Mobile apps are becoming more advanced, they take on so much, and now they can be called excellent tools for running a business.

A small selection of 10 iOS applications that are useful for entrepreneurs:

1. Evernote

This is a great application for creating and storing various notes. Every day you are faced with many problems and tasks that require your solution. Evernote will help you create work environment in the form of to-do lists and goals, and will also save the articles you need and save photos and scans. It accumulates all the important information in one place, and its powerful search allows you to quickly find what you need. An important feature is that the application allows you to organize joint work on notes. It really puts life in order, verified!

2. Microsoft Excel

Good old Excel looks even better on your glamorous iPad than on your laptop screen. And how convenient it is to work with tables with a light touch of your fingers - the work goes much faster! The application has all the usual functions: viewing and editing tables, calculations using formulas (there is a special convenient keyboard for them). It's easy to make information clearer by using various graphs, charts and filters. Synchronization will allow you to continue working with a document from where you left off last time - no matter what device you open it on.

3.Keynote

Your presentations will never be boring, because this mobile application can make graphics and transitions animated. Presenting your presentation is easy with a video dubbing feature that makes your slides visible on the big screen. By using Keynote presentations turn out amazing (you can even say: AMAZING) - the application designers did their best. In addition, the app allows you to take notes on presentations that are only visible on your device - this will allow you to make notes for yourself.

4.Due

With this app you will never forget an important meeting, it will make sure that your day goes as planned. The app can be used as a timer - no need to keep an eye on the clock. The auto-repeat feature will trigger your reminders until you mark the task as completed - that's the task manager for you.

5.SignEasy

This useful application will allow you to forget about the endless stacks of documents on your desk and give you the opportunity to put your scanner and fax in the far corner. Let's make three simple steps: open the document sent by email in the application, sign it with your finger or stylus (you can also write any additional text), and send it back. The application has been rated by users from more than 100 countries. Take care of trees, don't use paper!

6. Omnifocus

This is a task manager. Everything is with him important information will always be at hand. The application's interface is pleasant and clear, it makes it easy to save interesting applications you come across, sending a link to them by email in one motion - no more copying links manually. Creating tasks is also easy - just send the letter back to the server - and now it is already in the application with all attachments. Tasks can be displayed as a calendar.

7. ConsultantPlus

A well-read lawyer in your pocket. A clear structure will allow you not to get lost in the world of codes and laws. Quick search will allow you to find required document in a matter of seconds. Just don’t forget to update the app regularly: legislators are also working on laws.

8. Todo Cloud

A planner that is famous for its to-do lists. Lists can be viewed and edited together with colleagues, then run errands and much more. The app will remind you of required tasks when you are near the location associated with that task thanks to its location feature. In addition, you can associate a specific person from your contact book with your task, so you don't have to go into it additionally to make a call when needed. The context function will allow you to successfully sort tasks and organize your affairs. It would seem that there is nothing new in terms of functions - but all together it is very convenient.

9. Humin

It will put your phone contacts in order. You don't need to write anything, Humin will record where and when you met a certain person. This is your personal secretary (in addition to a personal lawyer from ConsultantPlus). The application stores call history and has various sorting settings.

10. Book of Debts

This application will be needed by those who borrow or lend. The interface is very simple: “Give” or “Take”, and then you need to specify the amount. The debt can be cleared by simply swiping across the screen. Now you will sleep peacefully - after all, everything is written down in the Book of Debts! Although, of course, your sleep will be more peaceful if you have no debts and no one owes you anything.

These apps will allow you to be organized and productive anytime, anywhere, and save on the cost of a lawyer and secretary. But remember - these are only auxiliary tools, do not forget to act...

Do these apps help you, or are you using others? If you are interested, we will continue the review of iOS applications, and will also make a separate selection for Android.

Adventures of an effective person: I forgot to enter “take a leak before leaving” in my fancy task manager, I had to piss myself at a meeting.

Let's figure out how to create a mobile application for your business from scratch, how much you will have to pay for it and why it is even needed.

You will learn:

• When a business needs a mobile application.
• What problems can be solved using a mobile application.
• How to compose detailed business plan project.
• What is the cost of developing an application?

The number of mobile traffic users in 2018 outstripped laptop users. Experts believe that this trend will continue in the future. Therefore, it will be more effective to use a mobile application.

When and why is a mobile application needed?

Despite the fact that mobile traffic is increasing every year, this does not mean that any company should create its own mobile application. It is important to understand when and why it is needed. To assess the need to develop a mobile application, you should define your goals and understand how it can improve your business. Typically, a mobile application aims to improve the level of service and increase sales.

Below, consider the global goals that the company pursues when developing its mobile application.

Difference from competitors

Using a mobile application, your company can make a unique selling proposition to customers.

Example. Uber was the first taxi ordering service to abandon the traditional service system. A world-famous company developed and implemented a mobile application where people could order a taxi without long conversations with the operator. Other features have also been introduced into the functionality of the application. Thus, Uber distanced itself from its competitors, which largely ensured the company's success in the market.

In relation to any business, you can make a qualitative difference from competitors by developing a mobile application. You just need to do this very carefully, focusing on the needs of your target audience and service features in your field of activity. If you can make the application breakthrough, then this will give you a huge advantage in competition for clients.

Product selection

Also, a mobile application can simplify the process of selecting and ordering products. This concept is very popular for stores with a large assortment. A person does not need to load the site and search for directories manually. It will be much more convenient to open the application and find everything you need in one place with minimum requirements to Internet traffic speed. You can also add an ordering function to this application. A similar service is also used for specialized message boards, for example, Yula, Drom.ru.

If you have a product that has a wide range of, then it would be more appropriate to create a mobile application. This will make the work of your managers easier and will lead to process automation order, and will also make the customer’s interaction with your brand simple and convenient.

Loyalty program

In this case, using a mobile application only as a business tool to increase customer loyalty it is inappropriate to use. You can do this using ready-made applications, just by connecting to them. But if you plan to scale your business and keep customer loyalty as much as possible under control, then it’s worth considering this goal.

For example, a mobile application was introduced for one of the Moscow restaurant chains. Using this service, you could monitor your savings accounts and participation in loyalty programs. You can also reserve tables and view the menu. The management considered the use of an application for such functionality to be redundant; it was decided to use the application to send push notifications about new promotions and invite people to events.

Work organization

The mobile application can be used as a system for organizing the work of employees. This is especially true in large companies with a large number of employees, when the company has a partner network, franchisees in other regions, etc. In such an application you can conduct organizational issues and other functionality suitable for your business.

An employee in the application has his own personal account, where he sees the necessary information, communicates with other participants in the application, and also leaves data on orders, acceptance or sales of goods. This is not only convenient, but also in a good way standardize intra-organizational processes employee interaction .

Additional service

This kind of application has great strategic importance. The mobile service is, as it were, additional and not directly stimulates sales growth, does not improve service. He can solve minor problems of clients or entertain them.

For example, a clothing store could make an app in which you generate trends or act as an online stylist. The application can analyze this data and then make personalized offers to you, and based on this you can increase or decrease the assortment. The service can provide great strategic advantages in the future.

iBuildApp service for creating a mobile application: instructions

iBuildApp is a mobile application builder. The project was launched in 2010 in the USA, and a Russian-language version appeared in 2013. With iBuildApp it's easy to create a template mobile application for a small business, be it a cafe or a small online store. The service will be useful and individual entrepreneurs who present a portfolio or catalog to clients.

Editorial electronic journal « Commercial Director» tells how to work with this service for creating mobile applications. 
 Read detailed instructions

in the article and create the perfect application that will attract customers.

Mobile application business plan

The business model of a mobile application differs from the business plan of regular projects. Next, we will consider in detail all the parts that should comprise a competent business plan for a mobile application for business.

Summary of the plan This section contains an introduction and prerequisites for the project to find its implementation. Here it is necessary to provide calculations of the market volume, budget efficiency

Also in the summary you should predict the possible consequences of the implementation and implementation of the project, indicate the responsible persons and initiators of the project, approve rough plan carrying out work.

It also describes the market situation at the time of creating the business plan, prospects for further development and other data.

Technology overview

In this section it is necessary to write down everything related to the information and technological content used. The business plan should make it clear where the data is and will be stored and how its security is ensured.

It is necessary to formulate separately competitive advantages project, as well as its features. Describe the qualitative and quantitative differences between your mobile application and those available on the market.

In the section on data, it would be useful to mention the uploading of information and ways of providing it to clients. It is necessary to describe in detail the situation at the time of drawing up the business plan.

Marketing section

Here you need to formulate in as much detail as possible everything that concerns the consumer and product promotion On the market. The profiles of the client, the ordinary user and the professional client must be indicated. Prices for the application must be formulated and justified.

Based on the characteristics of the future mobile application, it is necessary to narrow the target audience of users as much as possible and approve the dominant business model of the mobile application.

This section also contains an analysis of the cost of promotion using information from individuals and professional audiences. These could be popular bloggers or Internet resources on relevant topics. As in traditional marketing plan, in this case, a media promotion plan is drawn up on selected platforms.

Financial section

The financial section includes investment in the project, operational requirements, and a detailed financial plan.

It should be clear from the plan how much investment is needed to launch the project at each stage. Everything must be justified, and appropriate calculations of investment needs must be made.

The operational part of the section should take into account the entire expenditure part, possible assumptions and deviations in the calculations. The revenue part of the project must also be designed.

The financial plan should include a general analysis of the attractiveness of the mobile application with calculations of the return on investment. Movement forecasts should be created using the method of mathematical modeling Money, analysis of the financial sensitivity of the project.

How much does it cost to develop a mobile application for business?

The basis for determining the cost of a project is the number of hours that developers will spend creating the application. It is impossible to accurately name the number of times, but during the assessment process this value can be brought closer to the real one in the following directions:

• The most expensive parts of the application.
• What operating systems and devices will be supported.

The number of hours it will take to develop is fundamental when calculating the cost of completing a project. Developers multiply the employee’s rate by the time worked.

The final cost of developing a mobile application will be influenced by the structure and composition of the project, and the presence of a large number of art directors. Ideally, you need to minimize all organizational and management costs to a minimum. You should also take into account that in the future, developers can provide you with analytics, improvement and testing services for the application, which is also a necessity.

Let's take a closer look at what affects the final cost of the project.

Cost of components

When calculating the cost, not only the technical complexity of the work performed is taken into account, but also the required volume. The most expensive components in an application are the screens and actions in the application. Displaying data in a mobile application is more difficult, since the display is smaller than Web page. The designer creates a layout of what the application will look like, and the programmer designs and writes the program code. The peculiarity of the code is that you need to specify the requirements for the API.

Data means any information that will be visible to the user: text, graphics, numbers, photographs, animation, etc. The complexity of the data and the dynamics of its work depend on the labor costs for development.

Also, the cost of development is affected by backend solutions, that is, information hidden from the user and the complexity of program codes. This includes synchronization with the server system, working with client data in accordance with API requirements. An important element is the administrative panel, which is used to manage user personal accounts. Here you can design everything anew, according to your taste and style, or you can use standardized solutions.

The final cost of the project is affected by the number of user types. For example, in the Uber app there are 2 of them: a passenger and a driver. For each type of user, you need to program your own logical algorithm and layout the pages.

The use of various hardware equipment also has an impact: Bluetooth sensor, barometers and gyroscopes, heart rate sensors and accelerometers. Each type of hardware must be thoroughly tested and optimal ways of interaction must be found. In addition to internal equipment, when developing an application, synchronization with external devices can be configured.

Recently, applications with augmented reality and facial capture have become popular. Setting up and connecting these options can be expensive even if the application only has one home screen.

Any integrations, even the smallest and most insignificant ones, affect the number of development hours and the final cost of the project.

What devices and OS will be supported?

The final price of application development is influenced by its optimization for iOS and/or Android. If you are developing for the first OS, then this practically doubles the cost of production. Separately, fragmenting application components for iOS costs about a quarter more than for Android.

Your mobile application should be adapted not only to the newest version software Apple, but also common previous versions. In 2018, in order to capture the maximum number of iPhone users, it is necessary to optimize the application for versions starting from 8.0. To optimize for the Android operating system, you need to make the application from version 4.4 to 8.2.

Adaptation for tablets can also significantly add to the cost of project implementation. We advise you to determine a list of the most popular operating systems and adapt the application for them. This will be enough to capture the majority target clients .

Also, adaptation to devices and OS implies how design elements and layout will be adapted. After all, within operating systems there are certain guides according to which development can be carried out. To do something of your own, you need to discover it experimentally. In fact, this is a colossal amount of work. To make your application customized just for you, you need to spend a lot of money. Following the instructions from iOS and Android, your application will be limited, but you will save a lot of money.

Conclusion

For many types of businesses, a mobile application has become a common tool for communication and interaction with clients. Therefore, every manager at a certain stage of business development needs to raise the question of the feasibility of developing such an application.

To do this, you need to know exactly when and why the application will be developed. It is also worth studying all the costing issues and correctly allocating the budget so that in fact you get an effective and competitive application. All this should be preceded by a competent business plan for the project.

* The calculations use average data for Russia

Interview with an entrepreneur:

With my own experience of opening my own “from scratch” successful business on mobile applications Entrepreneur Evgeniy Ponomarenkov will share with us.

Evgeniy, tell us about your business. Are there any differences between running a mobile app business and others?

I've only been in the mobile business for a year. I realized in time that it was worth moving in this direction. In my city, no one had yet worked on mobile applications, and I became, one might say, a pioneer in the market. And I still have no serious competitors.

Business on mobile applications differs from the usual one primarily in that the entry threshold is extremely low. In addition, you don’t need any equipment at all, you don’t need a large staff, you don’t need to rent premises... This is a virtual business, in a new modern format. If you like, this is the business of the future. And no other type of business can compare with it in terms of ease of implementation and minimal costs.

Still, business is serious. Not everyone decides to just take it and open their own business. What could you say to those who are just dreaming about it?

Yes, that's right. Almost everyone, probably in this life, at least once thought about opening own business, but few people end up opening it. And even fewer people then remain afloat. The “area of ​​ignorance” is too large, because, in fact, this is not taught anywhere. The market is developing too quickly, and no one educational institution unable to provide real, non-outdated knowledge.

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And here again business on mobile applications has an advantage. If you buy a franchise, you receive a full set of all the necessary tools: marketing materials, a business plan, a ready-made website, a designer for creating mobile applications, business development training, consultations.

That is, you are no longer tormented by doubts about how and what to do. You are not left alone with your problems. There is a clear scheme, a plan for your movement. Therefore, even absolute beginners in business can use mobile applications.

And at one time I did exactly that. Before that, I had little experience - I ran a small store, but had to close due to unprofitability.

How did you come up with the idea of ​​starting this particular business?

I often travel abroad and always keep an eye on what is happening there. Still, we are still a couple of decades behind them in terms of technology development. I saw a very promising niche and I wanted to do it here in Russia.

I saw a huge need for mobile applications. After all, we can no longer imagine our lives without mobile phones. And a business that doesn't take this into account simply won't be able to stay afloat. And by purchasing a franchise, I solve this problem - I help various enterprises create your mobile applications using a very simple designer.

What are the difficulties in initial stages business you are faced with?

As I say, we are a little behind the West. People don't yet fully understand the capabilities of applications. They don’t see the future, they don’t understand the prospects. And now I’m not talking about ordinary people, I mean businessmen. Introducing something new is always worth the effort.

Ready ideas for your business

Therefore, I had to tell and show a lot, and meet with clients a lot. Being first to market is great, but it takes time for people to realize these new opportunities and want them. Essentially I had to implement new idea to the masses, and this process is not yet completed.

Here, of course, it is very easy to “merge” at the first stage. People don't know what apps are, why they are needed, or how they can help them. It's great when you can show a demo version right away - it always has an amazing effect. It’s one thing to try to explain something on your fingers, and quite another to show it live on a mobile phone.

Human consciousness resists change. Many companies don’t even have a website and don’t want one. They don't understand the value of internet marketing. It is almost useless to talk to such people. You can't prove anything to them.

Why, exactly, are these mobile applications needed, and who are they for?

Mobile applications increase company income and make business more efficient.

Well, for example, I make mobile applications for restaurants.

Ready ideas for your business

A person who has downloaded such an application will be able to order any dishes from this restaurant to their home in a couple of clicks. Get a discount. Find out when the restaurant is running a promotion. See the route to the establishment on the map to make it easier to get there.

That is, the restaurant client receives a convenient and useful service. This means that he becomes a loyal customer who will definitely talk about it and attract even more customers to the restaurant.

Mobile technologies are developing extremely quickly and are already ahead of personal computers in many respects. If a businessman wants to provide himself with the fastest communication channel with his customers, then mobile applications will help do this.

However, the businessman himself will not be able and will not want to bother with the creation of such applications. And my task is to solve this problem. I make applications for a specific company and then charge a monthly service fee.

We are transferring more and more functions and work from a computer to a tablet or smartphone. And we do this not under the influence of fashion, but because it is convenient and practical, saves time and increases efficiency in general. Every day the range of mobile applications is growing and expanding, making our daily life. Increasingly, we use our phones or tablets to view email, work with documents, plan meetings and our own affairs, communicate with colleagues, and so on.

Ready ideas for your business

A company that creates a mobile application for its business will actually bind the client to itself. Will always be in touch, at hand.

According to your estimates, what is the minimum amount with which you can start this business today? What equipment will be needed?

Perhaps this is the minimum entry threshold. Buying a franchise costs 50-100 thousand rubles, plus payment for registering the application on Google Play or App Store(up to $100 per year). Of course, you also need a computer and Internet access.

That's all, actually. What other business can match this accessibility? At the same time, the payback is incredibly high, even if you make the bare minimum of body movements.

Do you need any specialized knowledge or skills to open such a business?

I’ll be honest, I didn’t have programming skills in IT technologies, but here’s what was good - in addition to the business itself in the box, I was also provided with detailed training with video materials, which clearly showed how to create applications on the platform.

There is also an extensive Knowledge Base in which you can find answers to almost any question about working with the service. This Database is constantly supplemented and updated.

In addition, when I had questions, I simply called technical support and received an answer. I admit, it is very convenient. No one advised my first business, and I simply did not have enough knowledge. And here there is constant help, and trainings are also held regularly.

In short, I quickly figured out the application designer and created my first application. I liked it: something on computer game Seems like).

Are there any additional administrative requirements (for premises, experience of specialists, etc.)?

Basically, you don't need any of this at all. Your office is on the Internet. You are working with the mobile application designer on your computer. You don't need an office or employees. Then, if you want to expand, you will need an assistant, plus a sales manager, but it’s quite possible to handle it yourself.

However, you can immediately hire an assistant. This will stimulate you - additional responsibility also disciplines. The assistant will be able to take 90% of the routine off your hands and free up your time.

At first, I was interested in understanding the designer, but when I designed my 20th application, it became a chore. Clients ask the same questions and ask for endless adjustments. Everything needs to be agreed upon, discussed, and controlled for the hundredth time. So I hired an employee and my turnover immediately increased. And my interest in business did not fade; I was already getting additional drive from closing deals.

And my advice to you is to have a couple of assistants on hand. At least potential ones. Don't do everything yourself, it's very bad for business.

Your employee can sell for you, draw up and send documents, look for clients, work with freelancers, carry out service control, make cold calls, and support the website.

And without delegating your work, you will never rise and will not be able to scale your business. You should be above the business, not in it.

Another tip - while you're just starting out, you don't pay anyone anything. You take a person on probation. You give him the task of finding you an order. If he finds it, you take it, and you have something to pay your salary from. If you can't cope, you hire the next one. Be prudent, otherwise you will not see success. At the same time, learn how to fire people. There is no way without this. And people will work better knowing they are not the only ones.

The task of an entrepreneur is to organize the process, and not to do everything himself.

What can you save on and what should you not save on?

You can try to register the application yourself and not pay specialists. However, both Android and iOS applications have a lot of specific requirements, and it’s not so easy to figure them out right away. So I don’t recommend saving here. You'll just waste time.

Well, you can save on employees. As I already said, at first this is possible. But again, if you want to develop quickly, it is better to hire an assistant and pay your salary upon completion of tasks. But not in advance.

How long did it take you to recoup your initial investment? What are the prospects for this business?

The investment pays off within the first month. Amazing, right? Income from 35 to 70 thousand rubles for each application created! In addition, you receive a monthly subscription fee for the maintenance of all created mobile applications.

You can also charge for consultations, for help, for promotion of a mobile application.

What can you say about the competition in this business?

There are practically no competitors. Only provides the maximum functional range in this area. Gives clients the maximum possible. But the need for mobile applications is simply colossal. Even in large cities, more than 95% of businesses remain unreached. They need mobile applications for development, to strengthen their business, but practically no one offers them such a service.

So you don’t have to be afraid of competition in this type of business for at least another couple of years!

Based on your experience, what advice would you give to those who are just planning to start this business?

As the wise saying goes, if you try to talk to everyone at the same time, you will not talk to anyone. Determine some kind of work specific niche(area) and focus your marketing efforts there. In Russia, as elsewhere, there are a lot of types of small businesses, which in fact turned out to be very profitable clients for mobile application developers (for example, restaurants, law firms, real estate agencies, and many others). Select suitable area and focus on it, and then your efforts will be rewarded.

In addition, you need to constantly pump yourself up, always be up to speed. And don’t reinvent the wheel, don’t invent new methods - everything has already been tested a long time ago, and several really working methods have been developed. You don't want a prize for originality, you want profit. So take advantage of other people’s successful experiences for your health.

And constantly learn. You can’t study something and stop there. And he constantly conducts training - gives the latest developments in world trends. It's very cool and incredibly stimulating.

Our world is changing, and the rules of doing business are also changing. Today to start successfully new business or scale an existing one, you need to play completely differently than before. Conditions have become different: buyers are more sophisticated, sales methods are more complex. Now, when we need something, we increasingly turn to the Internet.

Today's realities are such that our whole life is gradually moving into the virtual world. Here people make acquaintances, organize events, make deals, buy goods and much more. Modern business It’s hard to imagine without this Internet activity. The same online purchases have become as commonplace as going to the supermarket used to be. It is convenient, practical, economical. Today, in order to promote a consumer-oriented business, we must not forget about this important side of life. Most often now a person accesses the Internet from a mobile device. Therefore, in this article we will talk about mobile applications for business.

Mobile applications: for whom and why?

Of course, we do not claim that every business niche without exception needs this. But there are certain areas where apps are for mobile devices help increase customer loyalty and sales. Among them:

• Tourism (search for hotels, resorts, booking tickets, interactive maps)
• Medicine (online appointment with a doctor, list of services and price list, calling a doctor at home)
• Car business (rental, car wash, dealer networks)
• Restaurants, cafes and other catering establishments (promotions, menus, delivery orders)
• Beauty industry (appointment with specialists, interactive price list, information about services)
• Delivery services and stores (product catalogs, ordering, price list)
• Services sector
• Fitness (class schedule, prices, online registration, reviews)
• Leisure (maps, online ticket requests, rooms, tables, etc.)

Before ordering the development of a mobile application for your business, calculate whether this step will give the expected effect. If your company can really increase sales of goods or services in this way, look for a good performer. But don't just chase fashion. After all, just as a mobile application helps a business, it may not give anything in return. It all depends on your field of activity and the quality of the application.

Ask yourself a few questions:

• What purpose will the application serve?
• Will your target audience be interested in it and use it? After all, products for pensioners are hardly worth advertising in this way.
• Will the costs be worth it?

Business Applications

We figured out whether mobile applications are needed for certain areas of activity. But we can’t help but mention what tools on mobile gadgets help run a business and simplify many everyday tasks. Even if you find out that in your entrepreneurial niche there is no need to develop your own mobile app, programs created by others can make your work more convenient. So, we'll move on to the top business apps for your phone.

• Weekdone. Do you have a small company with a certain staff of employees and would you like to receive employee reports on the work done once a week, for example? Then this application is for you. Moreover, it is completely free. You create your account, register your employees, and they receive a weekly reminder to submit the report. The form is standard: progress over this time period, presence of problems, plans for next stage. The report is formatted in a convenient structure and sent to you directly in the application or by email. These reports can be forwarded to other interested parties if desired.

• Signeasy. So to speak, this is your online signature. And in our time a very useful tool. You can sign documents directly from your mobile phone. The application itself appeared in mobile markets quite recently. How it works? You are importing required document into the application from any service, sign with a stylus or your own hand, and send the document to its destination. This useful application supports a large number of formats, also allows you to insert logos and seals, fill in the remaining empty fields, etc.

• Booking. This application will be useful for people who often go on business trips. Because it is an online hotel booking service. The application has easy navigation, many useful functions, and the ability to book or add your favorite places to your wish list “for the future.” The service is convenient because you can quickly find accommodation that is suitable for price, location and comfort, be it a hotel, motel, apartment or hostel.

• Camscanner. A convenient application in case you urgently need to scan a document but don’t have a scanner at hand. Need to make edits to the printed version? Send it to someone e-mail? Nothing could be easier with Camscanner. All you need is your phone with a camera.

• Flow. This is a very convenient software for business. Are you faced with the need to constantly set work tasks? Now it becomes much more convenient to monitor their implementation, indicate deadlines and resolve many other issues.

Flow

• Zite. Do you want to keep abreast of the latest events, but at the same time not scroll through long feeds with information that is not interesting to you? This simple application allows you to select news that suits your interests. Only what you need, nothing extra. To further personalize the selection, the user has the opportunity to mark favorite articles and their authors.

Zite

• LinkedIn. Of course, everyone knows about this social network for work. And if you have a profile there and want to constantly be up to date with events, do not forget to install a separate application on your smartphone. It is ideally adapted for mobile gadgets.

• Google Drive. A useful set of tools for working with documents. This is a convenient cloud storage with integration with by mailbox. It is possible to configure offline access for individual files so you can work with them at any time. You can also create text documents or tables here.

• MyScript Calculator. This is a salvation for those who, due to their line of work, often face the need to carry out complex calculations. Especially if it concerns financial sector: formulas for calculating taxes, profits, etc. In this application you can write a mathematical calculation of any level of complexity and immediately get an accurate answer.

• Wrike. An excellent and completely free collaboration app and effective management projects different levels. The service provides its users with a comfortable online environment in which they can plan tasks, prioritize goals, track task schedules, and work on projects. Facilitates labor accounting and overall work planning.

Wrike

As you can see, today mobile applications for business help solve many small and even large everyday tasks. At a time when a significant part of everyday and entrepreneurial activity goes into the virtual world, mobile phone or tablet become faithful assistants and working tools.

Maxim Voloshin has been working with mobile applications since 2008. It was that year that the first iPhone fell into Maxim’s hands.

Maxim and his friends liked the phone and its capabilities so much that they decided to try developing applications for the Apple App Store. At that moment, the store was practically empty and the first money was not long in coming - in four months the simplest IQ Test for iPhone brought the guys 4 thousand dollars.

Afterwards, several games were released, but then the App Store was filled with large players who were willing to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in game development, and Redmadrobot began to look for new niches for business. Now the company is working with large corporate clients, creating custom-made corporate applications for smartphones for them. The proceeds this year are approaching 100 million rubles.

Business idea from Maxim Voloshin

Maxim’s career began at the age of 18: during the day he worked in a design studio, and in the evenings he studied at MIREA, mastering the profession of an engineer. Maxim worked in the design studio with all the initiative and dedication, so he quickly changed his position as a courier to an assistant manager, then a manager, and seven years later, at the age of 25, he became a project director.

In the design studio, employees developed a corporate style, created logos, brand books, etc. It was there that Maxim learned to think globally and take a broad view of the problem in matters of working with both large and ordinary clients.

In this design studio, Maxim met his future Redmadrobot partners - Alexander Alekhin, a specialist in web interfaces, and Nikolai Satunkin, who was a project manager.

At the time of the release of the first smartphone from Apple, the guys ordered one copy each in the USA. A couple of months later, the App Store launched, the store was almost empty, and the friends decided to create several applications for the iPhone.

First successes and first failures

The first application created was a simple mobile IQ Test. To create the program, there was no need to invent or invent anything - the algorithm is known, the interface is primitive. To implement their plan, friends found a programmer, bought him a MacBook, without which it is impossible to create applications for iOS, for 30 thousand rubles and paid 20 thousand rubles for writing the program. “That’s all the starting capital!” - Maxim grins.

To start earning money, I had to do a lot of work - registering on the App Store was easy, but it took 3 months to complete all the documents that would allow me to receive money for downloading applications.

The cost of the application was set at $1.99, 30% of which was received Apple company, everything else, minus taxes, went to the developers. In the first three months, more than 3 thousand people installed the application on their smartphones.

Maxim remembers his first message about the receipt of funds in his account. At that moment, Maxim was driving and for a long time could not understand the meaning of the long English sentences that announced the receipt of the first $4,000 received from the sale of the IQ Test.

At that very moment, the understanding came that the mobile application market could be a good way to make money. Friends created the company Redmadrobot, making up its name from their favorite words; created several strategies and quests and set off to conquer the App Store.

As soon as funds began to arrive in the account, they decided to quit the design studio and set off on their own free voyage.

However, after just a few months, people began to flock to the App Store large companies, representing the gaming market, who were willing to invest up to 500 thousand dollars in the development of their applications. At that moment, the guys realized that it would not be possible to simply build a business on gaming applications.

Changing priorities

Having sufficiently studied the market of Western applications for smartphones, where business applications and news applications have already begun to appear, Redmadrobot decides to start creating something similar in Russia. Using all the skills acquired while working in a design studio, Redmadrobot came up with a concept, posed a problem, solved it, created a presentation and went to clients to show problems and ways to solve them.

The first clients were those with whom Maxim had known since working in the design studio - advertising companies etc. It was impossible to dream of a separate office; all negotiations were conducted from home, and sometimes even at home it was impossible to find a quiet corner for negotiations with clients; his first child had just been born, and Maxim had to go to the car and negotiate from the car.

First orders

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The first order came from advertising agency Grape, which was active advertising campaign Ax deodorants. Redmadrobot was commissioned to create a promotional app for the campaign. It turned out interesting - the application imitated a maracas and, through the built-in accelerometer, received signals from the owner of the smartphone - you shake the phone and get into the rhythm of the music, open new level etc. I liked the application, it was downloaded and installed on smartphones by more than 10,000 people around the world and continue to download it now;) This application was a small victory!

The next application was for F5, then close cooperation with the Zhivi media group began.

In 2009, the first office was rented, and in 2010, the turnover of the Redmadrobot company amounted to 5 million rubles. The company developed gradually - it completed one project and took on another; the company employed only 11 people.

Over time, the understanding crystallized that working with promotional projects and startups takes too much time and does not bring in too much money, so Redmadrobot abandoned such projects.

Inconsistency Issues

In 2011, the majority of media holdings, banks, operators mobile communications realized that without their own mobile application, “life is not sweet for them.” Everyone wanted to get a quality product faster than their competitors.

Some tried to save money and wrote the application with their own resources, others used people who promised to do it quickly and cheaply.

Both options led to alterations. Redmadrobot began to handle such modifications very often.

At the same time, a dozen orders fell on Redmadrobot, which first made the developers happy, and then brought them back to earth. The clients wanted to receive a level of development that neither they nor anyone else in Russia could provide.

The situation was stalemate - projects missed deadlines, applications worked poorly, customers were angry, and the Redmadrobot company found itself on the verge of a crisis. We had to choose who exactly should expand the staff - designers, testers, programmers or senior managers. It was necessary to get everyone at once, and even with minimal expenditure of money.

An attempt was made to subcontract part of the orders, but this was even more difficult to control. Redmadrobot decided to hire top managers who had already worked in large IT companies. Top managers began to select personnel and helped to competently build production processes.

With the solution of one problem, another appeared - the threat of a cash gap. It so happened that large companies work without advance payment, so Redmadrobot had to invest almost 100% of the proceeds from one order into another order. But without such expenses it would not have been possible to become someone in the market of large players.

Market and competition

Nowadays, anyone can be on the mobile app market; all you need to do is know how to use search. A lot of information about designing applications for iOS and Android systems is freely available.

There are about a couple of hundred small companies on the market. They carry out small orders and competition among these companies is very high.

In the field of professional development mobile business applications the situation is different.

On Russian market there are literally three or four companies that can take on large clients with multi-million dollar client base. There is no serious competition; rather, there is a shortage of decent personnel. Redmadrobot currently has 60 employees. All of them are closely occupied with the work process and the arrival of a new client will make it necessary to further tighten the work schedule.

Future plans

The revenue of Redmadrobot this year will be 90-100 million rubles, next year it is planned to reach the level of 150-170 million rubles.

The company chooses a path in which 10–15 customers per year can receive a truly high-quality product.

The maximum goal is to increase the value of the company, but maintain the current staff without expansion. This will become possible only when money is earned not only by developing mobile applications, but also by selling personally created products.