Engineer on the way. Aziz US-bound. SEO done in 90 minutes.
A short sync built around three commitments — get the engineer ramped, put a human on the US ground for chef and family onboarding, and lock the cost story for the next investor conversation.
Outcome
Move from perfectionism to manual outreach. Twenty chefs and fifty families, signed up by text, before the app launches. Engineering, SEO and social automation run in parallel — nothing waits on anything else.
01
What we decided
- Engineer starts 25 May — full-time, owns the backend build for the six-week prototype.
- Six-week roadmap locked — menu planning, grocery list, chef messaging, pantry tracking, family dinner planning.
- Aziz travels to US — personally leads chef + family onboarding alongside the GM.
- Claude-for-SMB is a real threat — our moat is depth of personalisation + chef + grocery context.
- SEO comes in-house — ~90 minutes per site, no more agency retainers. Playbook delivered separately.
- Stackbirds spend ring-fenced — lean cloud tools only until first paying client lands.
02
What's actionable now
Aziz to do
Owner · Aziz Saif
Share the SEO SOP with Zainab. Step-by-step procedure, time per step, tools used — so she can use it in the investor pitch and hand it to the GM. (delivered)
Roll out social media automation. One chef, one dish at a time, across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok using the MCP stack.
Confirm US travel. Dates and logistics with Zainab; book and arrive ready to manage chef + family acquisition directly.
Document the Cloud Code + GitHub SOP. Token handling, DNS/TXT verification, deploy flow — for the incoming engineer and for Zainab's records.
Zainab to do
Owner · Zainab Ghadiyali
Update the development agreement. Add the UAE dev-cost recoupment clause and outline the investor-funding plan that uses it.
Brief the new engineer. Align on product vision and the six-week timeline before 25 May.
Evaluate the current GM. Performance on chef acquisition and client outreach — adjust training or support to unlock US growth.
Coordinate Aziz's US visit. Timing, scope, and who he pairs with on the ground.
Run the promotional cadence. One chef, one dish, digital-first — same rhythm as the social automation.
03
What's pending — waiting on a gate
- Engineer ramp-up · backend build can't start before the official start date Gate · 25 May
- Aziz US travel dates · GM onboarding plan and budget hinge on this Gate · Zainab confirm
- Gulf investor pitch for UAE dev cost · needs the recoupment clause + initial traction signal Gate · Clause + Chefs
- Stackbirds funding · no extra capital until ECJ proof-of-concept is live Gate · ECJ PoC
- 20 founding chefs + 50 families · manual SMS outreach target, gates the launch Gate · Aziz + GM