1. The best way to learn something is to jump in . . . but developing a web application can take quite a bit of time . . . meeting your clients needs with one c

1. The best way to learn something is to jump in . . . but developing a web application can take quite a bit of time . . . meeting your clients needs with one can take even more time. 2. I would start by developing a small app for your self, or a very small/well defined app for a client first. I would use Rails or Laravel (Laracasts.com). You'll want to go through building a login system, login, logout, dashboard page for the app, CRUD, that will get your feet wet. I would use bootstrap for the design or something off wrapbootstrap. 3. Think about what they are wanting to do. Would it be better to be able to log in from anywhere to add/view/edit info rather than sharing a spreadsheet? Basically is there value in setting up a web app. Are they ok with paying for monthly hosting, backups? And paying you for updates/maintenance. Plus the initial cost of your time to develop it. Keep security in mind . . . using Rails or Laravel and following best practices is a good start but just getting started with web apps I wouldn't take on anything too sensitive. I would recommend hosting with digital ocean, If you do use Laravel they have a nice tool called Forge to setup/deploy your app. Good luck.