App Development for Startups with Garage2Global — A Founder’s Field Guide
If you’re evaluating app development for startups with Garage2Global, this field guide shows how to move from idea to install with predictable cost, fast learning cycles, and guardrails against the usual early‑stage risks. We’ll cover the seven decisions that determine 80% of your outcome, practical budget bands, a vendor fit scorecard, and a 30/60/90‑day launch plan.
The 7 decisions that determine success
Most outcomes in early product work trace back to a handful of choices. Lock these down and you’ll avoid the slow, expensive version of learning.
| # | Decision | What “good” looks like | Risk if ignored |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Problem framing | One‑sentence job‑to‑be‑done + “can’t‑fail” metric | Pretty features, no traction |
| 2 | Scope fence | Max 4 critical journeys; a written cutlist | MVP bloat, missed dates |
| 3 | Timeline posture | Weekly demos; release ≥ bi‑weekly | Late discovery of bad assumptions |
| 4 | Build model | Agency vs. in‑house vs. freelancers chosen for speed/risks | Coordination drag, hidden costs |
| 5 | Stack choice | Cross‑platform by default; native for deep device needs | Re‑writes, performance cliffs |
| 6 | Data & security | Collect minimum data; implement least‑privilege access | Compliance risk, slow reviews |
| 7 | Ownership & handover | Founder owns repo, CI/CD, cloud, docs, and IP in SOW | Vendor lock‑in, hard exits |
Budget bands & cost architecture
Think in bands rather than line‑item crystal balls. Prices vary by scope, seniority, integrations, and quality gates—but predictable patterns exist.
| Band | What it includes | Typical team | Timeline | Est. budget* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lean MVP | Auth, 2–4 journeys, analytics, crash reporting, CI/CD | PL, 1 mobile dev, designer, shared QA | 6–8 weeks | $40k–$70k |
| MVP Plus | Payments, push, roles/permissions, admin v1, basic observability | PL, 2 devs, designer, QA | 8–12 weeks | $70k–$130k |
| V1 Market | Integrations, localization, offline, performance pass, growth hooks | PL, 2–3 devs, backend dev, designer, QA | 12–20 weeks | $130k–$260k |
Cost controls that don’t hurt the product
- Hosted first: rent auth, payments, analytics at MVP; own later if needed.
- Design wisely: ship a consistent pattern library, not pixel‑perfect everywhere.
- Quality gates: automated tests for critical paths; human QA for new flows.
- Scope fence: every added feature must tie to activation or retention.
Timeline scenarios: fast, standard, stretch
| Scenario | When it fits | Cadence | Deliverables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast lane (6–8 weeks) | Single core job, few integrations, decisive team | Weekly demos; releases weekly/bi‑weekly | MVP ready for small cohort test |
| Standard lane (8–12 weeks) | Payments/push, admin v1, 1–2 integrations | Weekly demos; bi‑weekly releases | MVP+ with analytics and growth hooks |
| Stretch lane (12–20 weeks) | Offline, localization, multiple integrations, stricter QA | Weekly demos; governed releases | Market‑ready v1 with performance pass |
Vendor fit & due diligence (Garage2Global included)
Use this scorecard to compare partners—including Garage2Global—on what actually predicts success.
| Dimension | What to look for | Score (1–5) |
|---|---|---|
| Scope discipline | Explicit cutlist; DOR/DOD used weekly | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
| Speed & cadence | Live demos weekly; bi‑weekly releases | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
| Ownership & handover | Repo/CI/CD/cloud owned by you; docs included | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
| Evidence | Metrics, before/after, or anonymized snapshots | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
| Compliance posture | Least‑privilege, data minimization, lightweight DPIA | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
Legal/ops guardrails for your SOW
- IP assignment to you; open‑source licensing review baked into DOD.
- Access control: your accounts; vendor uses SSO; off‑boarding checklist included.
- Handover bundle: architecture diagram, runbooks, release checklist, env vars, secrets process.
“Stack Fit Index” for Flutter, React Native, or native
Score each option 1–5 on the criteria below; pick the highest total.
| Criteria | Flutter | React Native | Native (Swift/Kotlin) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed to MVP | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Complex native features | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Team skills on day one | 4 | 5 (web React skills transfer) | 3 |
| Performance at scale | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Maintenance cost | 4 | 4 | 3 (two codebases) |
Security & compliance on day one
- OAuth/OIDC for auth; rotate secrets; secure token storage.
- Collect minimum data; set retention windows and deletion paths.
- Role‑based access control; least‑privilege in cloud and admin.
- Crash reporting, rate limiting, input validation; dependency scanning in CI.
- Privacy notice in‑app; consent for tracking; audit trail for admin actions.
Instrumentation plan: events that matter
Core events:
- app_opened
- signup_completed {method}
- first_value_moment {feature}
- purchase_completed {sku}
- push_opt_in
- session_end {duration}
Funnels:
- First open → signup → value moment
- Value moment → repeat value within 7 days
Cohorts:
- Acquisition source × feature adoption × Day‑7 retention
30/60/90‑day launch plan
| Window | Focus | Key outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Days 0–30 | Activation: remove friction; fix crashes; confirm value moment | >20% activation; crash‑free sessions >99% |
| Days 31–60 | Retention: habit loop, notifications, content slots | Day‑7 retention trending upward; time‑to‑value < 2 minutes |
| Days 61–90 | Growth: referral or pricing experiments | First scalable channel test; LTV/CAC hypothesis |
Common traps and how to fix them
| Trap | Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| MVP creep | Roadmap keeps expanding | Hard cutlist; add only items tied to activation/retention |
| Uninstrumented work | “We’ll add analytics later” | Define events before sprint 1; block merges without instrumentation |
| Vendor lock‑in | No repo/CI access, opaque infra | Your accounts, your keys; handover bundle in SOW |
| Design overreach | Pixel‑perfect v1 everywhere | Pattern library first; polish after signal |
Mini case patterns
- Creator tool (6 weeks): offline draft → export → share. 4.6★ rating after 250 reviews; 22% weekly actives after month one.
- Field ops app (9 weeks): scan → sync → schedule. 35% faster job completion vs. paper baseline.
- Fintech companion (12 weeks): OAuth → insights → nudges. 28% increase in weekly retention vs. web‑only.
How to start now (step‑by‑step)
- Write the bet: who you serve + moment of value in one sentence.
- Set the metric: pick a North Star; add two leading indicators.
- Fence the scope: list ≤4 journeys; park the rest.
- Choose the stack: use the Stack Fit table; default cross‑platform.
- Draft the SOW: IP to you, your repos, your cloud; handover bundle listed.
- Plan the cadence: weekly demos; releases at least bi‑weekly.
- Instrument first: define events before sprint work begins.
- Launch small: cohort test; fix friction; watch Day‑7 retention.
FAQ
How much does app development for startups with Garage2Global cost?
Expect early builds to cluster between $40k and $130k for MVPs and $130k–$260k for fuller v1s, depending on scope, integrations, and QA depth.
How quickly can we launch?
Lean MVPs often ship in 6–8 weeks; MVP Plus lands in 8–12 weeks; complex v1s can take 12–20 weeks.
Do we keep the IP?
You should. Make code, CI/CD, cloud, and documentation ownership explicit in your SOW, with a complete handover checklist.
What stack should a startup pick?
Default to a modern cross‑platform stack unless you require heavy native features or ultra‑low latency, which favors fully native.
What analytics are non‑negotiable?
Events around signup, first value, purchase (if relevant), and session quality—plus crash reporting and basic cohorting.
How do we prevent scope creep?
Adopt a written cutlist tied to activation or retention. No tie, no build.