You only have one chance to impress an investor. Make it count with a startup business plan by ThinkLions. We write custom plans that deliver your vision to angel investors and venture capitalists effectively.
You only have one chance to impress an investor. Make it count with a startup business plan by ThinkLions. We write custom plans that deliver your vision to angel investors and venture capitalists effectively.
You only have one chance to impress an investor. Make it count with a startup business plan by ThinkLions. We write custom plans that deliver your vision to angel investors and venture capitalists effectively.
You only have one chance to impress an investor. Make it count with a startup business plan by ThinkLions. We write custom plans that deliver your vision to angel investors and venture capitalists effectively.
Reflect Your App’s Core Features Differentiate Your Name With A Play On Words Keep It Short and Memorable Make Your App Name An Action Word Choose A Name That Is Searchable Align It With A Domain Pick The Obvious Name Connect With Your Consumer’s Emotions The Most Important App Naming Tip For most of us, our name existed even before…
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Reflect Your App’s Core Features Differentiate Your Name With A Play On Words Keep It Short and Memorable Make Your App Name An Action Word Choose A Name That Is Searchable Align It With A Domain Pick The Obvious Name Connect With Your Consumer’s Emotions The Most Important App Naming Tip For most of us, our name existed even before we did. In anticipation of our arrival, our parents went through an ultra stressful process of narrowing down dozens of potential names until they chose the perfect one. Luckily they did, because whatever your name is, it has followed you throughout your entire life; and in some cases, people may have heard of your name before they’ve ever met you. When it comes to how to name an app, it’s of similar importance as naming a child. The name of your app will follow your brand forever, and in many cases, potential users will hear the name before they ever actually use your app. Naming an app isn’t as easy as it sounds – and knowing how to name an app effectively can separate your app from other competitors. Sure, “Google” sounds cool now, but 20 years ago, who ever would have imagined that it would be a name we use every day? Now, when someone says “Google”, everyone around the world knows exactly what it means. The name overcomes language barriers, age barriers and every other barrier – no matter where you are in the world, “Google” is a name that everyone knows. But how do you come up with such a clever name for your interesting app? How do you choose a name that sticks like Google, Facebook, Twitter or Evernote? To inspire you to create a name that really represents your app, we talked to several app developers and entrepreneurs, and asked how they came up with their app names. If you’re wondering how to name an app, here are the tips you need. Need Funding For Your App Idea? Download Our FREE eBook now! Learn the expert secrets behind building successful apps that attract invertors and get funded! DOWNLOAD MY FREE EBOOK 1. Reflect Your App’s Core Features Many successful apps choose a name that describe what the app does. Just by hearing the name, you know that WeChat is a messaging app or that Netflix has something to do with video on the net. Sometimes, users will judge your app immediately based off of a first impression and without reading your app description – having a name that explains the features of your app can give you a major advantage in these cases. Brian Swanson, co-founder of Inspironto, told us the story about how his founding team came up with the name for their app, QuestionAir: “We were talking about how fast the app sends questions from the poll manager’s iOS device to the respondent’s smartphones (because it doesn’t depend on backend servers). Someone said it felt like we were sending questions through the air…
Why You Should Launch In Detroit Who’s Leading The Detroit Tech Startup Scene? Is Detroit Right For Your Startup? A decade or so ago, nobody could really tell where Detroit was heading. A major shifting in the automotive industry left the Motor City in confused state, and the effects of the recession were evident in every part of the city. Foreclosures on homes and commercial properties became an everyday occurance, leaving a path of abandonment that was felt by those in the city – and even those in the surrounding metro area. Times were troubling and the future looked bleak. Many wouldn’t have predicted that the city known for its automotive manufacturing would break one day breakout as Detroit Startup City. When everyone was packing up and leaving the city in droves, no one would have guessed that it would one day be a place where investors flock to invest hundreds of millions of dollars, or that it would one day be a hub of new tech innovations. Detroit startups are driving the city forward, and if you’ve chosen Detroit as the headquarters for your tech startup – you’ve chosen the right place. Need Funding For Your App Idea? Download Our FREE eBook now! Learn the expert secrets behind building successful apps that attract invertors and get funded! DOWNLOAD MY FREE EBOOK Why You Should Launch In Detroit For us at ThinkLions, there is nothing that makes us prouder than serving Detroit startups. While our business plan writers and app developers have served clients around the world, there’s always something special about working with awesome entrepreneurs right in our city. Amazing things are taking place in Detroit, startups everywhere are taking notice – and we love being a part of that. Why are so many startups now migrating to the Motor City? The simple answer is – because Detroit startups are smart and they see the many advantages to launching and operating here. With a seemingly endless number of benefits, there is major value in being a part of the Detroit startup scene. Some of the major advantages to launching your tech startup in Detroit include: Office Space is Cheaper: In most metro areas, office space can be ridiculously expensive; and for a startup, rent can be one of their largest fixed expenses. Detroit startups however, are able to access cheaper office space than most metro areas around the nation. Although rent prices are on the incline in recent years, there is still plenty of vacant office space all throughout Detroit where rent is super affordable for a new startup. Not ready to take on a full office space of your own? Maybe you’d be interested in joining one of the many many co-op and shared workspaces like Bamboo, WeWork, Regus or SpaceLab. There are also several startup and app incubators that you can join to help move your startup forward like SPARK (nearby Ann Arbor) and Techstars Mobility. It’s Where The Investors Are: Ever since Cleveland Cavaliers’ owner Dan…
Why Dating Apps Suck Coming Up With A Dating App Concept Proving The Demand Creating A Buzz Finding The Right Developers There was a time where it was uncommon, and even a bit weird, to say, “I met a great guy/girl online!” In some cases, meeting someone online even seemed a bit taboo. To stir the pot even more, at some point someone figured out how to create a dating app for smartphones – and finding love moved from online to the palm of our hands. Today, online and mobile dating is a natural part of our culture. According to The Knot,online dating is now the most common way of meeting for engaged couples. But let’s face it, there are almost as many dating apps on the market as there are daters; and out of all of them, only a handful are able to secure more than a couple thousand users. If you’re looking to launch a startup in the mobile dating sector, I’ll be honest… you’re facing a tough challenge. There’s a very thin line between great dating apps and cheesy dating apps, and a disappointing ratio of dating apps that succeed to those that don’t. The good news is, if you know how to create a dating app startup the right way – you can drastically minimize your risk of failure. There will be a next greatest dating app, will you be the one to create it? In this article, we’ll explain what you need to know about creating and developing a dating app, and specifically, we’re going to explore exactly how to create a dating app that doesn’t suck. Need Funding For Your App Idea? Download Our FREE eBook now! Learn the expert secrets behind building successful apps that attract invertors and get funded! DOWNLOAD MY FREE EBOOK Why Dating Apps Suck First, let’s clear something up – not ALL dating apps suck, just most of them. Also, not all of them suck for the same reason. There are some apps out there that have millions and millions of users, like Tinder and Bumble. Some others serve super niche markets, and may have a smaller but still significant user base; like Bristlr, the dating app for beard lovers, which has around 150,000 users. If there are millions of mobile daters out there, why do so many dating app startups fail? Simple… because they suck, and here’s three reasons why: User Goals: Most dating app entrepreneurs don’t actually know what their intended user really wants – and if you don’t know what they want, you’ll never know how to build a dating app that meets their need. What does it mean to date? Does this mean someone is looking to date a bunch of different people and enjoy their single life – or that they are dating to hopefully find a special someone? Dating apps are easily accessible and often used by a wide variety of daters with conflicting goals. Some users may be looking for a whole life…
Blockchain: A Simple Introduction Could These Blockchain Startups Change The World? What’s Next For These Blockchain Startups? No matter what you feel about all the new talk of blockchain and cryptocurrency, there’s no denying the facts. Blockchain technology – and the first moving blockchain startups that are introducing it – is going to be huge. The projected value of the industry is extreme. New reports by the Market Report Center estimates that the global blockchain market will grow to a $60 billion industry, up from the measly $300 million industry it was in 2015. With huge projections come huge investments. This year alone, blockchain startups have already raised over $1.3 billion to bring their ideas to the masses. Big VC investment means the ability to introduce new technology quickly. While many only know blockchain as the technology behind Bitcoin, blockchain companies are now set to disrupt over 42 big-time industries including real estate, healthcare, internet advertising and more. All facts considered, it’s no wonder that many blockchain technology advocates are claiming it to be the next big thing since the internet. Before we introduce several blockchain startups that may just change the world, we’ll explore the concept of blockchain, the process behind it, and figure out why it’s such a big deal. Need Funding For Your App Idea? Download Our FREE eBook now! Learn the expert secrets behind building successful apps that attract invertors and get funded! DOWNLOAD MY FREE EBOOK Blockchain: A Simple Introduction Blockchain can be extremely complex, and it could take years to really learn everything there is to know. Let’s not make things more complicated than they need to be – here’s a simple explanation. A blockchain, like the name implies, is simply a chain of digital blocks that contain specific data. Each one of these blocks include the following three elements: Specified Information: This can be any mix of specified information that is needed to suit the requirements of the blockchain. For example,in a Bitcoin blockchain, a block stores important information such as sender name, receiver name and the amount transferred. Hash Code: A hash code is a unique code that identifies a specific block within a blockchain. Like fingerprints, each hashcode is completely unique; no two are the same and each has its own individual identity. Hash Code of Previous Blocks: Each block also holds the hash code of the previous block attached to it. This is how a chain is linked and formed in a blockchain. This structure of organizing and storing data is what makes blockchain so secure, so flexible, and so different than other technological advances that have preceded it. The interesting part of a blockchain is that it isn’t managed by a single person or organization. Instead, blockchains are distributed in a P2P network that anyone can join. Once a user joins a network, they receive a full copy of the blockchain. This means that on a P2P network like the Internet, there are millions of identical copies of blockchain…
Do You Have The Right Idea? What Will Stop You From Succeeding? Is Your App Really That Different? Is Your App Scalable? What Is App Success, Really? App Success Stories – Will You Be Next? As app entrepreneurs, we each have our own idea of what a “successful app” is. For some, the first 10,000 users is a milestone of app success, while for others, just getting one user to download the app would be considered a major accomplishment. There are so many amazing app success stories out there, and we all believe that if we could just get our idea developed, we’d find app success too. Unfortunately, many app entrepreneurs won’t have a success story to share when all is said and done. App startups fail everyday, and some apps that once had thousands of users now struggle to survive. Developing an app, getting users to download and actually use it, and retaining that position for the long run has proven to be a rather difficult undertaking – too difficult for most. As it seems, what may look like a smooth journey on the pages of your mobile app business plan will probably be quite the bumpy road in actual execution. App success stories aren’t overnight successes, they overcome many hurdles along the way. Most app ideas will never become an actual app, and most apps will never even have a glimmer of hope in competing with more dominant apps within their industry. Many startup teams who once aspired to be on the list of app success stories will only become a short story. Ranging from bad app ideas to a lack of commitment, there are several factors that prevent 95% of app entrepreneurs from reaching their app success goals. We recently spoke to several app startup founders about their app success stories to give you some mobile app inspiration and find out what it takes to become an app store success. Need Funding For Your App Idea? Download Our FREE eBook now! Learn the expert secrets behind building successful apps that attract invertors and get funded! DOWNLOAD MY FREE EBOOK Do You Have The Right Idea? Ask any successful app startup founder (or any entrepreneur for that matter) and they will tell you that app ideas are truly a dime a dozen. However, you need to have a solid app idea in place before you can execute it and introduce it to consumers. Successful apps don’t just ‘exist’, and users don’t download them just because they are in the App Store. Startups that become “app success stories” solve problems and attract users who are facing that specific problem and seeking a solution. There are entrepreneurs making millions from apps, because the platforms that they have built solve millions of problems each and every day. Steven Benson, founder of Badger Maps, found that a problem existed while working in his industry. Steven told us, “My career has been spent in field sales, and so I understood the challenges faced by field sales people first hand…” Some say that success is the result of what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Sometimes, when you…
App Idea to Reality – Taking The First Step For a new app startup entrepreneur, bringing an app idea to reality can seem like a monstrous undertaking. Let’s be fair, it is. Transforming an app idea into a great piece of mobile software is difficult; it’s three times as expensive as you thought it would be and takes twice as long to launch. It takes time, energy and effort; blood, sweat and tears. The light at the end of the tunnel is, as difficult as it may seem, it’s doable. In fact, it’s so doable that hundreds of thousands of regular people (just like you) have launched their app ideas to the public. If they can do it, so can you. To give you some inspiration as you take the first step into building your app, we asked 10 app entrepreneurs how they brought their app ideas to reality. Here’s what they had to say. Need Funding For Your App Idea? Download Our FREE eBook now! Learn the expert secrets behind building successful apps that attract invertors and get funded! DOWNLOAD MY FREE EBOOK Chris Kane Founder of, MunchMoney Finding The App Idea I’ve always been an entrepreneurial person in many ways. Growing up that was always clear to me. After I graduated from college, I began my career in the hedge fund industry without any clear direction of where I wanted to go long-term. Over time, I increasingly became unhappy and began looking for alternatives. It was at this point that my entrepreneurial spirit took hold. I came up with several business ideas. One day, as I was getting money out of my wallet to go to Chipotle for lunch, I thought, “Man, I really miss my college meal plan.” With some inspiration from the Virginia Tech meal plan system, the initial idea for MunchMoney was born. Funding a Minimal Viable Product MunchMoney is currently bootstrapped by its founders; mainly using savings from full-time jobs while the idea was still in development. Advice for Bringing an App Idea to Reality Simply, you don’t know what you don’t know. There are so many intricacies around startups/apps that it can be overwhelming. Start by becoming familiar with launching apps by reading books such as How to Build a Billion Dollar App by George Berkowski), taking online courses, and attending industry/networking events. Furthermore: Just Ask. People are always willing to help if you are a kind and genuine person who is sincerely willing to ask for help. Self-awareness. Know what you are good at and what you are not, and then, surround yourself with people who can fill in the gaps. Estee Goldschmidt Co-founder of, ShopDrop App Finding the App Idea ShopDrop is an app that aggregates information about every sample sale in one single location. The concept was simple: there are over 50 weekly events where designers put up their excess inventory for 60%-90% off, and yet finding out about those events is laborious and requires knowing people in the industry;…
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