns you can send to your customers and their benefits:

• Welcome emails - the perfect way to provide information from the start with a clear CTA. Make sure to tell your customer everything they need to know about your product or service.
• Newsletters - a great way to give customers updates or send out your latest content
• Product launch emails - the quickest (and easiest) way to increase sales is by selling to current customers. Make sure they're the first on the list to know about your new product
• Promotional emails - promote discounts, deals coupons etc. Try and make this feel exclusive and for a limited time only
• Abandoned cart emails - give your customers a reason to complete their purchase!

Here's a great resource for finding curated email designs, for all types of email campaigns!

Abandonded Cart Flow

The abandoned cart workflow is one of the most effective strategies for turning your lead into a customer, and a powerful tool to have if you're an e-commerce business.

Think about all the times that you went on a shopping frenzy only to add items to your cart and then either forget or realize nows not the right time to pull the trigger.

Then, minutes later you receive an email saying "Hurry up! Your cart is waiting - and we want to provide you with 20% off your order."

Maybe that's the special touch (and discount) you needed to pull that trigger.

Implementing this workflow can automatically trigger this for your business every time a customer abandons their cart.

Here's a great example of an abandoned cart email from Brooklinen:

Things they do well:

• Showcase 5-star reviews from other customers
• Offer a small discount + free shipping
• Great design + clear call to actions!

🏃🏼‍♀️ How To Run Your Freelance App Developer

How To Retain Customers For Your Freelance App Developer

Retaining customers is one of the most effective ways to grow your freelance app developer.

Oftentimes, it's easy to find yourself focusing on generating new customers, vs retaining your current ones.

Look at it this way - you are 60-70% more likely to sell a new product to an existing customer than you are a new customer.

That's not to say that finding new customers and revenue streams is not important, however, the easiest (and most inexpensive) source of new revenue is right there in front of you.

Here are some ways you can retain customers for your freelance app developer:

• Responding to comments on social media
• Send discounts (or freebies) to loyal customers
• Provide valuable content, for free
• Write a hand written thank you note
• Provide awesome customer service and build relationships with customers

To find out more tips and tricks on retaining customers, check out this article ➜ here

Andrew Askins, founder of Krit dives deep into the process of attracting and retaining customers:

Diversify Your Product Line

Adding new products to your business is a great way to expand into new markets and grow your business.

It's important to note that adding new products and diversifying may not be in the cards for you right this moment, and that's okay. You can always consider it down the road.

Here are some reasons you may want to considering adding/diversifying your product

• Meeting the needs of your customers
• Establish yourself as a top provider in your industry and stay ahead of the game with competition
• Resistance to downturns/trends fading
• Create new revenue streams

How To Crush The Sales Process For Your Freelance App Developer

You may find yourself in a spot where you're ready to hire a few (or many) salespeople to support the sales conversion process.

Regardless if you have one or thirty salespeople, it's critical that you assign them specific roles and responsibilities to nurture the client and provide excellent support.

Mike Korba, co-founder of User.Com walks us through the entire sales process and which teams are responsible for what:

Word of Mouth

The most tried and true way to grow a freelance app developer is through word of mouth - some entrepreneurs would say it's more important than all social media.

Why you should focus on word of mouth:

• Consumers trust word of mouth above all other forms of marketing
• 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising
• 64% of marketing executives indicated that they believe it is the most effective form of marketing

Learn more about word of mouth in our guide: 30 Ways Founders Grow Their Business ➜

Authenticity

As a brand, you want to deliver an experience that authentic, honest and transparent.

Don't make the mistake of giving your audience less credit than they deserve.

Build a Referral Program

Word of mouth is one of the best ways to get the word out about your business and acquire new customers. Especially when you are starting out, it’s important to build a solid referral program to encourage existing customers to help you find new ones.

A great way to do that is by offering a reward (ie. credit on your service or cash) to customers that refer you to their friends and family.

A fantastic referral program will help with clout, credibility, and establishing yourself in the space.

Resources

We put together the best resources on the internet to help you start your freelance app developer.

Tools

• Platform tools such as WooCommerce, Amazon, Wayfair, Custom Built, Webflow, Heroku, Adobe Creative Cloud, Amazon Web Services, AWS infrastructure, Laravel, Django, Vue, CraftCMS, trello or firebase
• Email tools such as MailChimp, ConvertKit, Revue or G Suite
• Social media tools such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn or Buffer
• Advertising tools such as Facebook Ads, Google Adwords, Google AdSense, LinkedIn Ads or Google ads
• Design tools such as Canva, Adobe Suite, Sketch, Figma or Invision
• Analytics tools such as Google Analytics, MixPanel or Google Tag Manager
• Productivity tools such as Google Suite, Slack, Asana, Trello, Notion, Calendly, Toggl, Airtable, Integromat or Todoist
• Payments tools such as Paypal, Stripe or TransferWise
• Blog tools such as WordPress
• Accounting tools such as Quickbooks, Google Sheets or Justworks
• Crm tools such as Hubspot or PipeDrive
• Customer service tools such as Facebook Chat App or HelpCenter
• Freelance tools such as Fiverr, Upwork or freelance.com
• Stock images tools such as Unsplash or Pexels
• Seo tools such as Ahrefs
• Reviews tools such as Trustpilot or Google My Business
• Education tools such as Teachery
• Podcast tools such as Spotify
• Sms tools such as Twilio

Books

• Apps: Beginner's Guide For App Programming, App Development, App Design: Steve Clinton

• Freelance Newbie: A Beginner’s Guide To Finding Clients

• Think and Grow Rich (Think and Grow Rich Series)

• Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

• Rich Dad Poor Dad

Web Resources

• How to Become a Mobile App Developer (A Complete Newbie Guide)
• How To Become A Mobile Application Developer - Wikihow

Videos

• How To Make $100/Hr As A Freelance Software Developer (No Degree Required)
• How To Become A Mobile App Developer

Case Studies

• How I Started A Successful Mobile App Development Agency
• Acquiring A Stagnant App Development Company And Leading It To $50K/Month
• How I Started A $69K/Month Software Agency After A Failed Product Launch
• How I Started A $10K/Month App Building Agency Using No/Low Code Tools
• We Built A $150K/Year Portfolio Of Online Businesses [From Bangladesh]

Join Starter Story

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Join Starter Story

See exactly how online businesses get to millions in revenue

• 4,818 founder case studies
• Access to our founder directory
• Live events, courses and recordings
• 8,628 business ideas
• $1M in software savings

Join Starter Story

Join Starter Story

See exactly how online businesses get to millions in revenue

• 4,818 founder case studies
• Access to our founder directory
• Live events, courses and recordings
• 8,628 business ideas
• $1M in software savings

Join Starter Story

Join Starter Story

See exactly how online businesses get to millions in revenue

• 4,818 founder case studies
• Access to our founder directory
• Live events, courses and recordings
• 8,628 business ideas
• $1M in software savings

Join Starter Story

Join Starter Story

See exactly how online businesses get to millions in revenue

• 4,818 founder case studies
• Access to our founder directory
• Live events, courses and recordings
• 8,628 business ideas
• $1M in software savings

Join Starter Story

Join Starter Story

See exactly how online businesses get to millions in revenue

• 4,818 founder case studies
• Access to our founder directory
• Live events, courses and recordings
• 8,628 business ideas
• $1M in software savings

Join Starter Story

Join Starter Story

See exactly how online businesses get to millions in revenue

• 4,818 founder case studies
• Access to our founder directory
• Live events, courses and recordings
• 8,628 business ideas
• $1M in software savings

Join Starter Story

Join Starter Story

See exactly how online businesses get to millions in revenue

• 4,818 founder case studies
• Access to our founder directory
• Live events, courses and recordings
• 8,628 business ideas
• $1M in software savings

Join Starter Story