The Story Exchange, Dana Morgan, The Melody Book
Your Name: Dana Morgan

Business Name: The Melody Book, a software development company

Type of Business: Arts & Entertainment/Children’s Goods & Services/High Tech

Business Location: New York, NY, United States

Website www.themelodybook.com
Twitter @TheMelodyBook
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Themelodybook
Tumblr http://themelodybook.tumblr.com/
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/themelodybook/

Reason for starting
I’ve always wanted to start my own company and make a positive impact on peoples lives. My parents had a business for many years and I know first hand what the sacrifices are, as well as the rewards of being your own boss. I’m a big fan of music and art, and as a software engineer, I take special interest in the crossover between art and technology. There is so much innovation that has taken place in this field and there is much more to explore. My husband, a jazz musician/composer, and I had been wanting to collaborate on a project for years, and when Apple launched the mobile app store, I knew that this would be an amazing platform for us begin our journey.

How do you define success?
To me, success is a balanced combination of a few aspects. Clearly, a company must have sales and profit in order to survive, grow and move on to bigger things. Product quality is another important aspect of success. When you release a product that you are proud of in terms of design, functionality and innovation, that to me is already a success story. Finally, success is when you receive warm feedback from a parent of an autistic child, saying that your app has made a positive impact of their child’s life.

Biggest Success
Some of our media achievements are: – Listed on Apple’s Best apps for Kids/Preschool apps/ Music apps – Featured on Apple’s “New an Noteworthy” – Featured on Apple’s “Staff Favorites” – Mentioned/Reviewed/Featured by the New York Times, Washington Post, Wired magazine, iPad apps for kids for Dummies by Jinny Gudmundsen of USA Today.

What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?
One of our main challenges is to continue climbing up the app store rankings in such a busy and dense market. The app market has become extremely competitive and we are challenged to foresee where the market is headed and stay ahead of the game.

Who is your most important role model?
Steve Jobs, Marissa Mayer,