{"id":7,"date":"2014-07-03T13:18:23","date_gmt":"2014-07-03T13:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lucvandal.wordpress.com\/?p=3"},"modified":"2014-07-03T13:18:23","modified_gmt":"2014-07-03T13:18:23","slug":"theindielife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lucvandal.com\/index.php\/2014\/07\/03\/theindielife\/","title":{"rendered":"The Indie Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I’ve tweeted<\/a> this regarding Kevin Hoctor<\/a> leaving NoThirst Software<\/a> for\u00a0a new position at Apple:<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/p>\n

Let it be clear to everyone, I wish Kevin all the best and I am convinced that his experience will be greatly beneficial for all the\u00a0Mail and Notes users. And let’s face it, 99% of us dreamed at some point to work for Apple and would really have a hard time to turn down an offer if it\u00a0came by.<\/p>\n

However, it seems that\u00a0more<\/a> and more<\/a> people I know are moving away from\u00a0the indie life.<\/p>\n

I will tell you this: I cannot blame them to do so and I find myself thinking about doing the same from time to time. Here’s why.<\/p>\n

The Game Has Changed<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let’s face it, the app gold rush is well over. It is now much harder to make it into the market and it requires more planning, financial investment and time. On top of that, competition is fierce, your app may get sherlocked<\/a>1<\/sup> by Apple and become a part of the next OS release\u00a0or\u00a0may lose traction because a VC funded company is offering a free alternative and has near to unlimited funds for market it while they figure out how to monetize it.2<\/sup><\/p>\n

The App Store market\u00a0is now mature and\u00a0near\u00a07 years old. Apple does bring a tonne of new potential customers every day but many from\u00a0the current user base\u00a0have found apps that suit their needs and may not be interested in your offering.<\/p>\n

I have spoken with other\u00a0successful developers and many told me the same: sales are generally down. They are still doing great but there are more and more competitors are also taking a slice of the same pie.<\/p>\n

Media attention is also harder to get as they get overwhelmed with review requests and\u00a0press releases.<\/p>\n

Pretty much anyone will tell you that making a great app is a good start. I wholeheartedly\u00a0agree but while this makes a lot of sense and is one of the best way to get noticed by the media and Apple, it is not a guarantee of success and riches.<\/p>\n

Take Screens for Mac<\/a> for example. It has been featured many times by Apple and recently even got a custom page on the Mac App Store<\/a><\/p>\n

\"1799883_823389157700734_4414570806805730274_o\"<\/p>\n

You would think that the<\/em> VNC app that Apple seems<\/em> to prefer should<\/em> be pretty successful, right? Well, yes and no.<\/p>\n

How about Screens for iOS<\/a>, which got featured in the iOS App Store Utilities section for months<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

\"1504347_729857183720599_621917676_o\"<\/p>\n

Sales are\u00a0doing better than its Mac counterpart but not as much as you would imagine.3<\/sup><\/p>\n

To be quite honest,\u00a0I can say that I am a successful independent app developer and making a pretty good living out of it.\u00a0Unfortunately,\u00a0it is far from being enough to hire a team, or at least one extra individual to work with. I do hire contractors from time to time and while I really appreciate their input and work, it is not the same as building a team.<\/p>\n

Working With Great People<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is one aspect that I find frustrating about the (my) indie life. Of course, I feel very fortunate about being able to make a living out of apps I’ve developed. I also appreciate the liberty that my\u00a0lifestyle brings.<\/p>\n

However, I sometimes\u00a0miss working with people. Being able to brainstorm with fellow\u00a0developers, plan\u00a0features with them and challenge each other is something that I often wish for.<\/p>\n

Craig Hockenberry<\/a> spoke about this at NSConference 2013. His talk, Independent, But Not Alone<\/a> is available on Vimeo and I invite you to watch it. I should probably watch it again myself!<\/p>\n

Outside of the social events, it is pretty easy to feel isolated from others when you are an independent software developer and I totally understand when someone gets fed up with the situation and chooses to go work for another larger company.<\/p>\n

Another great talk<\/a> to watch is from\u00a0Rob Rhyne<\/a>, delivered at the conference<\/a> I happen to organize with some friends in Montreal.<\/p>\n

While listening Rob’s talk, a slide\u00a0really caught my attention:<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/p>\n

For an app\u00a0such as Screens, this is quite true. Of course, if you’re working on a less complex\u00a0app you can manage to do pretty well by yourself along with\u00a0a graphic designer but for more\u00a0complex projects, a team is something very valuable.\u00a0A team will get more involved into the app on a daily basis than a contractor that is there only for a certain amount of time. The involvement level is (generally) not the same. A team is also composed of\u00a0individuals that you get to know, hang around with and develop a complicity and a relationship.<\/p>\n

I can also understand that someone would feel tired of a similar situation and would want to work with other talented people and\u00a0decide to leave everything behind to pursue a new venture.<\/p>\n

Other Aspects<\/strong><\/p>\n

Being your own boss is great but also brings some other challenges:<\/p>\n