#40: "Going Indie"

This week, Steve engages in a little “proompt engineering” with Bing, we bring back our Not a Sponsor segment to share how impressed we are with Clip Dish, and then we discuss the topic that all Apple dev podcasts must tackle at least once, “going indie.” We focus on some of the logistics like whether you should use a company App Store account, how important it is to get an accountant, and ideas on revenue models, the special challenges of being an indie game dev, and end with some advice on getting started consulting. This is a perennial topic in PhillyCocoa and we only scratch the surface of the areas of discussion, but hopefully you’ll get some utility from what we do discuss, especially if you are thinking of starting an indie app business or consultancy for the first time yourself.

Topics Discussed:

Introductions
- “Proompt Engineering” with Bing
PickleJarTodo Update
- SwiftUI Grid is cool!
Not a Sponsor: GetClipDish.com
Main Topic: Going Indie
- Slopes
  - https://getslopes.com
- Fin Timer
  - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timer-for-rehearsal-live-fin/id726213320
- RECaf
  - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/caffeine-tracking-by-recaf/id1384068352
Going Indie Discussion
- Consider a Company Developer Account (e.g. LLC)
- Get an accountant!
- Create separate bank account!
- Understanding budget and runway!
  - Revenue timing
    - e.g. seasonal sticker packs
- Revenue Models
  - One Time Purchase
  - In App Purchase
  - Subscriptions
- Apple App Store Small Business Program
  - https://developer.apple.com/app-store/small-business-program/
- Focus on a project
- What About Games?
- Consulting
  - General Liability Insurance
    - One option is Hiscox, but look around based on your needs.
      - https://www.hiscox.com
  - How much to charge?
    - Charge to your ability
    - Once you have your first gig, you can grow prices
  - How to find your first client?
    - Networking!