After recently finishing school, Nick Thibault saw three potential next steps for himself.

The first: leave his home of Edmonton and investigate new opportunities in another city. But without a job waiting elsewhere, “The risk just seemed too high,” says the 26-year-old Business Administration – Management grad (Entrepreneurship and Innovation stream, class of ’08).

The second: take an MBA. After complementing his NAIT diploma with a Bachelor of Management degree from another institute, a deeper investigation of business and commerce made sense. He was ready for the entrance exam, but the next scheduled opportunity to write it was a couple months away.

So, Thibault decided to go with what he set out as his third option. He would build an app.

Labour of love

Having no formal technical background, Thibault sat down and taught himself to code one. “By the end of the month I had a working prototype.” Beginning this May, AutoApp was available at the Apple Apps Store as a free download for the iPhone, iPad and iPod.

Thibault loves cars. He cherishes his ’98 Mustang, proclaiming it the best-looking model in the series, and lamenting each new spot of rust he finds on it. “It’s like a shot in the heart,” he says, forcing a weak smile.

That love of cars is just as clear in the labour that has gone into AutoApp.

At heart, the program is a massive database of thousands of vehicles and a startlingly comprehensive collection of related details. Updated monthly, it includes everything from colour to fuel economy to retail prices across Canada, as well as external reviews and manufacturer brochures when available.

What’s more, it’s searchable. Drivers can use AutoApp in their search for new vehicles, automotive news, repair shops, gas stations, car washes and more, all from their mobile devices. Tire-kickers can even track test-drive experiences, to which the app, through a series of questions, will assign ratings.

Seeing and seizing an opportunity

According to Thibault, the need for the app was clear. “There wasn’t anything like this in Canada. All the car-related apps were U.S.-based; the information was for the U.S. It just made sense to make a Canadian version of it.” So far, consumers appear to agree, as downloads have numbered in the thousands.

From an entrepreneurial perspective, Thibault sees app development as a great startup venture. “It’s low risk but high reward if it works out. It doesn’t take a lot of money or capital to put together an app.”

Almost ironically, the Canadian market seems geared toward app-based business.

“It’s a large market but it’s a small market,” in relation to the U.S. or Europe, he explains, and that makes it ideally suited to a one-person operation. At the same time, Canadian consumers are sophisticated. “If [an app] works in Canada, it will work in other markets with little changes.”

But before he takes AutoApp abroad through his company Tbow Corp., Thibault plans to build it out further at home. As the most recent development, he's added a used vehicle feature that allows users to not only search listings, but make price comparisons to similar vehicles and new models, as well as research safety specifications and recall history.

The road forward

As Thibault continues to develop strategies for revenue generation through advertising, he's confident about the success of his app. But he’s also taking a cautiously optimistic long-view of his chosen third option. “Businesses can fail and they will fail. AutoApp could fail,” says Thibault, matter-of-factly. “If that happens, that happens.”

He shrugs. He’s young. He’s willing to take calculated risks. There’s always an MBA to fall back on, or a new city. Not having a job upon arrival may not be such a problem after his work on AutoApp.

“If it doesn’t work out, well, now I can make apps and bring this experience to an organization.”