Want to develop your own app? Here is where I started, solo developing Get Adulting!

When I had the idea for the Get Adulting app two years ago, I truly had no idea where to begin. I have a strong marketing background and have built websites/small businesses before (shoutout to my high school cupcake business!!) but had not done advanced coding before. When I first was exploring the idea of what the Get Adulting app would look like, I first attempted to make a drag-and drop app. I think I tried to use Adalo but quickly realised it wasn't what I needed. Drag-and-drops are more like mobile websites: I noticed there is very limited functionality beyond images, forms, etc. My next step was a Kickstarter! I thought this was a great idea and I had a feeling other people would see the value in it so I created a Kickstarter page! I anticipated a strong hourly for a developer and other costs (but truly just guessed) and had a starting goal of $40,000. No idea if that was too much or too little, but I just truly believed in my idea! However, the concept of raising money for a concept of an app from someone who wasn't VC backed or had a ADHD/Nuerodivergent licensed background to build trust ultimately didn't feel realistic. But I still believed in my idea. So I took to Reddit!! Here is my actual post:

One kind comment suggested:

So that is what I looked into, just doing it myself! Looking back now, I would probably suggest learning Flutter or something similar so I could've launched on Android from the beginning!! At this time, I did not know that Xcode language was so different from Android kotlin. But there are some great swift tutorials out there! Plus, Xcode has suggestive code helpers that can help you along. Some great, well-regarded resources I recommend: https://www.hackingwithswift.com/100 The official Apple Swift documentation: https://docs.swift.org/swift-book/documentation/the-swift-programming-language/guidedtour/ https://www.udemy.com/course/deep-dive-ios-16-swiftui-programming/ Now if you have an idea and you are ready to learn but you are scared of the costs/maintenance of app development, do not worry!! Here is a breakdown of some of my costs and what I'd personally recommend. This is simply the route I went and I want to share because I think app development should be more accessible! Apple Developer Cost: $100/year. Can't avoid this, this is the cost! Apple takes 30% of app proceeds, but you can apply for small business to reduce that to 15%!

Firebase: This is what I use for authentication. That is the only purpose since my app is designed offline, so there are no associated datastore or other server costs. Authentication usage (how my app is designed) is free up to a certain amount, so very low cost associated with using Firebase.

Website: I host on Wix, ~$30/mo and domain is $10/year That's it! I hope this makes one person out there feel inspired to bring their idea to life. You don't need investors or $20,000+ upfront - you can just start! You can make your app offline (no AI, no servers, data-safe), you can make it affordable, and you can make your dream come true while actually helping people.

Thank you to everyone who supported my dream, it means everything to me!! With lots of love,

Breanna The Get Adulting Foundation offers a Women's Dev Fund up to $1,000 with applications opening January 2027.