Many non-developers forever chase the dream of building their own business solution apps but…
To Build an App to Steal Competitive Advantage, you must Learn Winning Strategies.
Cloud Hound is different, I do not sell training courses to teach you how to build a function or capability.
Then leave you to work out how to apply your learning.
I start with a real-world working app we take it apart then teach you to build it.
My goal is for you to adapt or apply your learning to build your own real-world business solution.
That means you will finally start making real progress by learning how to:
Build Your Skills
Discover how to use deliberate practice. To learn the skills to become the kind of business app developer who succeeds.
Create Your Own Apps
The best business apps. Are ones created by those who have the most intimate knowledge of the business.
Own the App
Do not be a slave to an agency, offshore or freelancer developers. They can charge you high fees, change agreed terms at a moment’s notice and fail to respond to your, enquires.
After more than 10 years in IT, working in different roles.
I have found the three above principles separate those who are perpetually stuck. From those who are successful citizen developers.
Build Your Skills & Become a Successful Citizen Developer
Building a business solution out of thin air is difficult, creative work.
It is an extraordinary task to and to conquer it, you must become an extraordinary person.
You must develop your own skills, mindset, and character. To overcome that little voice in your head saying things like:
Building a business app sounds complicated. Even using the latest automation software thingy, why bother with all that?
Why bother with having to fix bugs, provide user support.
When you work on your own app with your own users, it is easy to find enjoyment and fulfilment in your work.
You are creating something of your own. Something that has meaning to app users. Because they have direct contact with you.
And involving users generally overcomes user resistance towards inevitable change.
Working on something you care about helps you get through the inevitable hard times.
It helps you get through those times when there is lots of work and little to show for it.
The antidote to failed app: invovle users prior, during & production stages.
Your personal skills and character define your business solutions
If you want to develop apps, you must acquire knowledge. It is a challenging task. To conquer it, you must become an extraordinary person.
You must develop your own skills, mindset, and character to the point where you have:
- More initiative
- A stronger drive
- Better work ethic
In software development, more than anywhere else. The most alluring promise is the “quick and easy”.
We see an endless parade of books, online training fads. All promise silver bullet solutions to complex business problems.
At Cloud Hound, the first principle is a simple creed to circumvent all this nonsense.
The foundation for a successful app is a business need.
The way to make a business app work is to create something users want and or need. One then engages them directly during development, roll out and production.
I call this a value business app solution.
The antidote to apps being the answer to everything. Is to create a business app that engages people before development.
Cloud Hound does not just promote the latest tricks, tools, tactics.
Our purpose is to provide you with strategies.
Thinking skills that will help you become a badass citizen developer.
An app value is defined by how well the solution solves user needs.
Own the app, Own Your Code
Nobody ever outsourced anything for quality.
This is one principle manifests itself in several ways. To explain what owning your own app means, let me first illustrate the opposite.
Commissioning an agency or offshore or freelancer developer is fraught with difficulties.
You can spend considerable time identifying the right development team.
You draft a product requirements document. You provide illustrative examples of proposed app functionality.
You then spend a lot of time explaining in person your app development requirements.
You may think the developer’s affirmation confirms mutual understanding.
During development, unforeseen changes become clear.
The agency may prohibit direct communication with the developer.
All communications must pass through the account manager.
To add to your woos the agency suffers high staff turnover.
Alternatively, you appoint an offshore team. They quote a very competitive total all-in project cost.
Project changes generally lead to much higher fees.
Or you instruct freelancers who charge by the hour.
You have no way of knowing whether a certain piece of code took five minutes or ten hours to develop.
Yet, you can be certain your invoice will state ten hours.
During development you discover your developer team outsourced the project.
Either to reduce costs or they lack the required knowledge. They fail to respond to your enquiries about progress.
When the project is delivered you discover results are either non-existent.
Or very far from the agreed development plan. You have no recourse to legal action or ability to insight a morale contract to complete.
You may be told to correct software bugs you must pay more. Bugs that can only be identified when the app is in production.
On the positive side, all the above may never happen. Your app is delivered on time, on budget and functions perfectly. Or pretty much how you orginally planned. But, a year on your app requires maintenance or upgrades.
The original developers are no longer in business. Or new employees are not interested in the instruction.
You are forced to find a new team only to be told major code rewrites are required. Or the previous team will not allow access to the code in effect a new app is required.
In summary, the 3 principles are:
- The draft: creating good apps that people want to use.
- The intelligence: to develop the skills. The mindset to make you an effective non-developer.
- The Tech: using the right tools to build and grow your developer skills.
I believe Cloud Hound approach is the lowest risk and fastest approach to building a real app. And one that will last.
In my experience the best way to learn is to focus upon the practical.
To see how real-world app fits together. To be able to take it apart and put it back together again.
If your preferred learning mode is
theory, then my courses are not for you.
Building an app applying theoratical knowledge is challenging! Develop an app from practical knowledge so much easier.
Get Started Today: Build the Most Fundamental Development Skill
If you are ready to grow your skills and develop business solutions the Cloud Hound way.
Then step 1 is to become the person who seeks strategic developer skills.
Check out my training courses to build business solutions in days not months.
