Build, Run, and Sell Your Apple Consulting Practice: Business and Marketing for iOS and Mac Start Ups

by Charles Edge

Starting an app development company is one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do. Or it sends you into bankruptcy and despair. If only there was a guide out there, to help you along the way. This book is your guide to starting, running, expanding, buying, and selling a development consulting firm. But not just any consulting firm, one with a focus on Apple.
Apple has been gaining adoption in businesses ranging from traditional 5 person start ups to some of the largest companies in the world. Author Charles Edge has been there since the days that the Mac was a dying breed in business, then saw the advent of the iPhone and iPad, and has consulted for environments ranging from the home user to the largest Apple deployments in the world. Now there are well over 10,000 shops out there consulting on Apple in business and more appearing every day. Build, Run, and Sell Your Apple Consulting Practice takes you through the journey, from just an idea to start a company all the way through mergers and finally into selling your successful and growing Apple development business. What You'll Learn Who This Book Is For
Business owners looking to grow and diversify their companies as well as developers, engineers, and designers working on Apple apps who would like to branch out into starting their own consulting business.

472 pages, Paperback

Published August 10, 2018

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will be honest. Apples excite me. Perhaps I am weird but it seems western culture is rife with advice involving apples.
-an apple a day keep the doctor away
- if you wanna change a society sit under an apple tree and wait to get hit on the head - maybe you can finally figure out what the hell quantum mechanics is all about. Particles? spirits? Help?
- It is also possible if you eat an apple off the wrong tree you may piss god off. Wait maybe that was a date..*thinking if middle eastern pastoralists types had apples*

In all seriousness this is a pretty good primer for those who are thinking about starting their own business. Edge begins by pleading with the Reader. To, for the love of god, he says - within my paraphrasing - do not start a business. Have an easy life, get your 401k and corresponding benefits do not follow my path.
It is similar to in jewish law (halacha), for when you ask a jew if you can join the answer is always "no, I assure you this isnt a fun life"
cmon
"no"
cmon
"you sure you wanna join?"
yea
"ok , wait a year"

Edge makes this book geared for those who want to start a business related to tech that uses apple computers. In reality the ideas in here are quite practical and universal to all business.

I shall present some of the questions this book grapples with and makes you think about:

What shall you do as a business ?
What can you do on your own?
Why do you wanna start a business?
Who would pay you for your services?
Who should you hire?
Where do you find them?
What should they be like as a person?
When should you hire a HR person?
When do you hire an accountant?
Should you actually hire an accountant? (hint: yes. Otherwise youll get wrecked by taxes),
When do you get software to automate your work?
Who should be your friend?
Do you need friends? (what. Yes obviously)

Recommended:
- Those academically interested in business
-Those who wanna be their own boss
- those who like to say "im an entrepreneur - look at my tie."
- those who need some guidance in the path of business

[Thomas Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read with many links for further information. On my edition many of the links did not where labeled and seemed like an "off-by-n" problem easily fixed.
Many details covered are US specific, but usually the high level things are the same or similar so still useful.
The book is fairly long in pages, but in practice an easy read and many pages includes links for further study of a topic.