ZocDoc, the highly successful startup that uses technology to make it easier to find great doctors and book visits with them, has been described as the Uber of healthcare by Forbes Magazine. Here’s the question I get asked most often by my patients who want to start their own businesses in an area like healthcare: how can I replicate ZocDoc’s success? This guide will explain how you can use the same strategies and tactics that ZocDoc used to build their platform from the ground up and scale it successfully.

1) Idea Generation

The first step in creating any business is coming up with an idea for it. Getting great ideas means generating new ones and then pouncing on every good one you can. Don’t judge or analyze anything at first, just start writing things down until your pen runs out of ink. Then sort through your list and circle 5-10 ideas that stand out to you, and set them aside while you work on others.

2) Market Survey

Before creating your first app, it’s important to do market research. Your app won’t stand out if there are already a bunch of apps similar to yours on the market. Do some research into competitors and develop an idea of how you can make your product more useful or appealing than theirs. You might also want to consider target markets, whether that be moms, teens or something else entirely. In order for your app to be successful, it needs to appeal specifically to people who are interested in using it.

3) Create Basic Wireframes

In order to get down how users will interact with your product, you need some sort of visual representation of those interactions. This is where wireframes come in handy: They show how users will navigate through your app or website, which gives you an opportunity to think about what steps need to happen before other steps. For example, you’ll want people who search for something on your site or app to also be able to save it as a favorite or share it with someone else.

4) Finalize Features

As your app’s skeleton takes shape, it’s time to move from brainstorming ideas to choosing which ones you want in and which ones can stay on the backburner. For every idea you have, ask yourself: does it improve an existing process? Is it scalable? Is it cost-effective? If you can’t answer yes to all three questions, you probably don’t need that feature right now.

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5) Hire Talent

There are plenty of talented, dedicated people out there looking for work. The best way to find them is through sites like Elance, which allows freelancers from around the world to bid on projects they’re interested in taking on. You can also search sites like LinkedIn and About.me for potential candidates—just look at their profiles and see if they seem like a good fit for your company. Another option is local meetups, where you can connect with other entrepreneurs and potential hires face-to-face.

6) Get Funding

When you think of funding, what do you picture? Dollar bills swirling around in your bank account? A long line of venture capitalists ready to hand you cash on a silver platter? It may seem like having millions of dollars in startup capital is your only option when trying to create an app like ZocDoc. But that’s just not true! In fact, many successful tech companies were created with very little startup money at all.

Cost of App like ZocDoc

One of the biggest costs that come with creating an app like ZocDoc is marketing. If you want your app to be as popular as its competitor, then you need to create a marketing strategy. In fact, start by gathering ideas and strategies from your competitors. Ask them questions about their strategies. Once you’ve looked at all of these, decide which strategy will work best for your business and use it! On top of marketing, another big cost is developing and programming your app.

Conclusion

Making an app from scratch is no easy task, especially if you’re bootstrapping and not funded by outside investors. The first step is coming up with a plan for your idea and thoroughly researching your market. Once you have your product set, it’s time to get started on making an app like ZocDoc! This process by top mobile app development companies can take many months to years so be patient and persistent when working on creating an app from scratch.