Our Live Projects - Deep Dives

Real work we've shipped. Real problems we've solved. Real results we've delivered.

1. Beltline Golf - Booking System with Leaderboard

The Problem

A local golf simulator facility needed to:

**Before:** Fully manual. Owner tracked bookings in spreadsheet. Missed bookings because phone lines were busy.

The Solution

**Type:** Web app + Admin dashboard

**Tech Stack:** React, Node.js, Stripe API, Firebase

**Timeline:** 8 weeks

**Investment:** ~$10K (80 hours @ $125/hour)

**What we built:**

1. **Customer Booking System**

- View available time slots (calendar view)

- Select desired time, number of golfers, duration

- Automatic email confirmation

- Add to phone calendar

2. **Payment Processing**

- Stripe integration for credit cards

- Venmo for cash customers

- Receipt generation

3. **Digital Waivers**

- PDF form filling

- E-signature

- Compliance with insurance

4. **Leaderboard**

- Track competition results

- Score calculation

- Public rankings

- Best scores historical view

5. **Admin Dashboard**

- View all bookings

- Manage rates/pricing

- Refund processing

- Export reports

The Results

Key Lessons

1. **Simple features > complex features** - We built what was actually needed, not everything possible

2. **Mobile first** - 80% of users book on mobile

3. **Integration matters** - Stripe integration saved $200/month on payment fees

4. **Automation** - Email confirmations reduced customer support by 40%

5. **Testing** - Tested with 20 beta users before launch

What Worked Well

✅ Owner was involved throughout (feedback, testing)

✅ Clear success metric (increase bookings)

✅ Simple, focused MVP (no bloat)

✅ Real payment integration (not sandbox)

✅ Fast iteration (deployed weekly updates)

What Was Harder

❌ Integrating with their existing Stripe account (setup took 1 week)

❌ Getting digital signatures right (compliance = complexity)

❌ Getting owner trained on admin dashboard (3 sessions needed)

❌ Handling edge cases (what if someone books then cancels mid-round?)

You Can Apply This To:

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2. TradeAlerts - React Native Trading App

The Problem

A trader had a React Native app with:

**Before:** App had 47 TypeScript errors, PWA compliance issues, deployment issues. App crashed on slow networks.

The Solution

**Type:** React Native app + Progressive Web App

**Tech Stack:** React Native, TypeScript, Node.js, Firebase, Vercel

**Timeline:** 2 weeks (rapid sprint)

**Investment:** ~$1.6K (13 hours @ $125/hour)

**What we did:**

1. **Fixed TypeScript Strict Mode**

- Enabled strict mode (found hidden bugs)

- Type-safe API responses

- Proper error handling

2. **Fixed PWA Compliance**

- Service worker caching strategy

- Offline functionality

- Install prompt

3. **Fixed Performance**

- Reduced bundle size by 30%

- Optimized images

- Lazy-loaded routes

4. **Deployment**

- Set up Vercel for instant deploys

- GitHub integration for CI/CD

- Automated testing

The Results

Key Lessons

1. **TypeScript catches bugs before production** - Worth the upfront cost

2. **Service workers are complex but powerful** - Offline support is key

3. **Speed matters for trading apps** - Every 100ms affects trading decisions

4. **Automated testing prevents regressions** - Can deploy with confidence

What Worked Well

✅ Clear scope (just fixes, no new features)

✅ Automated testing from day 1

✅ Daily deploys (fast feedback)

✅ Pair programming (2 devs = knowledge transfer)

What Was Harder

❌ TypeScript strict mode found subtle bugs

❌ Service worker caching edge cases

❌ Coordinating between iOS and Android releases

You Can Apply This To:

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3. Gratog - Project Management Tool

The Problem

A team needed a lightweight project management tool with:

**Before:** Team used spreadsheets and email threads. Hard to track progress. People didn't update status.

The Solution

**Type:** Full-stack web app

**Tech Stack:** React, Node.js, PostgreSQL, WebSockets, Docker

**Timeline:** 12 weeks

**Investment:** ~$15K (120 hours @ $125/hour)

**What we built:**

1. **Task Board**

- Kanban-style columns (To Do, In Progress, Done)

- Drag-and-drop tasks

- Add descriptions, due dates, assignees

2. **Real-Time Collaboration**

- WebSocket for live updates (see team changes instantly)

- Activity feed

- Comments on tasks

3. **Dashboard**

- Team overview (who's working on what)

- Progress metrics (% complete, on-time rate)

- Burndown charts (agile teams)

4. **Notifications**

- Task assigned to you

- Task due soon

- Someone commented on your task

The Results

Key Lessons

1. **Real-time collaboration > manual updates**

2. **Notifications work** - Only notify about relevant things

3. **Mobile matters** - 30% of updates come from mobile

4. **Simpler is better** - We left out time tracking (they didn't want it)

What Worked Well

✅ Weekly demos with team (instant feedback)

✅ Started with MVP (board + tasks only)

✅ Added dashboard later (based on feedback)

What Was Harder

❌ Real-time sync is complex (data consistency)

❌ Database optimization (queries with 1000+ tasks)

❌ Mobile UI (too much info for small screen)

You Can Apply This To:

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4. etc-app - [Description Coming]

*In progress - Deep dive documentation being prepared*

Quick Overview

**Type:** [Web app / Mobile app / Full-stack]

**Status:** Live in production

**Users:** [Number of users]

**Key metric:** [Primary success metric]

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5. Image-to-SVG - Batch Image Converter

The Problem

A designer needed to convert hundreds of PNG/JPG images to scalable SVG format.

**Before:** Used Photoshop manually. 5 minutes per image. 500 images = 2,500 hours of work.

The Solution

**Type:** Web app for batch processing

**Tech Stack:** React, Node.js, ImageMagick, AWS

**Timeline:** 4 weeks

**Investment:** ~$5K (40 hours @ $125/hour)

**What we built:**

1. **Upload Interface**

- Drag-and-drop multiple files

- Show progress

- Batch processing

2. **Conversion Engine**

- Auto-convert PNG → SVG (color tracing)

- Auto-convert JPG → SVG (edge detection)

- Adjust quality/detail settings

3. **Download**

- Download single file or all at once

- Auto-naming based on original

The Results

Key Lessons

1. **Automation pays for itself quickly**

2. **Cloud processing for heavy lifting** (image conversion)

3. **Simple UI for complex backend**

4. **Quality settings matter** - Different images need different settings

What Worked Well

✅ Solved a real, painful problem

✅ Clear ROI (2500 hours of work → 1 hour)

✅ Fast deployment (4 weeks)

What Was Harder

❌ Image processing is CPU-intensive

❌ SVG quality varies by image type

❌ Finding right tracing algorithm

You Can Apply This To:

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What Our Projects Share

1. **Clear Problem**

Each project solved a specific, painful problem. Not a "nice to have" - a real blocker.

2. **Simple MVP**

We started with minimal features and added based on user feedback.

3. **Focus on UX**

The best tech is worthless if users can't figure out how to use it.

4. **Measure Results**

We track what matters.

5. **Fast Iteration**

We deploy often and gather feedback constantly.

6. **Maintenance Mindset**

We don't "finish" and leave.

---

How We Priced Each Project

Beltline Golf

```

Scope: Custom booking system + payments + leaderboard + admin dashboard

Estimate: 80 hours

Tier: Professional (60 hours/month, would span 1.5 months)

Pricing: $7,500/month × 1.5 = $11,250

Actual: $10K (slight discount for relationship)

```

TradeAlerts

```

Scope: TypeScript fixes, PWA compliance, performance, deployment

Estimate: 13 hours

Tier: Starter (could fit in 1 month of Starter tier)

Pricing: $2,500/month × 1 = $2,500

Actual: $1,625 (emergency rate, rapid sprint)

```

Gratog

```

Scope: Full project management tool, real-time sync, dashboard, notifications

Estimate: 120 hours

Tier: Professional/Enterprise (would span 2 months Professional)

Pricing: $7,500/month × 2 = $15,000

Actual: $15K

```

Image-to-SVG

```

Scope: Batch image processing, conversion engine, AWS integration

Estimate: 40 hours

Tier: Starter/Professional (fits in 2 weeks Professional tier)

Pricing: $7,500/month ÷ 4 = $1,875/week ≈ $5K

Actual: $5K

```

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Questions We Get Asked

**Q: How did you know what to build?**

A: We talked to the user constantly. Built what they actually needed, not what we thought they needed.

**Q: How long did these take?**

A: MVP launches ranged from 2 weeks (TradeAlerts) to 12 weeks (Gratog). We shipped fast, improved based on feedback.

**Q: Are these profitable for the users?**

A: Yes. Beltline Golf generates $15K/month revenue. Gratog saves 10+ hours/week per team member. Image-to-SVG saved $50K in labor.

**Q: Can we see these projects?**

A: Some are live (links on our projects page). Some are private (NDAs). We can show you video demos or case studies.

**Q: How much did they cost?**

A: $1.6K - $15K depending on scope. Beltline Golf was $10K for 8 weeks. Gratog was $15K for 12 weeks.

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How to Work With Us on Your Project

1. **Tell us the problem** - Not the solution you want, but the pain point

2. **Describe who uses it** - Who's the customer? What's their workflow?

3. **Define success metrics** - How do you know if it worked? (bookings, time saved, revenue, adoption)

4. **Answer our questionnaire** - Design scope, integrations, timeline, team level

5. **Get estimate** - We estimate hours and pricing

6. **Kick off** - Weekly demos, rapid iteration, real feedback

7. **Launch** - Ship to production, monitor metrics

8. **Iterate** - Based on user feedback, add features, improve

**Ready?** Fill out our inquiry form to get started.