011: Mastering Mobile App Development: Ninja Techniques – Michael Chiang
Michael Chiang, an entrepreneur from Manhattan, joins The Expat Money Show to discuss app development and offers four steps to save months of effort. He specializes in pet-related apps and co-founded FitBark, a dog activity tracker available in over 125 countries. His latest venture, JoyRide, is a mobile trivia game played during Uber rides, where winning covers the ride’s cost.
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WHAT WE DISCUSSED IN THIS INTERVIEW:
- Why pivoting an idea in a new direction can make you money
- The beginning of Augmented Reality apps (AR)
- Why 200k downloads in 4 days can still be considered a failure
- Looking for problems to fix can make you a good entrepreneur
- How having the mindset of an athlete can set you up for success in business
4 KEY STEPS TO BUILDING AN APP:
- Share your idea with a trusted circle and beyond to get feedback, ensuring your concept is clear and needed in the market.
- Build a trustworthy team from your network who understands and supports your vision.
- Create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) quickly to test its viability and gather early feedback, failing fast if necessary.
- Ensure proper funding, aiming for $10-20k USD to develop and test your MVP, allowing flexibility to pivot if needed.
HOW TO FIND MICHAEL’S WORK:
- Check out PlayJoyRide.com to learn more.
- Instagram: iAmMikeChiang
- Twitter: iAmMikeChiang
BOOKS WE DISCUSS:
- Malcolm Gladwell
- Outliers: The Story of Success
- The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
- Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
- David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
- What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures
- Phil Knight (This book was also recommended by Ryan Lee, an expert on books, in Episode #8)
- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
It was fantastic having Michael on the show if you would like to get in touch with him, you can hit him up on Twitter at @iammikechiang
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About The Host, Mikkel Thorup
Mikkel Thorup; the host of The Expat Money Show, has 20+ years in continual travel around the world, visiting more than 100 countries including Colombia, North Korea, Zimbabwe and Iran.
His goal now is to help Expats just like you to generate additional streams of income, eliminate your tax bill, and take advantage of offshore structures so you can travel the world freely and never have to worry about money again.
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