Tristan building Tayo.pro within a year, experience as an entrepreneur

After leaving Tayo to launch my first startup, Goplan—a collaborative platform for architects and engineers—I embarked on a journey that was both demanding and exhilarating… but also exhausting. Once Goplan was completed, I felt the need to pause, regain some balance, and perhaps pursue a more stable, less intense role.

It was in this mindset that I reconnected with Tayo. I offered to lend a hand, without any specific plan. The CEO at the time, Étienne, welcomed me back—not just as a developer, but with an entirely new idea: a dedicated application for service providers.

And surprisingly, I initially said no.

I needed to breathe. Entrepreneurship had been intense, and I was craving peace and quiet. Then, during a job interview for a more stable role, I had a realization. Walking out of the meeting, I caught myself thinking, “With this calm job, I could build an app on the side…” That’s when it hit me: I was made to build things. And I wanted to do it with people I respect.

So I said yes.

Étienne and I set ourselves a challenge: within two months, determine whether this idea had real potential.

I quickly began interviewing service providers—carpenters, electricians, plumbers. The message was clear: they wanted to digitize, but not with tools imposed by property managers. Their reality? Paper schedules taped inside vans, WhatsApp groups for sharing job photos, and office staff wasting hours trying to organize digital chaos. What struck me most was their ingenuity: a strong will to improve, even with makeshift tools. That’s when the idea for  Tayo.pro  was born.

Building a Product Solo—In a Structured Environment

The first two months were entirely focused on preparation: business scoping, field interviews, early mockups, product planning. I wanted a solid foundation—and, more importantly, to validate that customers were willing to pay before any code was written. And they were. Several companies pre-ordered Tayo.pro based solely on the vision I presented. That remains my proudest achievement.

From a technical perspective, I chose practical tools: Flutter, Firebase, and a serverless architecture. Not out of ideology, but because I needed to move quickly, alone, without managing infrastructure. The product had to be lightweight, maintainable, and accessible across mobile, desktop, and tablet.

The goal was simple: create a hands-on app that required no training. While Tayo’s core product supports complex workflows for property managers—with collaborative and legal challenges requiring customer success support— Tayo.pro targets a much broader, fragmented market. The challenge was to build something intuitive, clear, and fully self-service from the first click. With built-in tutorials, contextual tooltips, and a robust user experience, Tayo.pro takes simplicity seriously.

I remember one day struggling with cross-platform navigation—tablet, mobile, desktop—nothing behaved consistently. At the same time, I was reading an article by a fellow developer who shared how his side project had failed at launch due to poor tech stack choices. It was a moment of doubt. But these moments come with the territory.

Test Fast, Adapt Smartly

Within three months, the first usable version was ready. It addressed the needs of office teams: centralized request management, clear status visibility, seamless communication with property managers. The field features—mobile app and job reports—were intentionally scheduled for later.

Over the following months, early users rigorously tested the tool. Their feedback was invaluable. No major pivots were needed, but continuous refinements followed: better information hierarchy, more intuitive navigation, clearer status indicators. That’s when I realized how much user experience depends on the smallest details.

What kept the project stable? A disciplined approach to refactoring. Every time I stumbled over a piece of code or couldn’t follow the logic, I rewrote it. The result: I can now add or modify features without breaking existing ones. I’m proud to say we’ve never had a major production bug. The time invested early on now pays off in robustness, peace of mind—and agility.

Intrapreneurship, but Not Alone

I never felt the loneliness often associated with entrepreneurship. I was working in an inspiring environment, surrounded by a supportive team. Tayo’s new CEO, Johan, was a key ally, as were Lauriane (Product Owner), our developers, and customer support. Collective intelligence is real at Tayo.

Our company culture is strengthened by small rituals: spontaneous team lunches, casual afterwork gatherings, a quick ping-pong match between meetings. We even celebrate small wins together. What makes the effort worthwhile is sharing it.

And then there are the unexpected moments: like the evening Hélène and I attended the 50th anniversary celebration of one of our first clients—Ducommun SA, a local carpentry business. It was an immersive experience—seeing the real-world context of our product. That kind of moment gives deeper meaning to what we’re building.

Father, Developer, and User: When Life Intersects

Sometimes, my son stays home while I work. One day, he sat next to me, tapped on the desk mimicking my typing, and pointed at the screen: “Daddy, it’s not working, it’s red.” He had spotted a red line in my code editor. It wasn’t an error… but it was hilarious.

What I’ve Learned and What’s Next

The biggest product challenge? Managing workflow fragmentation. Each service provider works with multiple property managers—some using Tayo, others not. Some have ERPs, others custom tools. I had to create a unified, consistent, and reliable workflow, regardless of the data source. That takes time.

The biggest hurdle? Administrative delays early on: contracts, legal matters, commercial terms. It slowed our launch, but in the end, gave us a strong foundation.

Luckily, feedback like this makes it all worthwhile: