Maybe, just maybe, the world is a little flatter than I actually thought.
About three months ago I picked up Thomas Friedman’s globalization doctrine “The World is Flat” and honestly didn’t get a whole lot out of the book. It’s not that it was poorly written or an uninteresting topic, it was just that I wasn’t reading anything that I found to be horribly surprising. Businesses buy goods, find customers, and then can ship the goods pretty much anywhere across the world. Maybe a surprise to the business world of 20 years ago, but is it a crazy thought in today’s economy with our high tech generation?
Let me take a timeout here to admit I was wrong. Globalization is happening so quickly that even an internet junkie like me has a hard time keeping up. Working on iPhone development over the last couple of months has made that so obvious to me and I hope that everyone can have a similar experience. This new global economy can be a scary place, even for an iPhone app developer, but with it comes a huge amount of opportunity for those willing to step outside their comfort zone and take a roll of the dice. As an example, let me talk about our team a little bit.
CollegeKidApp.com is a real small development studio in Northwest Indiana. We’re a recent start up of three college kids looking for a shot to play with the big boys, learn a bit about entrepreneurship, and maybe even make a buck or two in the process. It’s an unbelievable opportunity and something that wouldn’t have been possible ten, five, or even two years ago. However, thanks to the easy to learn iPhone SDK and some great collaboration software, we’re able to work whenever from wherever and take our shots at the Goliath’s of the industry. With the help of Google, Apple, and a couple other tech giants, we’re able to develop software on the same level as companies like Sega or Electronic Arts. We can use AIM or G-Mail to trade design documents or discuss design documents. Twitter and Google allows us to find potential customers around the world.
Secure payment systems like PayPal allow us to conduct transactions without any fear of lost payments. It’s almost too easy and absolutely ridiculous that three college kids from the midwest even have a chance to compete, but that’s the new flat global economy. It’s not human or financial capital anymore. It’s all about heart and desire.
That’s not to say it’s easy, because none of it has been easy for us so far. It requires creativity, long hours, and the guts to work on something you’ve never seen before. Will the rewards be bigger than the risks in the long run? I don’t think anyone on our team can be sure of that right now. However, I do think that if we keep putting in the effort we have thus far, we can’t help but see some positive results.
We’re pretty open as a team and have been documenting our entire adventure so far and I encourage you to check out our website if you have any interest in the iPhone development process from the viewpoint of an indie developer. Stop by and check out our progress, ask a question, or just wish us a bit of luck, we’d love to hear from you.