History behind my “projects”
The past..
MealPlanningClient1(MPC1)
Was the first and biggest success in my previous company’s history.
We started our collaboration from a small task.
At first it was a simple WordPress website, that used 1 plugin that can hide content. Plus one plugin for payment system. But it worked. It had 1500 active users, so SaaS model worked well.
We basically rewrote this project from scratch. Our team worked on this project for about an year.
For me, it was not just a job.
We had long chats at night with Client1(owner and content curator).
Future plans were discussed.
I explained our current development process.
I think this personal approach was the key to trust and success for both sides.
When we launched it in October in a few months, she had 10k users(because we added 3 different meal plans) and it start to be more personalized. One year after our release, she gave me access to admin again and I noticed that she had 15–19k of users that pay for her meal plans. For sure, people using her service for a long time(more than 1 year) — enjoy big discounts, but I enjoy the result and the fact that I’m related to it.
She spends $Xk for our service. The main user base was built after collaboration with Amazon deals.
MealPlanningClient2(MPC2)
In 8 months I found another owner that wanted to replicate MealPlanningClient1 website.
We didn’t use previous code or logic. We built it from scratch.
As I knew the basic problems, I created a long explanation document. In the middle of this project, my company was dead.
We ran out the money. We had(still) a dept of our employees(salary) and 2 clients(we have 2 projects in a middle with obligations to complete them). I and my partner took 1 project each.
In next 9 months, both the projects were completed.
The next step was to figure out what the next step will be and how to raise funds.
I decided to create a simple recipe related app
The idea was simple. I knew I was interested in meal planning software. I also wanted to build an app for my previous client. So I created a fast version of the app and offered it to MealPlanningClient1 first.
She refused. But I kept going.
Networking + nutrition startup
In need of funds, I worked for a project related to food delivery.
In the meantime, i grow my network at AngelList and buzzed a lot different Food Tech owners.
I found this gentleman, an investor from Chicago, who had equity in Portuguese startup, related to dietary software(focused on doctors workflow).
I created a post-project documentation as part of my interview(20 pages at least). I cleared it, but I decided not to apply. I wanted the decision making freedom, I wanted to create something and not be a mere developer for another person’s creation.
This company did pretty well in the past years. Great progress was made. A lot of pleased clients and saved hours.
And this is where ChickenKyiv story began.
Recipe API(first 10 month i don’t have a better name for this project)
Chicken Kyiv is the current name of my big project related to recipe market.
I believed the project would work because:
1. I had experience in the field.
2. I was emotionally motivated and wanted to prove I am more than simply a monkey coder.
3. There is simple scope in the field. The first project was done for $Xk, we received $0.3Xk for a second project(and loose at least $0.1Xk). The second project had more complex and advanced structure and more possibilities for extending and evolving.
My idea was simple: if I can create a similar project and set $1k per year price(or less or free, who know it, right?) — I think it can change the rules.
I planned on selling this project to my first client, so her project could evolve into something new and more interesting.
But few month ago I spoke to food-related crowdfunding company owner and she told me that ChickenKyiv had a bigger potential. The obstacle was I could not raise cash without being incorporated at US or Ireland.
In Ukraine, we have a war and Silicon Valley bank block any “actions”.
The idea, a new project(ChickenKyiv) can kill the main business(MealPlanningClient1), and was inspired by the history of Amazon. They sold paper books and invented an e-ink pocketbook.
I knew how these projects worked on the inside. I understand places, where a developer can be stuck for weeks, for months.
I know how bad turnaround can freeze launch for months.
But without a certain cashflow, building something from scratch is time consuming and difficult.
I started from creating an API server. This server was to give and save data requested by the app. It was built in 6 months.
Initially it was related to the previous projects but now it’s completely independent.
GroceriStar
Things were not turning great. There was no much progress for months. At that time I found an “Ultimate Grocery List Template” on the web. I’m not a cook, so food content is always a big pain. I decide — I’ll fork a main API, remote 90% of logic and create a separated project. I move data from Excel file and displayed it in the new project — GroceriStar.
My UI has a lot of problems, page speed was not well, mobile version was not user friendly.
I redid 30% of the project to make necessary amendments.
I wanted to extend this project. But I figured that this small side project has a big technical debt too.
What the future holds..
Still GroceriStar project :) yes, it confusing, i understand that
Next steps will be about clean up.
The code has a lot of mistakes that will be fixed.
Front end and back end will be seperated. The front will be built with React framework. So users will see static pages on browser and data will came from API calls.
10% of the current functionality is hidden because it does not matter at the given moment.
For first users, this version is good.
Next Big Milestones(GroceriStar project):
- Create an app
- Save purchased items
- Budget planning
- Online food ordering
The code of GroceriStar can be used by end-users that purchase stuff at shops.
And developers can use my open sourced repo as a starter for a new food tech projects.
Thanks for reaching the end
