“I have an idea for an app” Part 1

I said this about 5 years ago.

1 year later I was at the beginning of getting that idea developed.

1 year after that we were on the front page of NBCNews.com and received press from about a dozen other publications.

There are few people more qualified to give advice on how to start an app from scratch. Why do I believe this? I started RentHoop, a mobile app for iOS and Android, as a 23-year old without…

• Knowing how to code
• Friends to do the coding
• Funding
• Going to a prestigious college
• Joining an accelerator

I’ve haven’t heard many people reach that level of notoriety or “success” from that starting point, although I’m sure they’re out there.

My goal for this series is to present what is possible if you have an idea. There is all kinds of advice on startups elsewhere, but very few are comprehensive and address the entrepreneur at their earliest stage when they might not have any money or connections.

Writing this has been on my heart for awhile. While my startup has done well without any funding, it hasn’t made me financially independent (or even close) — one of my goals when I started.