Business & Strategy

Author Brad Weber To Launch New Book With Mission Matters

1 year ago

In this discussion, CEO Brad Weber of InspiringApps joined Adam Torres on the Mission Matters Podcast to discuss his entrepreneurial journey, insights and reflections along the way, digitization, a new book with Mission Matters, and more. You can watch the webinar replay or skim through the conversation explored below. Looking at the Big Picture in App Development With Brad’s years of business experience—starting his own company, InspiringApps, as a one-person show to working with enterprise brands—he shares advice on how to ensure best practices for a company trying to bring their innovative idea to fruition. During the discussion, Brad shared his entrepreneurial journey and the lessons he has learned along the way. He talked about how he started his company and the challenges he faced while building and scaling it. He also touched upon his new book to be released in collaboration with Mission Matters. Join Us for the Next Webinar Join us for our next live webinar for more InspiringApps insights. Sign up to attend our next webinar here. Watch the Full Webinar About Mission Matters: Mission Matters is a media platform dedicated to showcasing the stories of business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals. Primarily, they share stories through the Mission Matters Series of podcast shows, releasing new shows daily and distributing the content through their website and 30+ social media channels. About Adam Torres: Adam Torres is the co-founder and podcast host at Mission Matters Media. He has interviewed over 5,000 thought leaders and industry experts across the globe, uncovering a wealth of knowledge. It can be hard for leaders to cut through the noise to get their message heard. So he created the Mission Matters Podcast Series to provide a stage for top professionals in their fields to get their message to the masses. About InspiringApps: App development that makes an impact. InspiringApps builds digital products that help companies impact their employees, customers, and communities. Yes, we build web, mobile, and custom apps, but what we offer is something above and beyond that. What we offer is inspiration. Our award-winning work has included 200+ apps since the dawn of the iPhone. Our core values: integrity, respect, commitment, inclusivity, and empathy. Our guarantee: finish line, every time, for every project. Get in touch at hello@InspiringApps.com. About Brad Weber: Brad Weber has more than 25 years of software development experience. Brad received his MBA from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado and spent several years with Accenture before striking off on his own adventures, including the successful founding of four different technology companies. With a passion for software artisanship, Brad founded InspiringApps to build a team that could tackle larger app development challenges than he was able to handle on his own. His leadership creates an environment where the most innovative digital products continue to come to life. Read the Transcript Adam Torres Alright, so today, I have Brad Weber on the line. He is an upcoming author in one of our Mission Matters books. I am proud to announce, and he is also president and CEO of InspiringApps. Brad, hey, just want to say, first off, welcome to the show. Brad Weber Thanks. I’m happy to be here. Thanks for having me. Adam Torres All right, Brad. So we got a lot to cover today. We’ll be talking about, of course, InspiringApps. We’ll talk about how you got started and really your journey in business, and then we’ll touch on the book a bit. I just will keep it a little high level because, of course, for everybody listening. We will be bringing Brad on the show for a second part of this two-part interview series. And we’ll bring them out when the book is actually live as well. But we’ll start this episode the way that we start them all with our Mission Matters minute. So Brad, at Mission Matters, we amplify stories for entrepreneurs, executives, and experts. That’s our mission. Brad, what mission matters to you? Brad Weber Our mission at InspiringApps is to help our clients overcome business challenges with custom web and mobile apps that we design and develop for them. And it’s a similar mission during my decade as an independent software developer, but as just one person. I was limited to helping mostly small to midsize companies, but in the 15 years since founding InspiringApps, I’ve grown a fabulous team of designers and developers who can tackle much larger challenges than I was able to handle on my own. Now we design and develop new web and mobile products for large enterprises. And our work impacts millions of users. Adam Torres It’s a great story and one that I’m happy to bring to my audience as well. And I guess just to kind of kick this off, let’s talk a little bit more about your background. So you mentioned this decade-long journey; what inspires you to get out there and to be an entrepreneur and start your own company? Brad Weber Well, it started before founding my own company as an independent developer. I worked at a big six, as we used to call it, a consulting firm back in the day, with 10s of 1000s of employees working on giant billing systems for telecommunications companies and things like that. I had what I think is an atypical experience there. In my three years, I never saw a project successfully completed. That’s a tough way for somebody like me to be. I wanted to develop and build things that people actually used. So I was working at the time to build my skills and my own network to start working with those smaller companies to be able to develop applications entirely on my own. Primarily desktop applications back in the day (this was almost 25 years ago now for that). And then, through many experiences on my own, I was getting the itch to grow a team and tackle bigger projects and be able to take on bigger things that I was able to do on my own. So about the eight-year mark, as an independent developer, I started planning for founding and growing InspiringApps. Adam Torres Wow. Yeah, it’s a great story. And I feel like, I mean, you have a unique vantage point because you’ve obviously been doing this for a long time, number one, but number two, in your entrepreneurial journey, really you saw it, I believe, where we’re now in like this renaissance. Where it’s just more feasible, it’s more obtainable for many people to do either freelance work to grow their own companies, especially just with the demand there is for whether it’s software or other services in that realm. What would you tell like that new group of, let’s just say, entrepreneurs or individuals that are maybe feeling a little bit of dissatisfaction and they want to go out there and start their own thing or their own projects, like what kind of things would you tell them obviously now having the benefit of hindsight and experience under your belt? Brad Weber It is a lot of work. We can start with that. It is risky in the beginning, for sure. And I know that some people take the approach of just leaping off the cliff and hoping they sprout wings before they hit the ground. For me, that was not a comfortable approach. It was definitely more tapered into that experience. So as I mentioned, I was working for a Big Six consulting company. I left when I thought I had enough business to get my development of Big Six consulting company. I left on my own when I didn’t have enough clients. So I took on another job. I worked there for a while again, tried to grow up my network, and left again. Found a second time that I still didn’t have quite enough, so I went back for one more job before ultimately I was able to leave and stay independently employed or working on my own business. And it’s been that way ever since. So, a little tough. Don’t get discouraged in the beginning if it’s not a blockbuster success right out of the gates but with some persistence and hard work, and a lot of patience was able to get to something that would sustain me and not a large team. Adam Torres If you could go back, is there anything that you would do differently? Brad Weber It’s a tricky question. There are tons of mistakes that I’ve made along the way. So it’d be nice to do with a little less pain. But at the same time, those lower important to get me to where I am today. So I think I have to answer no; I probably wouldn’t make changes because I’m worried that I wouldn’t end up in this seat talking to you. Adam Torres Well, I’ll tell you what, well I’ll pick on myself. There are a whole lot of things I would have done differently. I didn’t know that I was in the media business when I started, Brad, and you knew what business you were in. Brad Weber That’s true. Adam Torres All right. Well, let’s go further into InspiringApps and really where you’re at today. So now you’ve grown a team, and I know I caught this from the beginning, as you mentioned when you were talking about your mission. So you’re really working with multiple segments or niches and sizes of clients—however we want to word that. So you work with small businesses, you work with that middle level, and then you’re also working with enterprise. I feel like a lot of dev shops don’t really span that width of capability, whether it’s by choice or resources either way. Can you tell me a little bit more about making that decision to kind of go that route? Brad Weber Yeah, I wish I could say it was all under our control. But certainly, in the early days when we were smaller…It takes time. You’ve got to put the time in. You have to earn some of the clients that you have. And for us, our business was primarily smaller customers in the early days. And then you can watch if we’re going to go back through the history over 15 years. There’s definitely a progression where we were able to earn the trust of larger and larger customers to the point where eventually we’re working with Fortune 100 clients, which could not be expected out of the gate, as you know, a one, two, three-person company. It’s over the course of designing and developing hundreds of solutions for companies that really put us in that position. Adam Torres And in my mind, and correct me if I’m wrong in this, but it seems like all these different tranches of clients, whether it’s funded startups or small businesses or enterprises like they, all have their unique challenges. So as you started this interview, you said, you know, one of the things that working for the Big Six back then that maybe didn’t give you the most satisfaction, you never got to see your product actually out there and live and launched and making a difference in people’s lives. So let’s kind of niche these down a little bit because I know I feel they have different challenges to get into products to market. So maybe start with what it’s like to work with funded startups. Brad Weber Sure. So I think in this progression, as we talked about, these InspiringApps really has the pleasure of working side by side with the Davids and the Goliaths in these industries, and they are very different. So as you mentioned, with funded startups, part of the challenge is just getting the funding, so that often takes much longer and is a more difficult road than people anticipate. But once the funding is secured, when you are building a business around an app that we create, or maybe a suite of things for which the app is an important part, you are starting from scratch. It may sound obvious, but you have no customers have no revenue. Adam Torres Yeah. Brad Weber And those things are giant hurdles. To go from no users to try to build up something that’s formidable in the marketplace is hard. And getting to a point where you have enough users who can give you feedback and really drive your product development. I think that’s a primary challenge for the startups that we work with. You got to survive long enough to get to a point where they’ve got a healthy, vibrant community of customers. They’re giving them feedback, then telling them basically what they’re willing to pay for in the product that we’re working on. Adam Torres Are there any comments on the types of niches that you tend to work with or even like founders and just in general like in that because I know it’s a different personality type in terms of just the complexion of the business in general? Versus like enterprise where it’s really, you know, established, you know, maybe siloed, maybe not a lot of different types of enterprise-level businesses. But talk to me more about the management part of things. Brad Weber So, I think any business that’s going to develop around a product, whether that’s a digital product or physical product—I think the recommendations are similar, which is that it’s also challenging to go through that alone. So we do get people who come to us who are inspired individuals who want to change the world, and they have a product idea, but there’s so much that goes into making that successful. As I mentioned, you’re trying to build up your business and build up your customer base. So there’s a sales aspect to that. There’s certainly marketing knowledge that needs to be a part of that equation. So we find that the people in that category for us, these funded startups who are most successful, are the ones that have at least a small team around them that can distribute that work is really difficult to wear all the hats, and you get something like that off the ground. Adam Torres Oh my gosh, you’re taking me back to the early days of Mission Matters, Brad, when I’m doing the interviews, I was editing, I was doing the distribution, man, though, as I was pulling my hair out. My hat goes out to any founder out there or startup that has that mission or has that goal and wants to go at it and just has that tenacity to, you know, maybe fall on their face a couple of times and just keep on pushing and keep on moving because it’s not easy. It’s always easier from the outside looking in. Then actually, in my opinion, walking in those shoes, so my hat always goes off to them. But any kind of tips for those that are out there when it comes to getting a project from you know, from beginning to actually getting to that next level where they’re getting user feedback? What kind of tips from your vantage point, right? Brad Weber Well, I think reserving enough resources so that you can stay in for the long haul. You can run the marathon and not the sprint is important. So we work a lot with these startups to help them. You want to think big in terms of your business and your longer-term vision. You want to think small in terms of the first thing that you develop and try to release to the public. And so, some people will come in with a decent budget and a grand vision for what they want to do. But, you know, if you’ve got a quarter million dollars that you’re going to spend on your new product, you should not be spending a quarter million dollars on the app design and development. You should be spending maybe $100,000 on your app design and development and reserve 150 on marketing and promoting and building this community, building out your team, and some of the other services that are required to make your product to success. Adam Torres Yeah, well said. I want to talk about the small business community a little bit here because I also know that’s a big part of what you do. And so we can be talking about, you know, businesses that have been, you know, multi-generational businesses. We can be talking about the digitization of coming online and kind of bringing your business into, you know, and into, let’s say, new capabilities of what’s available and what’s possible by digitizing the business. Talk a little bit more about just kind of the work you’re doing in that space. Brad Weber Sure. So what we often see for this group of customers is that, as you said, they are a more of an established business. Now they have customers that have a budget; they’ve got a process; they’re growing, and they’ve got a decent-sized team. What they’re interested in for technology to help them is to gain efficiencies in their business. So with them, we’re doing things like providing tools for field data collection for their teams so that you know they’re getting the people who are making the decisions back at corporate headquarters have the latest information from the field. Whether that’s collected by humans on tablets, or if it’s sensors. There’s a whole variety of ways to do that. But we’re focusing in areas like that. So improving the organization through things like tools that help them with their leadership development, team collaboration, communication, things like that, so that the midsize customers tend to be a little more internally focused where they’re trying to work on systems and tools that will improve the operation of their business. Adam Torres What kind of challenges do you find that many small businesses have when it comes to coming online or that digitization process? Brad Weber Can you say more about that? Adam Torres So what kind of challenges do you find that many small businesses have when it comes to coming online and that real digitization process to going through that hurdle to adopt Brad Weber Like to adopt those tools internally, for instance? Adam Torres Yes. Brad Weber Yeah. And I think one of them is adoption. It’s important in small businesses; we talked about getting feedback from your customers. Customers are outside your organization, spending money or poorly on whatever it is that you’re providing to them for this middle group. As I said, oftentimes they’re focused inwardly. But it’s just as important to treat your internal users, the people on your teams within your company, as your customer as well and put the same level of effort into understanding them understanding their needs, gathering their feedback, listening to them iterating on the products and tools that you’re creating for them and making sure that you’re getting them the updates that they’re asking for. Adam Torres So I know that going through that process of and I know, you know, broadly speaking, there’s a lot of different applications and ways that people may use, you know, this a new app or something whether it’s like you said collecting data from the field or just depends on the type of business right? But the main thing that I’ve seen is that it’s not going to be easy, like I’ve been in offices where, you know, especially just the digitization process in general, where all of a sudden you have all these files and you know, years and years, maybe decades of files that need to be brought online so that people can actually access the information. So there are a lot of hurdles in different types of businesses of tomorrow. But I guess from your vantage point, what are some of those possible light at the end of the road or pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or the benefits of going through sometimes what can be a tedious process—because there’s usually some gold at the end of that, right? Brad Weber Yeah, and it has to be a win for the people who are using the tools as well as the people who are analyzing the data that we’re collecting, for instance. Adam Torres Yeah. Brad Weber And for the data collection that you’re talking about. We’re often no longer really digitizing somebody. We’re not taking so many people from a paper process to a digital solution for the first time. There is a light bulb goes off when people realize that they don’t have to use shared spreadsheets and other kind of cumbersome processes in getting the data from the point of collection to the point of reporting. So what we bring to the table that is kind of a breath of fresh air for their teams is something that’s entirely tailored for their process. So there’s no extra stuff that they don’t need. And there’s all this stuff that they do need, just to focus on their particular job or their particular task that you’re trying to accomplish. So an example of that was a clothing retailer that we worked with, who wanted to have more insight into their presence on the detail floors, retailers around the country, and so a tailored tablet solution for their team to be able to check boxes-enter freeform text responses and take pictures of displays. And have that automatically uploaded to the server for analysis and review by their marketing team and their corporate headquarters was far easier than the process they that they came to us with, which was very much spreadsheet based. Upload your spreadsheet to a server, keep the photos, email those to a different address, you know, then somebody has to take the attachments and make sense of those. So the fact that that solution is really tailored for their needs is what I think all of the users within the organization really appreciate. Adam Torres Yeah, it just the way I see it, is that just those efficiencies, those add to the profitability, like over time, some for them immediately, but you know, labor cost efficiencies, tracking the data, all of that, I mean that those are all big wins. Brad Weber Exactly. Adam Torres Let’s spend some time on the enterprise side of things and really what you’re doing there, so what does it look like to work with these large enterprise clients? Brad Weber So this has become really a majority of our business now. And it’s really fun to work with the enterprise clients, as I mentioned, spanning the David’s and Goliath’s lives; these are the Goliaths. And the thing that’s unique about them is that, on one hand, they can be a little slower to move and be able to operate. They have legacy systems that they’re dealing with that a startup who’s starting from scratch does not have to carry with them. They have an IT team that usually has a pretty big backlog of work that they need to do for the organization, and they may lack experience with the latest technology. The organization itself wants to stay relevant and want to fight off these newcomers. We’re trying to break into the space. But the advantage they have—the tremendous advantage, I think—is that they have those customers, you know in some cases 10s of 1000s, hundreds of 1000s, millions of customers. They have a budget, and they have patience. All of those things work in their favor at that end of the scale, to be able to bring something to market where they’ve taken into account feedback from those customers, and they have the patience and the budget to be able to iterate on solutions that we create. So what I mean by that is we’re going to produce something as a first version of their product, and customers are going to react. Hopefully mostly positive, but they’ll have constructive criticism as well. And it’s important to have the time and the budget to be able to refine the product and address those concerns that people are raising. So that at some point, you’ve now given them exactly what they need in the market or what they’re asking for. So it’s a different kind of fun at that end of the scale. Adam Torres Yeah, I can see that, so versus the funded startup where they’re, you know, just starting to get that client base or maybe the small business that has a different kind of objective overall, possibly. And then, the enterprise level, they have the data, they have the clients, and they have the customers in quantity, and now to me it like it sounds to me like you have the opportunity to maybe move the needle a little bit more because there’s more there to work with as well. Brad Weber That’s right. Adam Torres Yeah, it’s awesome. So I want to, we’re not going to spend too much time on the book today, but we do need to touch on it for a second or two. Because as I mentioned before, we’ll be bringing you back on the show when we have the book out and live, but high level. I know we’re still in editing and not holding you to this, but what are the things that you plan to propose in the upcoming book launch? Brad Weber Well, as we talked about, I’ve had a great business education and two business degrees. At heart, I’m a developer, a software developer, but that formal business education has been really helpful for me. But no matter how much classroom education we get, I think you can probably back me up on this, Adam, that we can count on learning a lot more lessons when we try to put that learning into practice in our own business. So I plan to share my lessons. Some of them are entertaining, and some of them are painful so that readers can learn from my mistakes. Adam Torres Yeah, and I love that you’re willing to do that because then it won’t be just me picking on myself about my mistakes. Like most of this show in our books are about, at least for what I write in them, is really, the hope is that we get we can share, you know, genuine stories and let people know what it’s really like that obviously we want to inspire others to maybe pursue their own dreams, but also to educate them on maybe some of the bumps along the way so that if you’re either going through them, hey, you’re not alone, and if you’ve been through them, you can relate. Brad Weber For sure. They’re going to happen, but I guess the tale to tell is that you will get through them, and they do make for entertaining stories on the other side. Adam Torres Wonderful. Well, Brad, it has been great having you on the show today and getting to know more about InspiringApps, of course, and about your journey along the way. If somebody’s watching this or listening to this, and they want to follow up and inquire about InspiringApps or to connect with your content—I mean, what’s the best way for them to do that? Brad Weber Our website is probably the number one source, so you can find us at InspiringApps.com. And you can find us as InspiringApps on LinkedIn and other social platforms as well. Adam Torres Fantastic, and we’ll put all of that, those links, and things like that in the show notes so that our audience can just click on the links and head right on over. And speaking of the audience, if this is your first time with Mission Matters or connecting with an episode, we’re all about bringing on business owners, entrepreneurs, and executives and having them share their mission. The reason behind their mission is really what gets them motivated and fired up out there to go into the marketplace and make a difference. If that’s the type of content that sounds interesting or fun or exciting to you, we encourage you to hit that subscribe button because we have many more mission-based individuals coming up on the line, and we don’t want you to miss a thing. And Brad, until the next time. It’s been awesome having you on the show. Thanks again for coming on. Brad Weber Thank you so much.

Author Brad Weber To Launch New Book With Mission Matters Image

You can watch the webinar replay or skim through the conversation explored below.

Looking at the Big Picture in App Development

With Brad’s years of business experience—starting his own company, InspiringApps, as a one-person show to working with enterprise brands—he shares advice on how to ensure best practices for a company trying to bring their innovative idea to fruition.

During the discussion, Brad shared his entrepreneurial journey and the lessons he has learned along the way. He talked about how he started his company and the challenges he faced while building and scaling it.

He also touched upon his new book to be released in collaboration with Mission Matters.

Join Us for the Next Webinar

Join us for our next live webinar for more InspiringApps insights. Sign up to attend our next webinar here.

Watch the Full Webinar

About Mission Matters: Mission Matters is a media platform dedicated to showcasing the stories of business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals. Primarily, they share stories through the Mission Matters Series of podcast shows, releasing new shows daily and distributing the content through their website and 30+ social media channels.

About Adam Torres: Adam Torres is the co-founder and podcast host at Mission Matters Media. He has interviewed over 5,000 thought leaders and industry experts across the globe, uncovering a wealth of knowledge. It can be hard for leaders to cut through the noise to get their message heard. So he created the Mission Matters Podcast Series to provide a stage for top professionals in their fields to get their message to the masses.

About InspiringApps: App development that makes an impact. InspiringApps builds digital products that help companies impact their employees, customers, and communities. Yes, we build web, mobile, and custom apps, but what we offer is something above and beyond that. What we offer is inspiration. Our award-winning work has included 200+ apps since the dawn of the iPhone. Our core values: integrity, respect, commitment, inclusivity, and empathy. Our guarantee: finish line, every time, for every project. Get in touch at hello@InspiringApps.com.

About Brad Weber: Brad Weber has more than 25 years of software development experience. Brad received his MBA from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado and spent several years with Accenture before striking off on his own adventures, including the successful founding of four different technology companies. With a passion for software artisanship, Brad founded InspiringApps to build a team that could tackle larger app development challenges than he was able to handle on his own. His leadership creates an environment where the most innovative digital products continue to come to life.

Read the Transcript

Adam Torres

Alright, so today, I have Brad Weber on the line. He is an upcoming author in one of our Mission Matters books. I am proud to announce, and he is also president and CEO of InspiringApps. Brad, hey, just want to say, first off, welcome to the show.

Brad Weber

Thanks. I’m happy to be here. Thanks for having me.

Adam Torres

All right, Brad. So we got a lot to cover today. We’ll be talking about, of course, InspiringApps. We’ll talk about how you got started and really your journey in business, and then we’ll touch on the book a bit. I just will keep it a little high level because, of course, for everybody listening. We will be bringing Brad on the show for a second part of this two-part interview series. And we’ll bring them out when the book is actually live as well. But we’ll start this episode the way that we start them all with our Mission Matters minute. So Brad, at Mission Matters, we amplify stories for entrepreneurs, executives, and experts. That’s our mission. Brad, what mission matters to you?

Brad Weber

Our mission at InspiringApps is to help our clients overcome business challenges with custom web and mobile apps that we design and develop for them. And it’s a similar mission during my decade as an independent software developer, but as just one person. I was limited to helping mostly small to midsize companies, but in the 15 years since founding InspiringApps, I’ve grown a fabulous team of designers and developers who can tackle much larger challenges than I was able to handle on my own. Now we design and develop new web and mobile products for large enterprises. And our work impacts millions of users.

Adam Torres

It’s a great story and one that I’m happy to bring to my audience as well. And I guess just to kind of kick this off, let’s talk a little bit more about your background. So you mentioned this decade-long journey; what inspires you to get out there and to be an entrepreneur and start your own company?

Brad Weber

Well, it started before founding my own company as an independent developer. I worked at a big six, as we used to call it, a consulting firm back in the day, with 10s of 1000s of employees working on giant billing systems for telecommunications companies and things like that. I had what I think is an atypical experience there. In my three years, I never saw a project successfully completed. That’s a tough way for somebody like me to be. I wanted to develop and build things that people actually used. So I was working at the time to build my skills and my own network to start working with those smaller companies to be able to develop applications entirely on my own. Primarily desktop applications back in the day (this was almost 25 years ago now for that). And then, through many experiences on my own, I was getting the itch to grow a team and tackle bigger projects and be able to take on bigger things that I was able to do on my own. So about the eight-year mark, as an independent developer, I started planning for founding and growing InspiringApps.

Adam Torres

Wow. Yeah, it’s a great story. And I feel like, I mean, you have a unique vantage point because you’ve obviously been doing this for a long time, number one, but number two, in your entrepreneurial journey, really you saw it, I believe, where we’re now in like this renaissance. Where it’s just more feasible, it’s more obtainable for many people to do either freelance work to grow their own companies, especially just with the demand there is for whether it’s software or other services in that realm. What would you tell like that new group of, let’s just say, entrepreneurs or individuals that are maybe feeling a little bit of dissatisfaction and they want to go out there and start their own thing or their own projects, like what kind of things would you tell them obviously now having the benefit of hindsight and experience under your belt?

Brad Weber

It is a lot of work. We can start with that. It is risky in the beginning, for sure. And I know that some people take the approach of just leaping off the cliff and hoping they sprout wings before they hit the ground. For me, that was not a comfortable approach. It was definitely more tapered into that experience. So as I mentioned, I was working for a Big Six consulting company. I left when I thought I had enough business to get my development of Big Six consulting company. I left on my own when I didn’t have enough clients. So I took on another job. I worked there for a while again, tried to grow up my network, and left again. Found a second time that I still didn’t have quite enough, so I went back for one more job before ultimately I was able to leave and stay independently employed or working on my own business. And it’s been that way ever since. So, a little tough. Don’t get discouraged in the beginning if it’s not a blockbuster success right out of the gates but with some persistence and hard work, and a lot of patience was able to get to something that would sustain me and not a large team.

Adam Torres

If you could go back, is there anything that you would do differently?

Brad Weber

It’s a tricky question. There are tons of mistakes that I’ve made along the way. So it’d be nice to do with a little less pain. But at the same time, those lower important to get me to where I am today. So I think I have to answer no; I probably wouldn’t make changes because I’m worried that I wouldn’t end up in this seat talking to you.

Adam Torres

Well, I’ll tell you what, well I’ll pick on myself. There are a whole lot of things I would have done differently. I didn’t know that I was in the media business when I started, Brad, and you knew what business you were in.

Brad Weber

That’s true.

Adam Torres

All right. Well, let’s go further into InspiringApps and really where you’re at today. So now you’ve grown a team, and I know I caught this from the beginning, as you mentioned when you were talking about your mission. So you’re really working with multiple segments or niches and sizes of clients—however we want to word that. So you work with small businesses, you work with that middle level, and then you’re also working with enterprise. I feel like a lot of dev shops don’t really span that width of capability, whether it’s by choice or resources either way. Can you tell me a little bit more about making that decision to kind of go that route?

Brad Weber

Yeah, I wish I could say it was all under our control. But certainly, in the early days when we were smaller…It takes time. You’ve got to put the time in. You have to earn some of the clients that you have. And for us, our business was primarily smaller customers in the early days. And then you can watch if we’re going to go back through the history over 15 years. There’s definitely a progression where we were able to earn the trust of larger and larger customers to the point where eventually we’re working with Fortune 100 clients, which could not be expected out of the gate, as you know, a one, two, three-person company. It’s over the course of designing and developing hundreds of solutions for companies that really put us in that position.

Adam Torres

And in my mind, and correct me if I’m wrong in this, but it seems like all these different tranches of clients, whether it’s funded startups or small businesses or enterprises like they, all have their unique challenges. So as you started this interview, you said, you know, one of the things that working for the Big Six back then that maybe didn’t give you the most satisfaction, you never got to see your product actually out there and live and launched and making a difference in people’s lives. So let’s kind of niche these down a little bit because I know I feel they have different challenges to get into products to market. So maybe start with what it’s like to work with funded startups.

Brad Weber

Sure. So I think in this progression, as we talked about, these InspiringApps really has the pleasure of working side by side with the Davids and the Goliaths in these industries, and they are very different. So as you mentioned, with funded startups, part of the challenge is just getting the funding, so that often takes much longer and is a more difficult road than people anticipate. But once the funding is secured, when you are building a business around an app that we create, or maybe a suite of things for which the app is an important part, you are starting from scratch. It may sound obvious, but you have no customers have no revenue.

Adam Torres

Yeah.

Brad Weber

And those things are giant hurdles. To go from no users to try to build up something that’s formidable in the marketplace is hard. And getting to a point where you have enough users who can give you feedback and really drive your product development. I think that’s a primary challenge for the startups that we work with. You got to survive long enough to get to a point where they’ve got a healthy, vibrant community of customers. They’re giving them feedback, then telling them basically what they’re willing to pay for in the product that we’re working on.

Adam Torres

Are there any comments on the types of niches that you tend to work with or even like founders and just in general like in that because I know it’s a different personality type in terms of just the complexion of the business in general? Versus like enterprise where it’s really, you know, established, you know, maybe siloed, maybe not a lot of different types of enterprise-level businesses. But talk to me more about the management part of things.

Brad Weber

So, I think any business that’s going to develop around a product, whether that’s a digital product or physical product—I think the recommendations are similar, which is that it’s also challenging to go through that alone. So we do get people who come to us who are inspired individuals who want to change the world, and they have a product idea, but there’s so much that goes into making that successful. As I mentioned, you’re trying to build up your business and build up your customer base. So there’s a sales aspect to that. There’s certainly marketing knowledge that needs to be a part of that equation. So we find that the people in that category for us, these funded startups who are most successful, are the ones that have at least a small team around them that can distribute that work is really difficult to wear all the hats, and you get something like that off the ground.

Adam Torres

Oh my gosh, you’re taking me back to the early days of Mission Matters, Brad, when I’m doing the interviews, I was editing, I was doing the distribution, man, though, as I was pulling my hair out. My hat goes out to any founder out there or startup that has that mission or has that goal and wants to go at it and just has that tenacity to, you know, maybe fall on their face a couple of times and just keep on pushing and keep on moving because it’s not easy. It’s always easier from the outside looking in. Then actually, in my opinion, walking in those shoes, so my hat always goes off to them. But any kind of tips for those that are out there when it comes to getting a project from you know, from beginning to actually getting to that next level where they’re getting user feedback? What kind of tips from your vantage point, right?

Brad Weber

Well, I think reserving enough resources so that you can stay in for the long haul. You can run the marathon and not the sprint is important. So we work a lot with these startups to help them. You want to think big in terms of your business and your longer-term vision. You want to think small in terms of the first thing that you develop and try to release to the public. And so, some people will come in with a decent budget and a grand vision for what they want to do. But, you know, if you’ve got a quarter million dollars that you’re going to spend on your new product, you should not be spending a quarter million dollars on the app design and development. You should be spending maybe $100,000 on your app design and development and reserve 150 on marketing and promoting and building this community, building out your team, and some of the other services that are required to make your product to success.

Adam Torres

Yeah, well said. I want to talk about the small business community a little bit here because I also know that’s a big part of what you do. And so we can be talking about, you know, businesses that have been, you know, multi-generational businesses. We can be talking about the digitization of coming online and kind of bringing your business into, you know, and into, let’s say, new capabilities of what’s available and what’s possible by digitizing the business. Talk a little bit more about just kind of the work you’re doing in that space.

Brad Weber

Sure. So what we often see for this group of customers is that, as you said, they are a more of an established business. Now they have customers that have a budget; they’ve got a process; they’re growing, and they’ve got a decent-sized team. What they’re interested in for technology to help them is to gain efficiencies in their business. So with them, we’re doing things like providing tools for field data collection for their teams so that you know they’re getting the people who are making the decisions back at corporate headquarters have the latest information from the field. Whether that’s collected by humans on tablets, or if it’s sensors. There’s a whole variety of ways to do that. But we’re focusing in areas like that. So improving the organization through things like tools that help them with their leadership development, team collaboration, communication, things like that, so that the midsize customers tend to be a little more internally focused where they’re trying to work on systems and tools that will improve the operation of their business.

Adam Torres

What kind of challenges do you find that many small businesses have when it comes to coming online or that digitization process?

Brad Weber

Can you say more about that?

Adam Torres

So what kind of challenges do you find that many small businesses have when it comes to coming online and that real digitization process to going through that hurdle to adopt

Brad Weber

Like to adopt those tools internally, for instance?

Adam Torres

Yes.

Brad Weber

Yeah. And I think one of them is adoption. It’s important in small businesses; we talked about getting feedback from your customers. Customers are outside your organization, spending money or poorly on whatever it is that you’re providing to them for this middle group. As I said, oftentimes they’re focused inwardly. But it’s just as important to treat your internal users, the people on your teams within your company, as your customer as well and put the same level of effort into understanding them understanding their needs, gathering their feedback, listening to them iterating on the products and tools that you’re creating for them and making sure that you’re getting them the updates that they’re asking for.

Adam Torres

So I know that going through that process of and I know, you know, broadly speaking, there’s a lot of different applications and ways that people may use, you know, this a new app or something whether it’s like you said collecting data from the field or just depends on the type of business right? But the main thing that I’ve seen is that it’s not going to be easy, like I’ve been in offices where, you know, especially just the digitization process in general, where all of a sudden you have all these files and you know, years and years, maybe decades of files that need to be brought online so that people can actually access the information. So there are a lot of hurdles in different types of businesses of tomorrow. But I guess from your vantage point, what are some of those possible light at the end of the road or pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or the benefits of going through sometimes what can be a tedious process—because there’s usually some gold at the end of that, right?

Brad Weber

Yeah, and it has to be a win for the people who are using the tools as well as the people who are analyzing the data that we’re collecting, for instance.

Adam Torres

Yeah.

Brad Weber

And for the data collection that you’re talking about. We’re often no longer really digitizing somebody. We’re not taking so many people from a paper process to a digital solution for the first time. There is a light bulb goes off when people realize that they don’t have to use shared spreadsheets and other kind of cumbersome processes in getting the data from the point of collection to the point of reporting. So what we bring to the table that is kind of a breath of fresh air for their teams is something that’s entirely tailored for their process. So there’s no extra stuff that they don’t need. And there’s all this stuff that they do need, just to focus on their particular job or their particular task that you’re trying to accomplish. So an example of that was a clothing retailer that we worked with, who wanted to have more insight into their presence on the detail floors, retailers around the country, and so a tailored tablet solution for their team to be able to check boxes-enter freeform text responses and take pictures of displays. And have that automatically uploaded to the server for analysis and review by their marketing team and their corporate headquarters was far easier than the process they that they came to us with, which was very much spreadsheet based. Upload your spreadsheet to a server, keep the photos, email those to a different address, you know, then somebody has to take the attachments and make sense of those. So the fact that that solution is really tailored for their needs is what I think all of the users within the organization really appreciate.

Adam Torres

Yeah, it just the way I see it, is that just those efficiencies, those add to the profitability, like over time, some for them immediately, but you know, labor cost efficiencies, tracking the data, all of that, I mean that those are all big wins.

Brad Weber

Exactly.

Adam Torres

Let’s spend some time on the enterprise side of things and really what you’re doing there, so what does it look like to work with these large enterprise clients?

Brad Weber

So this has become really a majority of our business now. And it’s really fun to work with the enterprise clients, as I mentioned, spanning the David’s and Goliath’s lives; these are the Goliaths. And the thing that’s unique about them is that, on one hand, they can be a little slower to move and be able to operate. They have legacy systems that they’re dealing with that a startup who’s starting from scratch does not have to carry with them. They have an IT team that usually has a pretty big backlog of work that they need to do for the organization, and they may lack experience with the latest technology. The organization itself wants to stay relevant and want to fight off these newcomers. We’re trying to break into the space. But the advantage they have—the tremendous advantage, I think—is that they have those customers, you know in some cases 10s of 1000s, hundreds of 1000s, millions of customers. They have a budget, and they have patience. All of those things work in their favor at that end of the scale, to be able to bring something to market where they’ve taken into account feedback from those customers, and they have the patience and the budget to be able to iterate on solutions that we create. So what I mean by that is we’re going to produce something as a first version of their product, and customers are going to react. Hopefully mostly positive, but they’ll have constructive criticism as well. And it’s important to have the time and the budget to be able to refine the product and address those concerns that people are raising. So that at some point, you’ve now given them exactly what they need in the market or what they’re asking for. So it’s a different kind of fun at that end of the scale.

Adam Torres

Yeah, I can see that, so versus the funded startup where they’re, you know, just starting to get that client base or maybe the small business that has a different kind of objective overall, possibly. And then, the enterprise level, they have the data, they have the clients, and they have the customers in quantity, and now to me it like it sounds to me like you have the opportunity to maybe move the needle a little bit more because there’s more there to work with as well.

Brad Weber

That’s right.

Adam Torres

Yeah, it’s awesome. So I want to, we’re not going to spend too much time on the book today, but we do need to touch on it for a second or two. Because as I mentioned before, we’ll be bringing you back on the show when we have the book out and live, but high level. I know we’re still in editing and not holding you to this, but what are the things that you plan to propose in the upcoming book launch?

Brad Weber

Well, as we talked about, I’ve had a great business education and two business degrees. At heart, I’m a developer, a software developer, but that formal business education has been really helpful for me. But no matter how much classroom education we get, I think you can probably back me up on this, Adam, that we can count on learning a lot more lessons when we try to put that learning into practice in our own business. So I plan to share my lessons. Some of them are entertaining, and some of them are painful so that readers can learn from my mistakes.

Adam Torres

Yeah, and I love that you’re willing to do that because then it won’t be just me picking on myself about my mistakes. Like most of this show in our books are about, at least for what I write in them, is really, the hope is that we get we can share, you know, genuine stories and let people know what it’s really like that obviously we want to inspire others to maybe pursue their own dreams, but also to educate them on maybe some of the bumps along the way so that if you’re either going through them, hey, you’re not alone, and if you’ve been through them, you can relate.

Brad Weber

For sure. They’re going to happen, but I guess the tale to tell is that you will get through them, and they do make for entertaining stories on the other side.

Adam Torres

Wonderful. Well, Brad, it has been great having you on the show today and getting to know more about InspiringApps, of course, and about your journey along the way. If somebody’s watching this or listening to this, and they want to follow up and inquire about InspiringApps or to connect with your content—I mean, what’s the best way for them to do that?

Brad Weber

Our website is probably the number one source, so you can find us at InspiringApps.com. And you can find us as InspiringApps on LinkedIn and other social platforms as well.

Adam Torres

Fantastic, and we’ll put all of that, those links, and things like that in the show notes so that our audience can just click on the links and head right on over. And speaking of the audience, if this is your first time with Mission Matters or connecting with an episode, we’re all about bringing on business owners, entrepreneurs, and executives and having them share their mission. The reason behind their mission is really what gets them motivated and fired up out there to go into the marketplace and make a difference. If that’s the type of content that sounds interesting or fun or exciting to you, we encourage you to hit that subscribe button because we have many more mission-based individuals coming up on the line, and we don’t want you to miss a thing. And Brad, until the next time. It’s been awesome having you on the show. Thanks again for coming on.

Brad Weber

Thank you so much.

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Business & Strategy

Best Questions To Ask To Find the Right App Development Company

Building an app presents incredible opportunities, and that’s not just for tech disruptors. You can sell your product, grow your business, delight and engage customers—even transform your customers’ experience. All the above are possible with the right app development partner. But finding that partner means asking the right questions at the forefront. To determine which app developer is the best to hire for your project, focus on these areas: Developer capabilities Digital product strategy and design Process and communication Financials and legalities For the best questions and considerations behind these areas, read on. Questions on Developer Capabilities Before diving into the specifics of your project, it’s crucial to understand the overall capabilities and expertise of your potential app development partner. The following questions will help you gauge these critical aspects. What technologies do you use and why? This question helps you understand how the development company thinks. Worry less about the specific technology they use and more about whether the development company can clearly articulate their reason for using it and the benefits to you and your product. Unless you are already a technology pro, choose a partner based on their expertise. Let them use tools they know to get great results. Have you done anything similar to what I’m asking you to do? You don’t need an exact match or even a company that has developed a similar app. Still, your potential development partner should be able to draw parallels to their relevant work. Shared connection points, whether on the industry, product, or technical level, will increase the likelihood of your project’s success. What are the riskiest parts of my project? Asking your app development partner this question will give you insight into your project and its areas of expertise. To know whether it’s worth continuing down the development path, consider risks early on to develop a plan. The riskiest parts are those that will likely make or break the product. How do you approach integrating AI and other emerging technologies into app development? This question helps you understand the development company’s experience with AI and other emerging technologies and their commitment to staying current in these rapidly evolving fields. A competent partner should be able to explain their approach to integrating new technologies. Look for a partner who can articulate the potential benefits and challenges of implementing AI and other new technologies in your project. They should demonstrate a balanced approach that leverages innovation while ensuring practical, user-focused solutions. Questions on Digital Product Strategy & Design A great app is more than just code—it’s a solution to a problem or a means to achieve a business goal. These questions will help you understand how your potential partner approaches the strategic aspects of app development. How do you approach digital product strategy and planning? A strong app development partner should have a clear process for supporting digital product strategy. This process might include market research, user persona development, and competitive analysis. Understanding their approach will help you gauge how thoroughly they consider your app’s broader context. What is your UI/UX design strategy? Look for a development partner who integrates UI/UX design throughout the entire app development process, not just as an afterthought. A competent partner will explain how their UI/UX process helps transform your ideas into user experiences that are both functional and visually appealing. How do you ensure that the app’s design aligns with user needs and business goals? An effective app development partner should systematically align design with user needs and business goals. They should conduct in-depth discussions to understand your product vision and objectives. Ask about their methods for gathering user insights, such as interviews, surveys, or usability testing. A strong partner will incorporate user feedback throughout the development process. How do you handle post-launch strategy and ongoing improvements? App development doesn’t end at launch. Ask about their approach to gathering user feedback, analyzing app performance, and planning for future updates and feature additions. A good partner will have a clear strategy for maintaining and evolving the app over time. How do you ensure long-term relevance and competitiveness? With technology evolving rapidly, it’s important to understand how a potential partner stays current and evaluates new technologies for inclusion in their digital product strategies. Look for a partner who demonstrates a thoughtful, strategic approach to technology adoption, rather than simply chasing the latest trends. They should be able to provide examples of how they’ve successfully incorporated new technologies into past projects to drive long-term value and competitiveness. Questions on Process & Communication The success of your project often hinges on smooth collaboration and clear communication. These questions will help you understand how the development team operates and how they’ll keep you informed and involved throughout the process. Do you outsource or offshore any part of your development process? Most app development projects loosely break into several stages: discovery, design, development and testing, and deployment. Some companies choose to outsource one or more parts of this process. Seek to understand how the company will work with outside contractors, if at all. Offshoring may offer reduced hourly rates, but consider other factors. Offshoring typically requires extra project management effort. Cultural differences can introduce risk to the project. Less cohesion and familiarity among team members can increase the total time required. Do these trade-offs decrease the price? Who will be my main point of contact once the project kicks off? Multiple people will probably be involved in building your app, but you don’t want to have to navigate who the right contact is for what. There are also times when it’s more efficient to go right to the source when discussing technical or design challenges. Make sure you can talk with developers and designers as needed, but that there is a project manager keeping tabs on your project—and who is your first point of contact for any needs. How will we communicate during the app development process? Numerous ways to interact remotely include phone calls, video conferences, screen sharing, and collaborative online workspaces. The best app development partners take advantage of all these options, creating a virtual environment that’s as interactive and productive as in-person collaboration. Ideally, your app development partner provides seamless interaction, whether you are working through complex issues or getting answers to quick questions. Electronic communication is equally essential for project management and knowledge capture. Many developers use tools such as GitHub, ZenHub, Asana, Slack, Microsoft Teams, or others to track project progress and facilitate team communication. These tools help ensure the project stays on track and team members remain aligned, regardless of their physical location. You might already have such a tool in place, and your potential app development partner should be on board with using it or integrating it with their existing systems to streamline project management and communication. Look for a partner with a proven track record of successful collaboration who can clearly articulate their approach to maintaining strong communication in a distributed work environment. How will I receive status updates, and how often? The answer to this question should consider your personal preference. You want to ensure the frequency of status updates is compatible with your desire to receive them. As noted above, there are numerous ways for you to stay connected, and your chosen app development partner should be willing to adapt to your needs. How involved will I be in the project? When do I get to provide input? Big reveals make for good television on home renovation shows, but it’s not how you want to receive your product. It’s best to monitor your software throughout the project’s life, so you can make course corrections as needed. The best app development shops work with agile methodologies, simultaneously building and testing small code sections. Expect to interact with the app early in the process and as your developer adds each piece of functionality. Furthermore, you are likely the subject matter expert for your product, and your partner ought to rely on you for knowledge of your industry and customer. Your feedback, including help with testing the app during development, ensures that the best product is delivered. What if my priorities or scope change during the project? Successful software projects are rarely defined completely and then built to that definition. You want a software development partner who can adapt to your needs. Ideally, your developer will provide you with a central point of contact throughout the project and expect things to shift while allowing flexibility to meet your changing priorities and timelines. Questions on Financials & Legalities Understanding your project’s financial and legal aspects is crucial for avoiding surprises and ensuring a smooth development process. These questions will help clarify your app’s cost structure and ownership details of your digital product. How much will my project cost? You want to be able to plan your time and budget for the length of the project. Ensure your development partner provides a written estimate so you can expressly agree on the expectations. Beyond the total cost, it’s essential to understand the pricing structure. The most common options are an hourly rate or a fixed cost, plus maintenance and support. Hourly Rates: With hourly pricing, the developer charges a rate for each hour worked and tracks the amount of time spent on your project. In the proposal, the development company estimates how many hours they believe the project will take but will charge you for every hour worked, whether that total time is below or above the approximation. Fixed Cost: In a fixed-price project, the developer will provide you with the project’s total cost and (hopefully) stick with that number. When work above and beyond the original scope is necessary, the developer should tell you how much extra work will cost before moving ahead. Maintenance & Support: Ongoing work after the app launches is almost always required to acquire new users and keep current users engaged. This type of work ranges from bug fixes (there will always be bugs!) to testing updated operating system releases and adding new functionality to the app. It’s worth understanding upfront how your partner would recommend structuring a maintenance and support program and the associated fee structure. Who will own the app? As the customer, you should own the finished product. Find the Right App Developer for Your Project For the success of your project, take the time to find the right developer—one who: Has the expertise and strategic insights to help you deliver the app you want to build. Focuses on real user needs, tangible results, and effective communication. Has the proper cost structure for you. Use these questions and considerations to help you learn more about potential app development partners before you choose. For more resources, consider reading our free book, InspiringApps: A Business Perspective on Building Mobile Apps, to gain a foundational understanding of the business and technical considerations involved in building an app. And, if you’re curious about how InspiringApps would respond to questions like the ones we’ve just shared, find our answers in Your Journey With InspiringApps.

4 days ago

AI Artificial Intelligence

Apple Intelligence: Empowering Businesses of All Sizes

Image Source: Apple Newsroom Apple announced its “AI for the rest of us” plan. But what does that mean for the future of digital products in enterprise, mid- and small-sized businesses? In this article, we’ll explore the implications of Apple’s AI strategy and share key takeaways for business leaders navigating the evolving landscape of AI-driven innovation. But first—a little “AI housekeeping.” A Working Definition of AI Artificial Intelligence (AI) focuses on creating smart machines that can learn from data, identify patterns, and perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence. Unlike traditional software solutions that rely on explicit programming and predefined rules, such as “if the customer’s age is greater than X, do this” or “if the bank balance is greater than Y, do that,” AI systems can make decisions without being explicitly programmed for every scenario. Recommendations for Businesses A little over a year ago, Brad Weber, CEO of InspiringApps, spoke with Tim Hayden about AI and more, as the above video captures (for the full conversation, see the playlist AI & Data Privacy: InspiringApps & Brain+Trust webinars). Considering the latest announcements at Apple WWDC 2024, we followed up with Brad to capture more insights and business recommendations. We found that Apple’s approach to intelligence mirrors our own in many ways: seamless integration, user-focused design, privacy, and business efficacy. 1. Focus on enhanced user experiences. Recommendation: Through seamless integration, focus on delivering tangible benefits to users that take advantage of Apple’s AI-driven user experiences, such as personalized recommendations and predictive features. “AI has enhanced the Apple user experience for many years. Has your phone predicted your commute time to work when you are a few blocks away from home? Has your watch calculated the total yards of your swim workout and broken down the distance by stroke? Both features (and many more) are driven by AI, but Apple treats that as an implementation detail users don’t need to know about. They should just experience the surprise and delight.”—BRAD WEBER, INSPIRINGAPPS CEO Most people have experienced AI without realizing it. “Hey Siri, read my messages” is a prevalent example of AI in everyday life. With Apple adding more ways to engage with app functionality through Siri and system-level features, properly defining and configuring App Intents may become a new strategy for businesses to ensure their in-app content and services are discoverable and intelligently integrated into users’ queries and workflows. For example, the improved typing interface with Siri could make Apple devices and apps more accessible for users with certain disabilities or situational impairments that make voice input challenging. If these intelligent features prove useful for accessibility, businesses may be able to reach and serve a broader audience. Businesses using messaging platforms for customer engagement could also leverage the new intelligent writing and summarization tools to streamline communication and quickly synthesize key points from lengthy customer inquiries or feedback, improving response times and quality. 2. Prioritize user privacy. Recommendation: Be transparent about data collection and usage, give users control over their data, and take every precaution to protect user information. AI enables computers to tackle complex problems and operate in the “gray areas,” where they can develop their own solutions based on the given goals or outcomes. To achieve this, AI relies on extensive data to effectively train models and make precise predictions or decisions, such as identifying objects in images or determining the optimal course of action in a given situation. This reliance on large datasets for training AI models raises important questions about data privacy and the implications of using personal information in developing AI systems. “With the new generative AI features in iOS 18, Apple will continue to prefer the privacy of on-device processing. When server capabilities are required, limited data is sent to Apple, and none of it is stored beyond the current ‘session.’ And if Chat GPT (and other engines/providers in the future) are beneficial, users will explicitly approve each data share. It is highly unlikely that any user-identifiable data will be sent to OpenAI as part of those interactions unless the user specifically opts in with their OpenAI account details.”—BRAD WEBER, INSPIRINGAPPS CEO In short, Apple’s commitment to privacy is a key differentiator, and businesses should follow their lead. 3. Consider Swift 6 adoption. Recommendation: Consider adopting Swift 6 for your development projects to reach a wider audience and streamline your development processes. “I’m excited to see Apple’s Swift 6 push on Windows and Linux, including improved Swift language support in Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code editor. Our team enjoys Swift development, and the language’s safety features have definitely reduced incidents of crashes on Apple devices. I look forward to those same benefits on other platforms.”—BRAD WEBER, INSPIRINGAPPS CEO 4. Stay adaptable. Recommendation: Businesses should explore the full spectrum of AI and machine learning technologies to find the most effective solutions for their specific needs. From predictive analytics and recommendation engines to computer vision and natural language processing, there are numerous ways to harness intelligence to benefit users and drive business growth. “It’s important to remember that generative AI is not the only form of AI. Although it has captured headlines for the last year or two, there are loads of other ways to benefit users with the thoughtful use of AI and ML.”—BRAD WEBER, INSPIRINGAPPS CEO Advanced predictive analytics can provide valuable insights into future trends and user behaviors. Intelligence can use data analysis to predict popular features, design elements, and evolving user needs. This foresight can inform decisions, helping to create digital products that meet current user expectations and are well-positioned to adapt to future demands. Smart Business Moves Apple’s advancements present both opportunities and challenges for businesses of all sizes. By focusing on seamless integration, user privacy, and delivering tangible benefits through smart algorithms and machine learning, businesses can position themselves for success. The key is to approach all development decisions with a user-centric mindset, focusing on how technologies can solve problems, streamline processes, and create meaningful benefits for your target audience. In other words, always prioritize creating value for your users. Further Reading & Resources Gartner: Learn To Build an AI Strategy for Your Business Apple: Machine Learning Research InspiringApps & Brain+Trust: AI & Data Privacy Webinar Recap

1 month ago

Image Source: Apple Newsroom

Apple announced its “AI for the rest of us” plan. But what does that mean for the future of digital products in enterprise, mid- and small-sized businesses? In this article, we’ll explore the implications of Apple’s AI strategy and share key takeaways for business leaders navigating the evolving landscape of AI-driven innovation.

But first—a little “AI housekeeping.”

A Working Definition of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) focuses on creating smart machines that can learn from data, identify patterns, and perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence. Unlike traditional software solutions that rely on explicit programming and predefined rules, such as “if the customer’s age is greater than X, do this” or “if the bank balance is greater than Y, do that,” AI systems can make decisions without being explicitly programmed for every scenario.

Recommendations for Businesses

A little over a year ago, Brad Weber, CEO of InspiringApps, spoke with Tim Hayden about AI and more, as the above video captures (for the full conversation, see the playlist AI & Data Privacy: InspiringApps & Brain+Trust webinars). Considering the latest announcements at Apple WWDC 2024, we followed up with Brad to capture more insights and business recommendations. We found that Apple’s approach to intelligence mirrors our own in many ways: seamless integration, user-focused design, privacy, and business efficacy.

A young woman holding an iPhone with headphones relaxing on a green field.

1. Focus on enhanced user experiences.

Recommendation: Through seamless integration, focus on delivering tangible benefits to users that take advantage of Apple’s AI-driven user experiences, such as personalized recommendations and predictive features.

“AI has enhanced the Apple user experience for many years. Has your phone predicted your commute time to work when you are a few blocks away from home? Has your watch calculated the total yards of your swim workout and broken down the distance by stroke? Both features (and many more) are driven by AI, but Apple treats that as an implementation detail users don’t need to know about. They should just experience the surprise and delight.”
—BRAD WEBER, INSPIRINGAPPS CEO

Most people have experienced AI without realizing it. “Hey Siri, read my messages” is a prevalent example of AI in everyday life. With Apple adding more ways to engage with app functionality through Siri and system-level features, properly defining and configuring App Intents may become a new strategy for businesses to ensure their in-app content and services are discoverable and intelligently integrated into users’ queries and workflows.

For example, the improved typing interface with Siri could make Apple devices and apps more accessible for users with certain disabilities or situational impairments that make voice input challenging. If these intelligent features prove useful for accessibility, businesses may be able to reach and serve a broader audience.

Businesses using messaging platforms for customer engagement could also leverage the new intelligent writing and summarization tools to streamline communication and quickly synthesize key points from lengthy customer inquiries or feedback, improving response times and quality.

2. Prioritize user privacy.

Recommendation: Be transparent about data collection and usage, give users control over their data, and take every precaution to protect user information.

AI enables computers to tackle complex problems and operate in the “gray areas,” where they can develop their own solutions based on the given goals or outcomes. To achieve this, AI relies on extensive data to effectively train models and make precise predictions or decisions, such as identifying objects in images or determining the optimal course of action in a given situation. This reliance on large datasets for training AI models raises important questions about data privacy and the implications of using personal information in developing AI systems.

“With the new generative AI features in iOS 18, Apple will continue to prefer the privacy of on-device processing. When server capabilities are required, limited data is sent to Apple, and none of it is stored beyond the current ‘session.’ And if Chat GPT (and other engines/providers in the future) are beneficial, users will explicitly approve each data share. It is highly unlikely that any user-identifiable data will be sent to OpenAI as part of those interactions unless the user specifically opts in with their OpenAI account details.”
—BRAD WEBER, INSPIRINGAPPS CEO

In short, Apple’s commitment to privacy is a key differentiator, and businesses should follow their lead.

3. Consider Swift 6 adoption.

Recommendation: Consider adopting Swift 6 for your development projects to reach a wider audience and streamline your development processes.

“I’m excited to see Apple’s Swift 6 push on Windows and Linux, including improved Swift language support in Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code editor. Our team enjoys Swift development, and the language’s safety features have definitely reduced incidents of crashes on Apple devices. I look forward to those same benefits on other platforms.”
—BRAD WEBER, INSPIRINGAPPS CEO

4. Stay adaptable.

Recommendation: Businesses should explore the full spectrum of AI and machine learning technologies to find the most effective solutions for their specific needs.

From predictive analytics and recommendation engines to computer vision and natural language processing, there are numerous ways to harness intelligence to benefit users and drive business growth.

“It’s important to remember that generative AI is not the only form of AI. Although it has captured headlines for the last year or two, there are loads of other ways to benefit users with the thoughtful use of AI and ML.”
—BRAD WEBER, INSPIRINGAPPS CEO

Advanced predictive analytics can provide valuable insights into future trends and user behaviors. Intelligence can use data analysis to predict popular features, design elements, and evolving user needs. This foresight can inform decisions, helping to create digital products that meet current user expectations and are well-positioned to adapt to future demands.

Smart Business Moves

Apple’s advancements present both opportunities and challenges for businesses of all sizes. By focusing on seamless integration, user privacy, and delivering tangible benefits through smart algorithms and machine learning, businesses can position themselves for success. The key is to approach all development decisions with a user-centric mindset, focusing on how technologies can solve problems, streamline processes, and create meaningful benefits for your target audience. In other words, always prioritize creating value for your users.