Web and app development can be a complicated business – so why not take some tips from those who have made a success of it? While there are no hard and fast rules to web development strategies and software development projects, here’s a little expert guidance from 9 entrepreneurs who’ve built up successful careers in the software and web development industry.
1. Remember what the core purpose of your web presence is – visibility:
“You have 90 seconds, if you’re lucky. If you can’t make your point persuasively in that time, you’ve lost the chance for impact.” – Robert Herjavec (Investor featured on Dragon’s Den and The Shark Tank)
2. All the optional extras in the world will be worth nothing if your core concept and product isn’t solid:
“Don’t waste time or spend money on non-core issues when starting a business.” – Noah Kagan (Head of appsumo.com)
3. If your customers don’t see a clear and obvious reason for investing in your product, no amount of persuasive marketing will build your business:
“The biggest mistake new entrepreneurs make is banking on an idea that isn’t valuable to anyone with actual, real-world problems.” – Lauren Holliday (Web Developer and Content Marketing Expert)
4. This goes for almost every aspect of customer interaction. The small print is for people who are already convinced; your mission statement has to be clear, and what you’ve offering has to be obvious:
“Simplicity beats options every time.” – David Pogue (Yahoo Tech founder)
5. It’s better to get a foot in the door than shout through the window. Once you’re established, you’ll be in a much stronger position to expand your business:
“In the early days of starting up, the ability to scale is overrated. Your priority, in short, is proving that people will use your product at all.” – Guy Kawasaki (Internet marketing guru)
6. Every startup has issues. Make sure they don’t put you out of business by planning for unexpected downtimes. If they don’t crop up, then you’ve gained time to finesse your development:
“Research and build in time for failure. Literally, plan to fail. This doesn’t mean your entire project won’t succeed, but rather accounts for the hiccups in production that you will more than likely suffer.” – Andru Edwards (Renowned tech reviewer)
7. Flexibility and the ability to respond to your customers should be built into your development from the start. That way, whenever you find a way to improve what you do, you’ll be able to do it quickly and with the minimum of stress:
“Build a framework to prioritize and implement changes based on customer feedback.” – Chiara McPhee (Co-founder of bizzy.io)
8. If your product is entering an already-populated marketplace, you have to stand out from the crowd. Don’t offer yourself as an alternative product, but forge your own identity:
“Stop watching the competition and think for yourself.” – Oleg Shchegolev (Co-founder of SEMrush)
9. Know your goal. Particularly at the startup stage of development, you need to focus your attention (and resources) on getting your project off the ground. Have a clear goal in mind, and put all your work towards it:
“Focus all your energy toward one big objective.” – Jan Lukacs (CEO at Paymo)
These 9 quotes from experts in their respective entrepreneurial fields offer great advice and inspiration for those looking to launch and/or grow their dream business.
Which quote was your favorite?
Main Image Credit: JD Lasika/Flickr