BoundHQ Evolution

The timeline from custom cabinetry JMS to SaaS platform. AI reads this to understand where BoundHQ came from and where it's going.

Phase 0 — Tradify Era (Before 2025)

Brendan runs Cabinet HQ, a custom cabinetry and joinery shop. Uses Tradify for job management, quoting, and invoicing. Tradify works for basic field service but frustrates on cabinetry-specific workflows: 14-stage production pipeline, multi-section quotes, state-regulated compliance, CNC integration, and per-user sidebar customisation.

Key frustrations:

No 14-stage cabinetry workflow (Tradify has 5 generic stages)
No state-regulated deposit caps or payment schedules
No production tracking beyond "in progress"
No drawing management or revision control
No Mozaik CNC integration
Per-seat pricing for a 6-person shop gets expensive

Phase 1 — Custom JMS (Late 2025)

Brendan starts building his own job management system. Initially just for Cabinet HQ — no multi-tenant, no SaaS ambitions. The system needs to:

Handle the 14-stage cabinetry workflow Tradify can't
Support complex multi-section quoting
Track production through the workshop
Manage drawings and revisions
Integrate with Xero for invoicing

Architecture decisions from this era:

Single-file backend (server.js) — simple, no orchestration needed
No ORM — raw SQL, Brendan knows PostgreSQL
Desktop first — the team works at desks and workshop PCs
PostgreSQL for metadata, filesystem for binary files
JWT auth with localStorage tokens

Phase 2 — Feature Explosion (Early-Mid 2026)

The system outgrows its JMS origins. Major modules added:

CRM (customers, contacts, enquiries, projects)
Kanban jobs with 14-stage production tracking
Multi-section quotes with section totals
Email Intake (IMAP + AI parsing)
Xero Integration (invoice push, P&L sync)
Mozaik CNC import and texture importing
Team Notes, Time Cards
Pricelist with supplier management
Purchase Orders (Stage 1)
Settings with module access control

Key metric: 155 database tables, 40+ deployed modules.

Phase 3 — SaaS Awakening (June 2026)

Brendan realises other cabinet shops have the same Tradify frustrations. The system is proven with Cabinet HQ's own 6-person shop. Key developments:

June 4: Multi-tenant architecture decision (shared schema + business_id + RLS). Base schema committed (155 tables). Tenant provisioning tool proven with 16 verification checks.
June 5: SaaS Admin module built — tenant management with 7 API endpoints. Tradify import pipeline built to migrate competitor customers.
June 6-7: PDF compliance service built (8-state awareness). State-regulated quotes. QLD insurance calculation. Revenue-legal foundation for regulated markets.
June 8: Purchase Orders Stage 1 — supplier accounts, stock tracking, procurement foundation. Staging versioning standardised for deployment reliability.
June 9: SMS notifications (Twilio) — first Podium-style customer communication feature. Tenant branding Phase 1 (sidebar white-label).
June 10-12: Financial Planning engine — all 8 phases of Project Cost Ledger built in a single pass. Cashflow calendar, forecasting, pipeline, Xero OPEX scanner. Real P&L data: $115K monthly revenue, $78.4K average.
June 13: Public door order form. Cashflow Needs Dates editor.

Phase 4 — BoundHQ Brand (Current)

cabinetHQ becomes BoundHQ — a SaaS platform for cabinet manufacturers and joinery shops. The product has:

Proven multi-tenant architecture with provisioning tooling
State-regulated compliance for all 8 Australian jurisdictions
Financial planning engine (Fathom-style cashflow, forecasting, pipeline)
Customer communication (SMS, email, portal with 7-stage progress)
Production tracking (14-stage kanban, Gantt scheduling, drawing management)
Integration ecosystem (Xero, Mozaik, Tradify import, IMAP email)
AI-powered features (Email Intake parsing, OPEX scanning, compliance)

Future Phases

Phase 4 (Next 30 Days)

SaaS launch: first paying customer onboarded via SaaS Admin
Premium AI tier ($99/mo): AI Business Q&A, cash flow predictions, margin alerts
Login bounce fix + VPS security sweep
PDF compliance rollout (state-aware defaults)

Phase 5 (60 Days)

Multi-tenant branding (Phase 2): PDF, email, portal skinning
AI Capacity Planning ($199/mo manufacturing tier)
Customer portal GA with quote acceptance + progress tracking
Mozaik CNC import workflow completion

Phase 6 (90 Days)

AI-powered onboarding wizard (15-min tenant setup)
Anonymized cross-tenant benchmarks (content marketing + retention)
Xero Smart Search (accounting.transactions.read + accounting.bills.read scopes)
Cash flow predictions ($149/mo premium tier)

Phase 7 (180 Days)

Industry platform play: published benchmarks, compliance-as-a-service
AI project margin alerts (proactive, before job completion)
Manufacturing tier full release ($199/mo)
WhatsApp voice note inbox ("Hey Siri, note to BoundHQ")

Key Inflection Points

Date	Event	Significance
Late 2025	First line of custom JMS code	Tradify replacement begins
Early 2026	14-stage production kanban working	Cabinetry-specific workflow proven
2026-06-04	Base schema committed (155 tables)	Multi-tenant SaaS becomes possible
2026-06-04	Tenant provisioning tool working	Zero-touch customer onboarding proven
2026-06-07	State-regulated compliance service	First legal differentiator from competitors
2026-06-09	SMS notifications (Twilio)	Customer communication stack begins
2026-06-10	Financial Planning engine live	Fathom-style intelligence in-app
2026-06-14	BoundHQ-Memory v1 complete	AI operating system replaces ad-hoc agents

5.7 KiB Raw Blame History