New ideas....

As you know...we are new to the app development world and new to the blogging world too! Seems like a double whammy, but on the bright side, if a pro see's your work and offers their suggestion (even if it is really pity), I'm all ears!

So, this morning I met up with a couple marketing guru's for a walk on the beach. Pretty good way to have a business meeting, if I do say so myself. Anyway...this post is more for me than anyone-it's my way of jotting down my notes from our get together...and hopefully, it will help you too.

1. Niche marketing is key. I thought I knew my market-moms! That's not too difficult to figure out...but within that huge market there is a small, more intertwined group that could help us propel our app forward...way better than a very broad group. So, I have an idea-now I need to implement.

2. What's unique about our app? Market that unique quality...again within your niche market.

3. Run my advertising campaign from facebook. That's another obvious thing...but the way it's done is anything but obvious...at least to me. My friend offered some suggestions like watching a webinar or attending a conference. If I find anything good I'll let you know.

4. Now for the piece of advice I was kinda bummed to hear, but I'm very grateful to know...my blog has got to change. I am talking to other developers and small business peeps, but really my focus should be the mommies who will buy our product. Good lesson.

Thanks for reading!

Marketing and Cleaning-the life of an app creator!

Sam and I are both the CEO,CFO and just this morning I added another title, CCE. You haven't heard of such a title??? Well, let me enlighten you. CCE is Cleaning Crew Extraordinaire. Yes, when you are the owner of such a fancy office...you have to have a corresponding title. After all we do work from our garage...

Now on to some really good stuff...

I was pleasantly surprised as I fished through my friend's FB posts and discovered Sean, our music guy (see picture below), was featured in the Bucyrus Telegraph, not in just a little column, he was on the front page! You go Sean! Click below for the article


http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/article/20110425/NEWS01/104250303/Bucyrus-HQ-worldwide-clientele-digital-musician



Also, I discovered a couple really basic things All independent app producers should know.

1. Make sure your description in the App store conveys the right message. I noticed that our sales were lagging, so I changed the paragraph to "Easter App" and sales went straight back up. This morning I changed it back to a more generic, "counting game", since the holiday is over and we might just get some interest from the article in the paper.

2. Send out press releases on anyone and everyone who helped you put your app together. Send out more press releases when you hit milestones. I sent out several and only one was picked up, but I think I may still be able to salvage a couple more. Regardless, send them...you never know.

3. Corporate Sponsorship. As you know, I'm always talking about marketing. Well, I read somewhere that you can build an exclusive corporate sponsorship for your app and immediately my wheels began turning. I'll update you if it works...but it sounds good! You would benefit from all of their advertisement...and if it's a big profitable company, and you have an app that fits their model...you may be featured in one or more of their commercials. Like I said, I'll keep ya posted.

Until next time.

Happy Computer Day!

Today is going to be a good day. Yesterday, Sam had to do an operation on his computer...as you can tell by the picture below. He worked all day fixing the beast and voila, he now has a new machine. He changed out the hard drives and reworked everything, something that literally boggles my mind, anyway...he's happy and I'm happy he's happy!

We now have a completion date on the book...looks like mid July...but I'm probably going to add a couple weeks onto that...just to make certain. I am going to try and find someone from Apple who will help us with some events. Our kick-off is going to take place in Savannah, Georgia, where Sam went to Art school and I'm planning a techno/art/book making event. Like I've said before, marketing, marketing and more marketing.

Speaking of marketing...our own Sean Beeson was just recently interviewed by his hometown paper about Hop 2 It and the part he played in producing the music. Have you listened to the music on the game? It's awesome...he's awesome...really. He has composed a lot of different scores for a lot of different projects and we are just glad he decided to help us with our endeavor! You'll hear his music on the book too...stay tuned!

Computer Problems...

We have computers...lots of them. You seem to need a bunch of these boxes continuously working on your behalf to get anything accomplished...and last night we had some sort of meltdown. Sam set out to fix the problem and did something last night to correct it, but when we checked this morning...it had stopped. That is always a bad feeling.

So...Sam will be working today on the technical side of things while I continue to plug along on the marketing. I'm about to begin coordinating our book tour. Yes...we are going to travel with our app in order to get some press, do some networking and in general spread the good word! We'll start off in Savannah...where Sam attended art school and make our way up the coast. I'll give you more details as the tour draws near.

Yesterday, our composer, Sean Beeson was interviewed by his local paper. That's the first press we've received and I'm grateful...but I want more!

I'll keep you up to date on the computer situation...kinda bummed.

Until next time.

Good morning Monday....

What a wonderful weekend. It was really hot here in Socal...and we worked in the yard all day on Saturday...felt good to be outside. Today we start anew and back to the computers!

Today I am finishing up some press releases. I was talking to a friend about spreading the word and he mentioned how so many people make apps but don't do any marketing. I think that's why there are so many apps and no one knows about them. Then again...there are hundreds of thousand of applications that are just plain bad. You open it...and that's it. There's a cat standing there or an old lady or something really bizarre. If you haven't ever perused the app store...do it just for fun, or if you are really bored.

Sam is trying to finish up with the programmers today. Well, I shouldn't say finish up...but more like arrange everything for them so he can go back to drawing. He is almost finished with the illustrations...well, relatively speaking. He's on page 21...and there's 31 pages. Seems like we will never finish, but everyday we make progress. We still need to record a couple voices for Grandpa and we need him to also sing the lullaby at the end of the story. I've got a couple ideas but will share those later!

Here are some of Sam's drawings...where the magic begins!

Have good one!

Thanks everyone!!

On Wednesday we asked our friends to help us spread the word about Home Grown Apps and our little game called Hop 2 It. In a day we received about 80 "likes" on our facebook page and a couple blog followers. Thank you!!!!!! We also got a good amount of Hop 2 It downloads...so that was all so helpful and heart warming!

A couple of our friends sent pictures of their little one's playing the game...so adorable! I love to watch kids play the game. It's funny to see and hear what they like, what they don't like and how some of the boys just like to crack the eggs! Hilarious! Boys and girls are just different. One very tiny girl...probably too young to play, cracked one of the eggs and almost cried. We were kinda scared...and almost changed the game, but decided, a cracked egg couldn't possibly be anything like all of these other war and gun games, so we kept it.

I was in Trader Joe's about a month ago and there was a little boy riding in the shopping cart. All of the sudden he pulled out a toy gun and started shooting the lasers at me. I laughed, not at him but at his mother's reaction. She was mortified and apologized. I said, don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure he's going to turn out ok. She seemed to be relieved that I wasn't alarmed and somewhat grateful that I didn't give her a lecture.

Motherhood has got to be a tough job...Who knows what's right? There's a new theory probably every other day...so don't be too hard on yourself mommy-it will all be alright! Some of you are probably already saying...what does she know...how does she know my kid is going to be ok??!?!? Well, I don't, but I do know one thing. Worrying about it won't do a bit of good. So relax a little.
Hopefully, our games and books will give you a little respite from your hectic day of parenting.

Autism Awareness Month...and why we are doing what we are doing.

Hello! I'm posting early today!

If you know me personally, then it won't be a shock to you if I speak my mind...tell you what I really think and feel-so, here goes.

I've been inspired...and I've been reading and researching.

When we first began this journey...not starting our business...but this venture called Home Grown Apps, I wasn't sold. I'm not a technology person. I hate computers...and I love them all at the same time. The iPad seemed silly to me...but it was the hot new thing, so I tried it. I still don't care for it...but there are people who do...children with autism...and they are more important than my old fuddy duddy self.

Don't get me wrong. We didn't start making apps because we knew anything about autism. We started because we wanted our own business...and we wanted to tell good stories and we wanted to make money and we wanted to help people with the money we made...really. It's a completely selfish thing...because when I do it...it makes me feel soooo good!

Anyway, I thought we could help kids by teaching them moral lessons like how it isn't right to steal or lie or be prideful, but I had no idea that we could actually impact the way a child behaves as he/she plays the game or reads our book. It has been said that the iPad is a miracle device for
kids with autism...and I'm now beginning to believe it.

There's another group of kids I want to help too. The poor children in our public schools.

If you don't know...I am from a little Ohio town by the name of Washington Court House. I'm a proud Miami Trace Panther High School alum...but my school is falling behind. I'm not sure how we fare when it comes to how many graduates attend college...or what's our average SAT score, but I do know a lot of kids qualify for free lunch-a lot. My best friend, Christy, is a special education teacher there at MTP and she knows first hand that America's public schools need money, more staff, etc. Oh, and I think she is one of the best things that ever happened to my old school...all bias aside.

I don't want one child to feel as if he/she isn't worthy of love, attention and a good education. I want every kid to have every opportunity the rich kids are afforded. Maybe that's a dream...but that's what I want. I want them all to be learning and working on an iPad...if the educational higher ups deem it the most appropriate way to teach.

Hopefully, we can all work together to give everyone a fair shake, whether it be the poor, those living with some sort of special need or just an old fuddy duddy like me who doesn't want to learn how to use a new piece of technology.

Apple - iPad: Year One

Flower garden update

A hike to start the day....

When you sit at a computer most of the day you really need to get out. Today I met my friend Jill at a park near our house to take in the scenery and get my heart racing (the hills are kinda steep).

I didn't take the pups...I felt guilty, but they aren't the quick little things they once were and if you are trying to get in a little work out they just can't keep up. Anyway...it was beautiful and hanging with my friend is always nice (She's the girl who came up with Hop 2 It)!

Like I promised yesterday...I'm going to give you a little insight on bloggers and how much they can help you if you can reach them.

I started working with Sam about 3 months ago and one of my very first tasks involved research...and lots of it. I talked with some marketing gurus and listened to some TED talks and quickly realized you need a mouth piece...someone, some group, some tribe to sing your praises. Yes, every download we get from friends and friends of friends matter...but once you get that one person who has hundreds of thousands of followers...you immediately become friends with all their friends! It's like joining a fraternity without all the hazing.

My biggest mistake when I started this process was trying to find the perfect blogging partner. Someone who would represent our brand well...someone I connected with...blah,blah,blah. I researched, I google'd, I read and researched some more. Then I made a list. Ok, I am going to contact this person first, then that person next, etc. Well, to my surprise, these bloggers are big business! They don't have time to go through all their emails! Some of them get hundreds...even thousands of messages a day!! Who knew?!?!?!

So....I'm back to square 2. Yes, square 2, not square one....because I believe the research helped me enormously and it also gave me ideas on how to reach these blogging queens.

No tips on working with programmers or talks about programmers...we are talking flowers today. Home Grown, nurtured and admired. Enjoy the pics and the little video.

Until next time.

Monday...

I should be ready to go. I didn't touch the computer yesterday...but I'm still tired.

Sam has already had a meeting with the programmers and he hasn't had the time to give me an update yet...but he said it went well. He's been having trouble with them, and if you've watched any of the videos that's the topic of most of Sam's rants. This is new territory...very new for us, and if you are trying to do the same...I'm sure we are all in the same boat.

The game was easy...well at least it was easy for Sam. He used a program called GameSalad, and if you're a programmer, you aren't happy with that, but for us it was great. Sam was able to figure out how to make the game work and there wasn't this great chasm between he and the techno guys...just him.

Now on to my favorite rant...marketing and advertising. I need a mouth piece. I need an Aaron...the guy who spoke for Moses. I need someone who already has a following-someone who likes to talk and when they talk, people listen. When I have time I'll tell you about mommy bloggers. It is fascinating...and truly unreal. Actually, I'll dedicate my next post to it...because if you are a small business owner...big bloggers mean big business.

You know....I'm pretty lucky. I have a lot of Aaron's in my life and I appreciate everyone of you. With you, we'll make this work.

Until next time.

Getting coffee

Ok...so I was feeling like a slacker...posting so late, so I'm double posting!!
No...Sam made another video today, so I thought, what the heck.
He's talking about working with the programmers, so all you techno guys may want to listen in. Also, Daisy makes an appearance...which is always nice.
It's almost 9pm...but I'm working late tonight. Need to send out more emails. Anyone know any famous singers? We need someone to sing our lullaby...
I'm out...

Drink water

OK...So, it's not very early...

Yesterday I said to get ready...I'm posting early. Well, it's 10:45 am and I'm just now writing. I've been up since 7...and I've been working ever since.

I was awakened by a text from a friend. She said her nephew has autism and loves Hop 2 It...that made me smile. We know our book is going to be great for children with autism...but we really didn't bank on that with the video game. Last night another friend had her 4 year old call and leave a message. She said she loved Hop 2 It. I heart her...and I can't wait to see her. She is the daughter of a dear friend that I only see once in a blue moon and that isn't enough when there's a little one involved. She's old enough to count? She can count past 50? Whoa!

So...today I continue marketing....Sam continues to work with the programmers. Such intense stuff, I couldn't even imagine how difficult that side of things must be. I talked to my aunt Lee this morning. She asked me who created such and such a picture...I said, Sam. Sam rocks. He can paint any picture of anything and make it look effortless. Mark, Sam's right hand man is pretty creative too. He's either created or help to create most all of the 3d models...and that's no small feat. If you go to our Facebook page you'll see some of the paintings.

So...for now I bid you adieu...

The Glamorous life...

So...it's almost 7 pm and I'm just now posting. I'm trying to get use to this blogging thing...and I actually kinda like it...but you have to stay on your toes. This may be redundant...for those of you who have actually read my previous posts...but when I first started researching bloggers, I realized that you have to blog everyday...consistently, posting pictures, info, videos etc. This is work! I'm a writer...a story teller, but not a techno whiz...not even a little bit. I leave that all up to Sam, but he doesn't have time to help me when I'm stuck and I can't remember how to upload a video...so I have to figure it out, and then I get frustrated.

Sam is working with the programmers today. Could you imagine? All of this highly technical stuff and I'm worrying over youtube...wow! Hey, I figured it out...thus...this fantabulous video!

I just can't wait for you to see Bedtime Bunny Tales...it is beautiful. Sam showed me some of what the techno guys have been working on and it is going to blow your mind! There's a page in the book where Grandpa Bunny stokes the fire and you can see the fire roar and move his hand! It is so cool!

Tomorrow I'm posting early...so get ready.

A

Advertising and Marketing...ughh!

So....I am starting to believe that marketing is the most important thing when it comes to ANYTHING! And, when you work from home...these are the kinds of images you are bombarded with all day. Sad puppy dog eyes that want to go for a walk! I digress...back on point.

You can make the best product, cure cancer and bring peace to the middle east, but if no one knows about it...it doesn't matter. I guess I should not be surprised...I did work in television news, but it shocks me every time I go to do anything, that marketing and advertising has to be paramount.

So....all of that to say, Sam and I sat for two hours brainstorming on how we spread the word about Home Grown Apps. We made lists, we looked through Linkedin and Facebook, we thought back to when we were living in Savannah and Austin...memories collided and old wounds were exposed...hmmm, sounding pretty deep. Anyway...we came up with a fairly decent list...so if you are reading this post...you'll probably be receiving a phone call or email soon!

Now...onto our apps. We were pretty bummed to realize we haven't been receiving any compensation for the i-ads we thought were present on Hop 2 It. There was some kind of glitch in the system...so we've missed the revenue we could have been generating, but hey, these are the growing pains of building a game on your own. Sam is not only an amazing artist but he's got the mind of a programmer too...so he was able to figure it out and resend to Apple.

Also...a couple of our friends had trouble upgrading...which was a super bummer...since that is our basic money maker. When they clicked on the next level icon, it would take them back to the beginning of the game. When you build your game...FYI, play it everyday...a couple times a day. Quality control I guess you can call it.

Again...Sam threw a little magical artist/scientist fairly dust on the problem and hopefully it will
soon be fixed too! We are guessing it may take up to 5 days. I hope that's not the case...but I'll keep you posted.

HopTo It PromoVideo

So...I am obsessed, already, with checking out how many downloads we've received for Hop 2 It!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hop-2-it/id427058883?mt=8&ls=1

We haven't advertised, or marketed in anyway yet, so we are super surprised that anyone has actually been able to find us!!

The most remarkable thing is how you connect to the world. Once you publish an app to Apple's App Store you set up an account where you can go see what has been downloaded...from where, how many, etc. It's mind blowing to think that someone in Kuwait is playing your game...the game you built in your backyard-well in the garage! Below is one of the graphs Apple gives you when you publish an app. There are lots of graphs and charts and such too...but this is just an example of one. Sam thinks the garage has mold...thus, the mask.

Top Markets

१ USA	499
2. China	337
3. Canada	64
4. France	59
5. UK	57
6. Saudi	57
7. Russia	56
8. Taiwan	51
9. Thailand	50
10. Japan	49

Welcome!!! This is our very first post...and we are pretty excited and hesitant and a little uneasy...not about writing, but putting everything out there for the world to see, all of our work, our aspirations, dreams and such, but here it is...us, our projects and everything in between!

Today we introduce Hop 2 It...our first iPad/iPhone children's game.
Go to http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hop-2-it/id427058883?mt=8&ls=1 to download.

Hop 2 It, was the brain child of our dear friend Jill Jones, who suggested we needed a game that would help promote our Electronic book...Bedtime Bunny Tales. We thought it sounded like a good idea and since BTBT's central character is Grandpa Bunny we figured we might as well try and release the game just before Easter.

So, we got to work, finished the first version, sent it to Apple and viola, thanks to the speedy Apple Elves, within about a week our game was added to the thousands of others you'll find in the app store!

This all sounds pretty easy huh? Well, I am not going to pretend it was any such thing! My hubby, Sam, is the brains behind all this cute little furry bunny stuff and he has been working tirelessly for several years, and I couldn't even begin to give you all the details-but it's a process!

All I know is we are tremendously happy to be launching Hop 2 It and we are extremely happy to welcome you into our lives.

Today is our first post...but there are going to be many, many more to come. We are going to try and fill you in on how an application is made...give you some background on what it takes to be a developer as well as show you how we decided to take a leap of faith and JUST DO IT!!

Browse the blog,

Download http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hop-2-it/id427058883?mt=8&ls=1

And please tell all your friends!!

Thanks and talk to you soon!!! Oh...please give us feed back on the game, we would love to hear from you!