The Friction: A Real-Life Problem Worth Solving
A year ago, I wasn’t planning to build a venue discovery platform. I was helping organize a wedding in Mumbai and realized that something as basic as finding a banquet hall was a nightmare. No centralized system. No real-time availability. No way to compare pricing, amenities, or food type. People were relying on random WhatsApp forwards, old phone numbers, or outdated Facebook pages. That’s when I knew there was a real problem here—one screaming for a simple, scalable tech solution. That pain point became the foundation for The Banquet Hub.
The Stack: Simple, Scalable, and Cost-Efficient
I didn’t have VC money or a big tech team. Just the will to solve something useful with tools that wouldn’t crash under scale. So I chose a lean, practical stack:
Frontend: React with Tailwind CSS for a fast, responsive UI
Backend: Node.js + Express for flexibility and scalability
Database: MongoDB for its schema-less structure (perfect for varied venue data)
Image Storage: Cloudinary
Hosting: Vercel for frontend, Render for backend
Forms & Lead Handling: Formspree initially, then custom-built for better tracking
Search/Filters: Hand-rolled logic for MVP, moving to Algolia for advanced filtering
Admin Panel: Custom-built with Next.js for fast venue onboarding and moderation
This stack allowed me to move fast, test features quickly, and avoid over-engineering. The goal was to stay user-centric, not feature-centric.
The Learnings: Build What People Use, Not What Impresses Engineers
What surprised me most wasn't building the tech—it was building the trust. Families planning weddings want clarity, not complexity. They want a quote, a real photo, and someone who replies. So instead of building AI features or deep integrations upfront, I focused on the boring stuff: response times, quote forms, venue verification, SEO. And it worked. Today The Banquet Hub gets daily organic traffic and consistent lead submissions from users in multiple cities—without paid ads. I’m now working on expanding the platform into tier-2 cities, integrating WhatsApp-based quote handling, and building a mobile-first PWA.
If you’re a solo dev or indie hacker: pick a problem that actually sucks for people and solve it well. That's more powerful than chasing the latest trend. And if you’re building for India—keep it simple, fast, and mobile-friendly.
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