These Non-Coders Built Million Dollar Apps. You Can Too.

Everyone wants to build an app. Specifically, an app that makes them some money.

Friends, family, colleagues and complete strangers all ask me on a regular basis how they can get started in the wonderful world of app building.

They want to make a passive income while relaxing on the beach.  Or maybe make some extra money on the side to take the stress out of their day job.

The problem is, most can’t code.  And that, right there, is the biggest barrier to entry. 

The obvious and most tried solution is to go out and buy a bunch of books and courses aimed at teaching you, the non-coder, how to code your first app.

What a novel approach!

“If you want something done right, you better do it yourself.”

That’s what we’ve been taught all these years, right?

Except for, you know, master crafts like medicine, carpentry and app development.

The truth is, coding takes years to master.  You can probably learn some tricks of the trade right off the bat, but to truly be able to actually build something of value will take a long time.  And that means that your app will never see the light of day.

Don’t believe me?  Let’s look at this from a different angle.

I want a bigger house.  We want more kids, more water front access, a bigger yard, etc.  So the best course of action is obviously to go buy the land, some wood and screws and buy a book on home building.

How crazy does that sound?

If I did that, I would either:

1. Never get the house built.  Ever.
2. Get it done in 10 years — at least I’d save a bunch of money, I guess.  Although, there would be a good chance that the house collapses and kills us all in our sleep.

On second thought, I think I’ll opt for finding a professional to get it done right, on time and in budget.

This is how it should be for your app too. 

Get a mentor, plan your app, get a freelancer to build it out at a reasonable price and get it earning money for you as soon as humanly possible.

This is a time honored strategy that works.  Need some proof?

Yes / No Messenger is a social messaging and polling app that was created by, you guessed it, non-coders.  They are entrepreneurs that hated traditional group messaging, so they found a better way of doing it and outsourced the development to make their own app.

LearnVest is changing the way you think about your money.  Say goodbye to guessing about your retirement and using expensive financial planners — just use this app to get the plan, tools and resources you need to make better financial decisions.  All started by a business school dropout.

Nerdwallet helps you pick the right credit card, bank account, investment accounts and everything else financial where you have a decision.  Founded by a non-techie and currently employing 150 or so in the bay area.

And that’s not all.  There are thousands upon thousands of worthy examples to prove this point: 

You Don’t Need To Code Your Own App. 

Find someone that knows what they are doing, get them to help you and actually get your app built.

Are you going to spend 5 years trying to build your own house, knowing that if you ever finish, it has a good chance of crashing down one day?

Or are you going to hire the master that lives and breathes home construction.  The one that will get it built right.  Safely, on time and in budget.