So you’ve got an app. You’re pretty sure it’s going to be the next big thing, and let’s be honest, you want it to make some money. There are so many success stories out there about the app developers who made it big with monetized apps (think Skee Ball and Angry Birds), so why not try it for yourself? Hold that thought: First, you need to understand how app monetization works. Second, you need to decide which monetization strategy will be most effective for you. There are several ways you can make money off of an app, but not all of them are going to be the best solution for your app. So, let the learning begin! How It Works If you’re looking to profit off of your app, you’ve got more options than simply charging for a download in an app store — though sometimes that’s the best method. Here are some of the most common forms of app monetization: Charging for download: As mentioned, this is the most straightforward way to monetize your app — choose a set price for a one-time download and away you go. Be sure to examine the marketplace thoroughly before you decide how much you want to charge; if there are already similar apps out there, you’ll want to make sure your price is competitive. In-app purchases: You offer your app for free, but allow the user to purchase extra features once they’re using the app — like virtual currency or in-game bonuses. This avenue works best when the in-app purchases have real value, and when the app itself has a good enough user experience to keep people coming back without those extra purchases, too Premium upgrades: You make a freemium version of the app available with the ability to upgrade to a more substantial version. The freemium has less functionality than the premium version, but it should offer enough value that users will want to pay for the full app. Advertising: You offer your app for free and rely on in-app ads to provide revenue. This model is often paired with freemium apps, with the option to remove ads once the user has paid for premium. Subscription: Like a freemium model, this method allows users to pay extra to bypass a paywall, upon which they’ll have access to the gated content. Works best for content-heavy apps, like ones for newspapers and online news sources. In order to put together the best monetization strategy, you need to base it on the factors surrounding your app. Which of the above would work best based on how your app operates? It’s important to determine your strategy before you even think of putting your app up for download. Assessing the Pros and Cons Just as there are many ways to make money from an app, there are pros and cons for each method. If the end goal is to make money while still providing an optimum user experience, then you’re going to have to find the balance between receiving a profit and not interfering with an app’s functionality. Take a free app with advertising, for example. According to SocialTimes, the pros include easily generated downloads, potential profit from marketing companies, and the ability to gather demographic data. On the flip side, cons include users finding ads to be repetitive or annoying, or the ads interfering with the app experience. Sure, you’re going to want to make money, but you don’t want to cause users to uninstall your app. Now, take the freemium model with in-app purchases. While you can leverage user engagement to help drive more purchases, you also risk losing users if they can’t move forward without paying. Likewise, with freemium apps you need to strike a balance between just enough features to make a download worthwhile, but not so many that a user doesn’t want to bother paying for the premium version. Strategize Before You Start You’re going to want to determine which pricing model best fits what your app does, or what problem it solves. You’ll have better luck with charging more if your app fills a vital consumer need, while you may struggle if you overvalue your app’s offerings, or if you give away too much for free. So long as your monetization strategy is part of your app plans from the beginning, you should be able to refine what you offer for what you charge.

We live in an interesting time in business. Large enterprise companies and corporations certainly help make the world go round, but startups are becoming more popular and common. Startups are no longer a small sect of business, but rather a formidable player in the overall business game.  As such, people with big ideas today live in one of the best eras for seeing those ideas become a reality and a profitable business venture. The big problem is - how? It can be a challenge to figure out where to start with your big idea, which is why it’s important to seek out experts who have been there and taken ideas from a dream to a success. Our friends at The Startup Garage, a San Diego based consulting company for entrepreneurs and budding startups around the world, have a few tips to get you started: Firmly See - And Be Able To Say - Your Vision You have an idea - but do you have a vision? The adage, “If you can see it, you can achieve it,” couldn’t be more applicable than in a business sense. In 5 years, where do you want to see this idea go? Perhaps you have an idea for a large business that will employ many people. Or maybe you have a tech idea that you’d like to see in the hands of users around your city, or country, or perhaps even the world. Be able to articulately define your vision. This will help get more people on board with what you have been dreaming, and enable you get the right people involved to make it a reality.  Lay Out The Milestones You are well aware there are many steps to take in order to get your idea off the ground - and frankly it can be overwhelming. This is why you need to put together a plan and take a deep breath, knowing that you don’t have to accomplish everything all at the same time. Once you have figured out your vision and are able to clearly communicate it to others, you can start to lay down the footing for the steps required to get there. Who will you want to have on your team? This will come in the team building step. How will you develop your business plan and what is required to achieve it? How much funding do you need right now to get started and how much will you need once it’s going? Sure, these are all steps that can sound daunting on the surface. However once you take the time to write out a road map for your business strategy, you will be writing out a roadmap pointed in the direction of your idea’s success.  Is Your Idea Tech Related? Get a CTO There are many times technology related ideas come to people with little to no tech background. Is this you? That is, you know what you want as an end product, but may not have a clue how to develop it. As Michael Acheatel, President and Project Manager of The Startup Garage puts it, “The biggest mistake that a non-tech entrepreneur can make when launching a tech business is to neglect bringing on a tech savvy co-founder very early on. Otherwise, it is like launching a bakery or restaurant without a chef.” Get the right cooks in the kitchen to create the right product to bring your idea to life. Nail Your Pitch Deck   Now that you have your vision well articulated, your plan in place and are working with the right people, you are ready to start production. Often times production cannot be executed without funding - after all, it takes money to make money. Some tips for how to crush it in your presentations to financial investors include: Clear definition of your business and goals. Avoid too many words - Write your main points but tell them them the details. Relevant illustrations - You aren’t there to entertain, you are there to capture attention and get results. Rough dollar amounts of what you need - Don’t leave them guessing.  Get Experts Involved There are certainly steps you can take on your own in launching your idea from a dream to a reality. But not enough can be said for working with people who have been there and executed on launching successful campaigns to earn and please VC’s and get your product developed, marketed, and out into the public. Assemble a few people you trust who can provide you with the aid you need in getting started - then start shopping for experts who can advise you on the realistic steps you need to take. As previously mentioned, one such group we recommend is The Startup Garage. This is a group of people who have come together to help people with big ideas launch successful startups. They have each either launched their own startups or helped other entrepreneurs find success in their ideas. Do you have an idea you want to make a reality? Check out The Startup Garage here, or ping us at Barefoot Solutions here and we can help you get started.

Barefoot Solutions was brought on by the team at Headfirst to build a custom web application capable of managing every aspect of a high school baseball players life as they make their way through the often confusing recruiting process. Named the College Admissions Planner (CAP), this application integrates Headfirst's extensive consulting experience into an automated system that interacts with each student to form a fully customized planner complete with reminders, insider tips, and even an application progress matrix to ensure that no detail of their athletics, academics, or applications is overlooked. From customized off-season fitness routines to parent email updates, CAP was designed to ease the minds of all those involved in a baseball athletes transition to college. Students log directly into their profiles to create, edit, and review their customized planner.  When they first log in (and at other specific intervals) the CAP application asks students a set of questions and uses their answers to build a multilayered college admissions and recruiting plan. Another important tool within the CAP application is one of Barefoot Solutions previous projects with Headfirst, the HCAT locker.  The HCAT locker is an online searchable database with articles that Headfirst's experienced team has compiled over the years to help students wade through the college admissions process. CAP was developed using the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) and offers full integration with a payment gateway as well as content management tools to make for easy updates moving forward.  Both teams at Barefoot Solutions and Headfirst are extremely excited about the potential of this application, and look forward to seeing the impact it has on the lives of aspiring athletes.