From MVP chaos to a scalable travel platform

Picture this: You're in Paris, looking for a cool spot to grab drinks. You find a place but the TripAdvisor reviews are mixed: too expensive, not worth it. So you skip it. Next day, you hear on the radio that Jay-Z and a bunch of other celebreties were there that exact night.

That frustrating near-miss sparked the idea for Daymaker, to create more authentic travel inspiration solution. Today, it's a social platform with 700,000 users that matches travelers with authentic tips based on how they actually like to explore. But behind the seamless experience was a crumbling tech foundation that nearly broke everything.

This is the story of how Daymaker outgrew its MVP, found the right partner, and transformed a vibrant but fragile community into something built to last.

The challenge

"We launched with an MVP... but it was a pricy endeavour," says Jeroen, co-founder of Daymaker. "As soon as we wanted to pick up speed, working full-time, growing, running ads, we hit walls everywhere."

The problems were very tangible:

• SEO was nonexistent unless someone searched "Daymaker" specifically

• UX was clunky with complex uploads and no personalization

• Every change broke three other things due to massive interdependencies

"You couldn't add a simple feature without impacting the entire system," Jeroen reflects.

Daymaker had momentum, a growing community, increasing reach, and a clear vision to evolve from travel content to a platform where users and brands could meet through authentic storytelling. But their tech wasn't keeping up. What they needed wasn't just a rebuild. They needed a partner who could think with them.

Finding the right partner

Jeroen evaluated 16 agencies, narrowing down to 4-5 finalists, then 2. What set Dashdot apart?

"Maarten really understood our struggles and helped us tackle them. When we had platform issues, he'd actually help solve them before any contract was signed. That pre-consultancy built real trust."

Three factors sealed the deal:

• Genuine enthusiasm (not just another sale)

• Understanding startup constraints

• Long-term vision for building internal capabilities

"I'm allergic to the 'telecom operator mentality', agencies more focused on landing new clients than serving existing ones. We didn't get that feeling with Dashdot."

Our approach

From the first conversation, it was clear this wouldn't be a surface-level redesign. Daymaker came prepared: functional analysis in hand, a clear scope, and a stack of big ambitions.

We joined as co-strategists, not just builders:

• Re-architected for modularity so changes wouldn't break everything

• Mobile-first UX redesign as the old platform was "a gigantic problem on mobile"

• Streamlined uploads with smart auto-save features

• Built-in personalization from day one

• Empowering toolstack Vercel, Neon, PostHog for non-dev team autonomy

"An, your developer, was amazing," Jeroen recalls. "A developer who can actually communicate well, that's rarer than you'd think."

It wasn't always pure sunshine and rainbows. There were scope clarifications and a tight go-live timeline. But through focused sprints, transparent communication, and shared problem-solving, we shipped our V2.

What set this project apart wasn't just the outcome, it was a joint way of working. Mutual trust. Honest feedback. And a shared obsession with quality.

The results

User growth & engagement

• 700K+ visitors with growing organic traffic

• Shifted from 80-90% branded to diverse SEO

• Average session duration up to 4+ minutes (well above competitors)

• Many more different people uploading trips, not just a few heavy users

Technical empowerment "I can now pull data from our database myself now using Neon's AI," Jeroen explains. "That's huge for a non-technical team."

The bottom line "It's a platform we're proud to invite users to now," Jeroen says.

Even more important: Daymaker can now run and scale confidently. Their team, without a full-time in-house developer, is able to work with tools like PostHog, Neon, and Vercel, giving them autonomy without sacrificing sophistication. The stack isn't just functional. It's enabling them to grow autonomously.

What's next?

Daymaker is expanding B2B partnerships (90% retention rate), exploring Germany and the Nordics, and building loyalty tools. But they're thinking smart about growth.

"We only want to build an app when it adds real value over the web platform," Jeroen reflects. "Not everything needs to be an app just because you can."
(Louder for the people in the back, Jeroen!)

And Dashdot? We're still part of the ride. Not just to build features, but to help Daymaker dream bigger, scale smarter, and stay authentic as they grow. Stay tuned for what’s to come.

Some startup advice from Jeroen

1. Write your own functional analysis document with must-haves vs. nice-to-haves.
2. Plan in phases and get quotes for the phases upfront.
3. Build buffer budget. 10-15% for improvements you'll discover is a must-have.
4. Clarify scope. Both parties need to understand what "done" looks like.
5. Communication matters. Work with developers who speak human, not just code.

What began with frustration ended with a future-proof platform. But this isn't the end of the story. Daymaker is proving that with the right technical foundation and partnership approach, startups can build systems that scale without breaking, or breaking the bank.