
Idea for an app but no programming skill. how to bring it alive? - amrrs
I&#x27;ve an idea for an app, but have no programming skills. How can i bring it alive? if i hire a developer, how to believe that the dev won&#x27;t publish the app himself? Advice please.
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ASquare
Have you validated that there is a need for this app already or is just
something you think is a good idea?

If it's the latter you may just be sinking time/money solving a problem nobody
cares about.

If it's the former, then you should go down the MVP route first and put
together something that shows the value that your product will deliver. I've
seen cases where people have done this with everything from sketches to
powerpoint presentations. If you've identified the right audience who has the
need you are fulfilling, they will get what you are going for even without a
product.

Also read this posts for additional inspiration:
[http://scalemybusiness.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-minimum-
via...](http://scalemybusiness.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-minimum-viable-
products)
[https://medium.com/p/ef3c2d02dc51](https://medium.com/p/ef3c2d02dc51)

Lastly, about the point of the developer stealing your idea. If you've done
your due dilligence in terms of asking for prior work, getting references etc
then that in itself mitigates the risk. Over and above that, ask yourself why
a (properly vetted) developer will risk their reputation and livelihood -
everything that is steady and predictable in their lives to steal your
unproven idea?

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chrisBob
What is your goal here? You say you want to "bring it alive" and that could be
as easy as sharing your idea somewhere like HN.

If you don't have a good budget for the project, or don't want to partner with
a technical cofounder then I would advise against trying to run a business
based on expertise you don't have.

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kgc
1\. Learn to make your idea. 2\. Pay someone who knows how to make your idea.

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vitovito
The simple answer is, it's in the contract. Your contract with your developer,
which you both negotiate and sign, says that you pay for them to develop your
app, and perhaps would have a non-compete clause to prevent them from self-
publishing a similar app within, say, a year.

If they violate the terms of the contract, your lawyer sues them.

Now, this is tricky in general, because app store submission processes are
developer-oriented, and there will inevitably be bugs, which your developer
will have to fix. There are a lot of details to hammer out on how to arrange
all of that. But it's not a trust issue, it's just a paperwork one, as long as
you can afford to enforce it.

Now, if you _can 't_ afford to enforce it, then you do need trust. And one way
to have that trust is to have respect. A developer will respect you more if
you bring something tangible to the table. That is, more than just an idea.
This is the long answer.

If all you have is an idea, then a developer (or designer, for that matter) is
going to have to figure out a lot on their own. They're going to have to
figure out what you mean, who the users are going to be, what the users want,
how the marketing will promote the app, what it should cost, how many users at
one time the app will have to handle, on and on, every detail. There will be
so many details that you haven't thought of yet, that the developer will have
to figure out, that it will basically be the developer's app.

Any developer (or designer) worth their salt is going to ask for at least 51%
equity in your company to build your idea, because they will basically be
doing all the work.

The only way to retain control, and to earn enough respect to deserve it, is
to do all of that work up front, yourself.

That's the role of the businessperson in a startup. You do all the market
research to figure out that people will definitely buy this kind app. You do
all customer development to figure out what problem this app will solve for
them. You do all the user research to figure out exactly how the app will
solve that problem. You do the competitive analysis to figure out the price
and positioning of your app relative to other solutions in the market. You do
all the sales channel development to figure out how to tell people about the
app. You do all the projections to figure out how much money you might make.
And then you put that all in a Powerpoint to convince a developer that "all"
they need to do is build it, they can focus on code and not have to worry
about all that business stuff, you've got it covered.

That's your job. An idea isn't good enough. There's a lot more than just
programming that goes into an app, and you have to have covered everything
else if all you want is a programmer to build you something.

Good luck!

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amrrs
Great. Never thought all these stuffs go into the app along with the code. And
yes, As you said i've done some part of my homework too. so it won't be the
developer doing everything himself. But my concern, i don't know whether the
app is possible to be developed or not. And i've budget issue also. So i have
to explain the idea to the developer, before we sign contract right? so that
he can tell me whether it can be done or not. Is there any other work around
that you can suggest me?

~~~
vitovito
The simple answer is, have them sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement). That
protects your idea.

But, again, if you can't afford to enforce it, then there's not a lot of point
in doing the paperwork. And, many developers (and designers) won't sign NDAs
just for discussions.

In reality, most freelance developers have more work than they can handle, and
pick and choose their projects, and aren't going to steal anyone's idea
because then they have to program without getting paid, and it would ruin
their professional reputation.

But, if you can't afford to pay market rates to reputable developers, then
you're looking for a co-founder to pay in equity or profit sharing. Again, now
you're back to trust and respect.

If your idea is so simple that a skilled but unscrupulous developer could go
off and immediately clone it and make all the money you were going make, then
your idea wasn't very original, and there will be lots of other competitors in
the market in a few days anyway.

Your goal, with doing all that research up front, before you ever talk to a
developer, is to understand exactly how unique your app will be, and impress
the developer that not only is the idea a good one, but working with you, with
all your experience and knowledge, is the best way to develop it.

~~~
amrrs
Clear enough. Thanks a lot :)

