From idea to a launched app, without building what you don’t need yet.

Most first versions fail in one of two ways. They take too long because everything got included, or they launch fast but have to be thrown away. I build MVPs that do one job well for your first users, on a foundation you can keep building on.

  1. 1Your idea
  2. 2A written scope
  3. 3Builds you can test
  4. 4Store launch
  5. 5The next version
From idea to launch

Who this is for

  • You have an idea and no technical team. You need someone to turn it into a working app and get it into the stores.
  • You have designs or a prototype and need a real app behind them.
  • You’ve been quoted months of work and suspect the first version could be much smaller.

What I build

The core journey, end to end.

Sign-up, the one thing your app exists to do, and the moment users get value from it.

Payments from day one

if your business needs them: one-off payments, subscriptions, or payouts between two sides of a marketplace.

Two-sided products.

Patient and doctor, rider and driver, instructor and student. Each side gets its own app or view, kept in sync in real time.

The launch itself.

App Store and Google Play listings, builds, review questions and rejections.

What you’ll need on day two.

Analytics, crash reports, admin access and push notifications, so you can see what users do and fix what breaks.

How I approach it

  1. Cut to the first real user.

    Before any code, I write down what the first version must do, and everything that can wait. Jentzen at Pop-out put it best: the MVP stayed “focused without over-complicating things”, and it landed ahead of schedule.

  2. Get the expensive-to-change parts right early.

    User accounts, the data structure, and how payments flow are painful to redo later. I spend the extra thought there, and keep everything else simple.

  3. Build in the open.

    You get regular updates and builds you can install on your phone. Decisions happen in days, not at the end.

  4. Launch is the midpoint, not the finish.

    No Yelling started as a first version in 2020. The same app, grown over five years, is on version 3.1 today.

Questions clients ask

What should my MVP include?

The smallest set of features that lets a real user get the main value of your app, plus whatever you need to learn from them. That usually means sign-up, the core action, payments if you charge from day one, and analytics. Everything else goes on a written “later” list, and I’ll help you draw that line in the first call.

How much does an MVP cost?

It depends mostly on four things. I send a written estimate after a short call, and I’ll show you which cuts would lower it.

  • How many types of users you have.
  • Whether you take payments.
  • Real-time features like chat, maps or video.
  • How many screens the core journey needs.

How long does it take to build an MVP?

A focused MVP is usually a matter of weeks, not months. What slows projects down is scope growing mid-build and slow decisions, so I agree the scope in writing up front and send builds you can react to quickly.

Do I need a technical co-founder?

Not to launch. Many founders I work with are non-technical. I cover the technical decisions and explain them in plain language. If you want ongoing senior technical leadership without a co-founder, a fractional CTO is the middle ground.

Fractional CTO

Will I have to rebuild the app after the MVP?

Not if the foundation is right. I keep the first version small but build accounts, data and payments properly, so new features add to the app instead of replacing it. No Yelling has grown from its 2020 first version to version 3.1 on the same foundation.

Can you help me get through App Store review?

Yes. I prepare the listings, privacy details and builds, and handle Apple and Google review feedback until the app is approved.

Will I own the code?

Yes. You get the full source code and setup instructions, and your app is published under your own store accounts.

Zoraiz Ejaz

Have an idea you want in users’ hands?

Tell me what the app should do. I’ll tell you what I’d build first, what I’d leave for later, and why.

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