Minimum Code

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of Growth of Designair, a company that provides the cloud platform for CAD application  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Minimum Code?

We were building a SaaS platform, and I needed someone to work alongside me to do it faster. I started building the platform's prototype and ran into my own limitations, so I needed external support to do it better.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Minimum Code supports our SaaS platform's UI/UX design and development. Initially, the team helped me with Bubble development, and I did the backend. We've expanded our engagement into further build-out of the SaaS platform as well as UI/UX design, and Minimum Code has already done some of the platform's existing UI/UX. For all new functionalities, the team has done all the UI/UX exclusively. The team has also done technical integration through APIs with many different platforms, such as Shopify, Twilio, and other APIs.

What is the team composition?

I've worked with four teammates from Minimum Code. They need to dedicate a significant portion of their time to my project because it's a complicated application that takes time to grasp. I wanted to work with a small team, and I'm currently working with three teammates dedicated to my project.

How did you come to work with Minimum Code?

I found Minimum Code on a freelancer platform and contacted them because I figured out who they were on LinkedIn. I worked with the team via the freelance platform for the first three months of our engagement, and then we started working directly because they did good work. I evaluated Minimum Code's hard and soft skills. I found the team to have the hard skills we needed, and in the interview, I discovered they were extremely proactive and knowledgeable. 

One of Minimum Code's teammates had been a business consultant and understood the business well. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around €5,000 (approximately $5,500) monthly, so we’ve spent over €50,000 (approximately $55,000 USD) overall.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Minimum Code in October 2023, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?f

Minimum Code has taken the app from prototype to MVP in 3 months and then into full production. As a result, we're well over 100 daily active users 9 months later. Although this is a SaaS with a relatively high price per user, We've gone through some teething problems, but Minimum Code has solved them. The team is on standby 24/7, and if there is a production issue, they respond within minutes and jump in to fix it immediately. 

Minimum Code has taken the app from prototype to MVP, and we're now at about 100 daily active users. The revenue per user per month is about $200. Although this isn't a cheap application, it saves my company significant money every month. We've gone through some production issues, but Minimum Code has solved them. The team has been on standby for 24 hours, and if there is a production issue, they respond within minutes and jump in to fix it immediately. 

Our organic growth has been phenomenal (> 1000% user growth in 9 months), and we have a robust platform. Minimum Code isn't just a team of developers; they've also helped us develop our processes and tooling. The team isn't just building an app for me; they're building a business with me. When I push go-live for new features and enhancements, there are no quality issues anymore. We've worked through some challenging issues where we really have pushed the boundaries of the technology, and we're still developing our tooling, processes, and best practices. We can push code live with confidence, which is extremely important for me.

How did Minimum Code perform from a project management standpoint?

To provide you with some context, I have over 30 years in leadership roles in software development under my belt, not least managing a $75 million international professional services delivery organization with 500 direct and indirect employees and a portfolio of thousands of projects. So I have high standards and expectations in this area. We work in Agile and don't have fixed deliverables. We've agreed on purely time and materials (T&M) per project. 

We have three short weekly stand-ups to review the ongoing activities through tickets and an Agile tool. We started with long meetings because everything was still in flux, but we've achieved a great operating rhythm. This means that the more teammates Minimum Code adds to the project, the less time we need to review work. This is a rare accomplishment in software development. 

Now, we have one stand-up per week to discuss more strategic and business development topics. We have two quick checkpoints with 15-minute stand-up meetings. I need minimal effort to get maximum results. This is important to me because this allows me to focus on marketing and sales. We work in three-month sprints, and at the end of each sprint, we do a retroactive process to review what went well and what needs improvement.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Anatolii (Bubble.io Developer) is awesome. Tom (Founder & Bubble.io Developer) is great, too, and I've been working with him for almost a year. The entire team is excellent, and if I could, I'd give three shout-outs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Minimum Code really understands what it means to build a business. I don't think many product development organizations have such mature systems with so little investment. I have 30 years of experience in IT project management, and I'm really proud of the product we've developed and our process, which is a productive and high-quality machine. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Minimum Code is continuously improving. Both Tom and I are extremely open to doing things better. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend listening to Minimum Code because they bring a wealth of experience. The team understands business needs and budgets and will maximize your budget, whether big or small. I suggest taking their advice seriously and learning from the best practices they’ve built up. Your success with Minimum Code is based on your willingness to learn. The more professional you are, the better the team will perform.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of a marketing company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Marketing for local companies

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Minimum Code to accomplish?

• Create a working saas App

SOLUTION

How did you find Minimum Code?

Online Search

Why did you select Minimum Code over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Minimum Code were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Tom was tasked with taking rough mockups I provided and turning them into a fully functional application using Bubble.io, a no-code platform. However, his role went far beyond just executing the designs. Tom created a sophisticated two-sided platform, integrated a CRM system, and developed a tracker for monitoring compliance. 

What truly sets Tom apart is his proactive approach—he didn’t just follow the mockups blindly but thoughtfully considered whether each element made sense and how it could be improved. His ability to think critically about the application’s functionality and user experience was instrumental in refining and enhancing the final product.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The success of the project is demonstrated by several key outcomes:

1.  Functional Code: The most immediate outcome was that the code Tom developed worked flawlessly, allowing us to move forward without delays or setbacks.
2.  CRM System for a Highly Regulated Industry: We successfully developed a CRM system tailored to an industry with stringent regulatory requirements. This project went beyond creating a basic MVP; it involved carefully considering and integrating the necessary compliance features to meet industry standards.
3.  Incremental Development: The project was carried out step-by-step, feature-by-feature, over several months. This systematic approach ensured that each aspect of the application was thoroughly tested and optimized before moving on to the next, resulting in a robust final product.

These outcomes not only demonstrate the technical success of the project but also highlight Tom’s ability to manage and execute a complex, long-term project with precision and attention to detail.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We began the project with email contacts and weekly correspondence, which worked well to establish a foundation for our collaboration. As the project progressed, we transitioned to a more structured approach using a ticketing system. This system allowed us to efficiently manage tasks and track progress.

One of the standout aspects of Tom’s project management was his flexibility and understanding of the software development process. Naturally, we sometimes needed to revisit old tickets—a common occurrence in development. 

However, Tom never questioned the need to revisit these tickets because his approach was focused on delivering functional outcomes rather than simply tracking hours. This was incredibly valuable as it meant that he was committed to ensuring that every function worked perfectly, rather than just completing tasks for the sake of it.

Tom was always responsive to my needs, clearly communicated if something was out of scope, and demonstrated a strong understanding of the industry. Importantly, he consistently delivered all work on time, which made the entire process smooth and reliable.

What was your primary form of communication with Minimum Code?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I was most impressed by Tom’s calm and professional manner and the way he contributed to our project. He went beyond just taking screenshots and turning them into an app. Instead, he truly thought about the service we were building and aimed to create something genuinely usable. Tom was not just focused on completing the project for monetary reasons; Minimum Code is invested in ensuring that the end product will be effective and beneficial.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Minimum Code could have done differently?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Fractional CPO

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We hired Tom to build an MVP for us. He was professional, prepped and punctual. Loved working with him. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Minimum Code to accomplish?

Build MVP of a new project in Bubble.io

SOLUTION

How did you find Minimum Code?

upwork

Why did you select Minimum Code over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Minimum Code were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• mobile and web designs
• MVP build via Bubble.io

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

luanch of MVP

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

• weekly calls
• tasks on clickup
• async comms on slack

What was your primary form of communication with Minimum Code?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Tom is very on top of things.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Minimum Code could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Product of a video review platform

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We're a video review platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Minimum Code to accomplish?

• Get our platform up and running

SOLUTION

How did you find Minimum Code?

Upwork

Why did you select Minimum Code over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Minimum Code were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Implementing our two-sided marketplace app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Implementation according to your designs and requirements.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They showed great adherence to schedule and delivery.

What was your primary form of communication with Minimum Code?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Great for building out our MVP

Are there any areas for improvement or something Minimum Code could have done differently?

Testing end to end before submitting to us for review would have avoided some feedback loops.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of a pensions company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We're building the next generation of company pensions for Germany

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Minimum Code to accomplish?

• Create an MVP
• Setup our Backend Processes

SOLUTION

How did you find Minimum Code?

Online Search

Why did you select Minimum Code over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Minimum Code were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Deliver an MVP in Bubble
• Create a scalable no-code Backend

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Great communication
• Great project setup
• Live MVP that is being shown to our Investors and customers

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

• They were very proactive in how they managed the project. 
• We used a Trello Board, regular checkins and Slack. 
• All of my request were dealt with in a fast and professional manner. 

What was your primary form of communication with Minimum Code?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Minimum Code had a quick understanding of my needs and great communication and structure in their project management.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Minimum Code could have done differently?

Not for my project