Building My First App - The Real Deal & What I Learned
If you’d told me at the start of my career that I’d be building an app, I would have laughed. In 2018, I launched a series of business planning booklets for creatives, but users rarely revisited them. The content was there but the system wasn’t. A few years later, I finally had the time to reimagine those booklets as an app. I thought it would be simple, but wow did I learn a lot along the way.
Getting Started – Finding the Right Developer & Doing the Research
I began with most of my content ready and my branding set, so I thought I was set for a smooth ride. But one of the biggest lessons early on was about market research. Just because I thought the app was a great idea didn’t mean my target audience would agree. I wish I’d done more groundwork to understand their needs and validate that the app solved a meaningful problem. This type of research can save you a lot of time and expense later!
Finding the right developer was also a challenge. My first choice ghosted me after a few weeks. Then, I tried a DIY approach with low-code platforms and worked with an overseas developer. After a lot of back-and-forth, I finally found Christina, another overseas developer, who understood my vision, and by January 2022, we were on our way.
Key Challenges I Didn’t See Coming
Building the App: The app needed custom portals and editable pages for each user to manage their business details, which was more complex than expected. With 7 sections and 41 pages, it was a huge task that stretched my patience and problem-solving skills.
Understanding Native vs. Web-Based Apps: A crucial decision for new app builders! Native apps are platform-specific (for example, iPhone or Android), offer offline access, and are highly customisable, but they’re costly to develop and update. I opted for a web-based app, which was easier to manage and budget-friendly but requires an internet connection to work.
Setting Up Payment Subscriptions: Payment was a bigger hurdle than I expected. Adalo, the app builder I used, didn’t support payment gateways natively, so we had to create a custom flow. This involved Kajabi for payments, Stripe for transactions, and Zapier to connect it all. Listening to too many opinions on pricing also made things complicated; some said it was too low, others said too high. Eventually, I chose a price that felt fair for my audience, but I spent a lot of time finding that balance.
App Store, Google Play & Workflow Complexity: Every platform has unique requirements, and coordinating them can be intense. My setup included App Store, Google Play, Kajabi, Adalo, Zapier, and Stripe, which required constant troubleshooting and updates. If you’re building an app now, simpler options may be available, but this was the best I could do at the time.
Marketing Beyond Social Media Posts: Marketing an app takes more than just announcing it on social media. Launches are just the beginning; you need a comprehensive strategy with ads, email campaigns, partnerships, and consistent social media engagement to stay visible and drive downloads. As soon as I stopped posting, the downloads stopped too.
Handling Feedback, Updates & Staying True to the Vision: When the app launched, I brought in a team of testers. Their feedback was invaluable and even pointed out details I hadn’t noticed (like typos!). Balancing constructive feedback while staying aligned with my vision was essential; otherwise, I risked getting swayed in too many directions.
Other Insights for First-Time App Builders
Budget Extra for Updates and Maintenance: Building the app is just the beginning; you’ll need resources for regular updates, bug fixes, and tech support. Each update can take longer than you expect, especially if it requires app store approval.
Consider Support Options: From customer service to technical support, users will have questions and issues that need to be addressed. Have a plan in place for this—it’s often more time-consuming than anticipated.
Be Prepared for Testing and Debugging: Test everything meticulously. Issues will still pop up post-launch, but thorough testing with a diverse group of users can catch a lot of bugs and improve the user experience.
A New Direction – From App to Notion Template
After all this, would I do it again? Yes, but with more research upfront and a clearer timeline. In the end, I realised that what my users truly needed was more flexibility to edit and download their business plans—something Adalo couldn’t support. So, I chose to turn the app into a Notion template, now complete with over 50 customisable Canva templates. Notion makes it easy for users to interact with and update their content in real time, keeping things dynamic and accessible.
Creating an app isn’t a side hustle; it’s a full-scale project. If you’re considering it, know that it’s challenging but incredibly rewarding. And if you want to know more about my app journey or see how ClearBiz evolved, feel free to reach out!