BatchBeam

Crystal-clear supply chain visibility for small batch makers—at a fraction of enterprise costs.

Score: 7.7/10BFMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

Solo founders are frustrated by high costs and poor UX in supply chain visibility tools tailored for small batch production.

Solution

BatchBeam provides a simple dashboard to track raw materials, production progress, and shipments in real-time for small batches. Users input orders and suppliers once, then watch everything flow visually without clunky spreadsheets. Perfect UX for solo founders juggling production without a team.

Target Audience

Solo founders of small batch manufacturing or production businesses

Differentiator

Kanban-style visual boards optimized for batches under 100 units, with zero setup complexity—launch in under 5 minutes.

Brand Voice

friendly

Features

Batch Dashboard

must-have20h

Visual kanban board showing batch status from order to ship.

Supplier Tracking

must-have15h

Log suppliers and expected arrivals with drag-and-drop updates.

Inventory Overview

must-have12h

Real-time stock levels with low-stock highlights.

Order Input

must-have10h

Quick form to add new small batch orders.

Basic Reports

must-have8h

Exportable summaries of batch completion rates.

Email Notifications

nice-to-have10h

Alerts for delays or low stock.

Custom Labels

nice-to-have12h

Generate QR codes for physical batch tagging.

Mobile View

nice-to-have8h

Responsive design for on-shop-floor checks.

Total Build Time: 95 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
subscribed_plantextYes
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • one-to-many with batches

batches

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
nametextNo
statustextNo
quantityintNo
due_datetimestampYes

Relationships:

  • foreign key to users.id
  • one-to-many with inventory_items

suppliers

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
nametextNo
expected_etatimestampYes

Relationships:

  • foreign key to users.id

inventory_items

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
batch_iduuidNo
item_nametextNo
quantity_availableintNo

Relationships:

  • foreign key to batches.id

API Endpoints

GET
/api/batches

Fetch user's batches

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/batches

Create new batch

🔒 Auth Required
PUT
/api/batches/:id

Update batch status

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/inventory

Get inventory overview

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/suppliers

Add supplier

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/reports

Generate batch reports

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + shadcn/ui
Backend
Next.js API routes + Supabase
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
Resend (emails)Plausible (analytics)

Build Timeline

Week 1: Core auth and DB setup

40h
  • User auth
  • Basic DB schema
  • Landing page

Week 2: Dashboard MVP

40h
  • Batch CRUD
  • Kanban view
  • Inventory list

Week 3: Features and flows

35h
  • Supplier tracking
  • Reports
  • Onboarding flow

Week 4: Polish and payments

30h
  • Stripe integration
  • Notifications
  • Mobile responsive

Week 5: Testing and launch

20h
  • Bug fixes
  • SEO
  • Launch prep
Total Timeline: 5 weeks • 165 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No reports, no alerts

  • 1 active batch
  • Basic dashboard
  • Inventory tracking

Pro

$35/mo

Up to 50 batches/month

  • Unlimited batches
  • Full dashboard
  • Reports
  • Alerts

Enterprise

$99/mo

Unlimited

  • All Pro + Custom fields
  • Priority support
  • API access

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 1505%$90$1,080
Month 630010%$1,050$12,600

Unit Economics

$25
CAC
$600
LTV
5%
Churn
92%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 24.0xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

See Every Batch in Real-Time—Without the Enterprise Price Tag

BatchBeam turns chaotic small-batch production into a smooth, visual flow. Track inventory, suppliers, and progress effortlessly.

Feature Highlights

Drag-and-drop batch boards
Instant low-stock alerts
One-click reports
5-min setup

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'Saved me hours weekly!' - Alex, Jewelry Maker"
"'Finally affordable visibility.' - Sarah, Custom Apparel"

First Three Customers

Post in r/smallbusiness, r/manufacturing, and r/Entrepreneur about 'free beta for small batch makers frustrated with spreadsheets'. DM 10 founders from Twitter searches for 'small batch supply chain pain'. Offer personalized onboarding calls.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/SaaSr/manufacturingHacker NewsIndie Hackers

SEO Keywords

small batch supply chain trackeraffordable production visibilitybatch manufacturing dashboardlow cost inventory tracking small businesssupplier etracking for makers

Competitive Analysis

Katana MRP

katanamrp.com
$99+/mo
Strength

Full MRP features

Weakness

Overkill and expensive for small batches

Our Advantage

Simpler UX at 1/3 price for solo founders

$49+/mo
Strength

Shop floor control

Weakness

Steep learning curve

Our Advantage

Visual kanban zero learning

🏰 Moat Strategy

User data on batch times builds predictive insights over time, creating sticky accuracy.

⏰ Why Now?

E-commerce boom in custom/small batch products + ongoing supply disruptions demand affordable tools for solopreneurs.

Risks & Mitigation

marketmedium severity

Low adoption if makers stick to spreadsheets

Mitigation

Free tier + targeted outreach to validate

technicallow severity

Real-time updates lag

Mitigation

Use Supabase realtime

executionmedium severity

Over-scope features

Mitigation

Strict MVP timeline

Validation Roadmap

pre-build7 days

Interview 10 solo makers on Reddit

Success: 5 express interest in beta

mvp14 days

Onboard 20 beta users

Success: 10% convert to paid

launch7 days

PH launch

Success: 100 signups

Pivot Options

  • Expand to Etsy sellers inventory
  • Add simple POS for makers markets
  • Focus on food/craft niches

Quick Stats

Build Time
165h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$1,000
Market Size
$500.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
4
API Endpoints
6