App Business Inspiration from Down Under

When Katie and I started developing iPhone apps we knew it was a male-dominated industry but that didn't put us off of course! Instead, we decided to focus our attention on designing apps for females which is where the idea for our first app Countdown Keeper came from.

We'd been inspired to produce iPhone apps after reading the fantastic App Empire by Chad Mureta which charts his journey from hospital bed to successful app developer. I follow his blog too and was over-the-moon to find two female app developers very similar to Katie and I in Byron Bay Australia; Sophie and Stephi, the owners of the business Applause.

These two inspirational women created Applause for the same reason Katie and I did; to be able to live a life that is more free than the usual 9-5 and what's great is, with a lot of hard work, they've done it! We're in a minority here in the UK in terms of lifestyle businesses but over in Australia and America people are valuing free time more than constant work so finding inspirational entrepreneurs like Applause is just fantastic for Katie and I and certainly makes us feel more supported.

Aside from their millions of app downloads, their way of working is also a major inspiration. They make relaxation and nature part of their working day (nicer in Byron Bay than the current gloomy Birmingham I imagine!), they take 'mini-retirements' to regroup and focus and also I love the principles that they created when they started Applause. The principles focus on what they want out of business and what direction they want Applause to go in along with actions on how they are going to get there. I know they were as inspired by Tim Ferriss' The Four Hour Work Week as I was before creating Katie & Jane.

We asked Stephi and Sophie where they found business inspiration from...

"Instagram and the App Store. It helps a lot if you know what target market you want to reach with your apps so you know what app category to look into or what Instagram users to follow."

Get inspired by the duo on their blog here or download one of their popular apps.

Jane x