Leo Operations Platform

Problem

Operational knowledge existed across:

• spreadsheets
• phone calls
• documents
• employee experience
• manual calculations

Generating quotations required effort and consistency depended heavily on individual knowledge.

Observation

The biggest bottleneck was not reporting.

It was generating accurate quotations quickly.

Lesson

Solve the sharpest operational pain point first.

Problem

Transportation quotations needed to be calculated faster and more consistently.

Solution

Built a calculator capable of handling:

• source city
• destination city
• household goods calculations
• vehicle transportation pricing
• packaging costs
• transportation costs

Result

Quote generation became faster, more repeatable, and less dependent on manual calculations.

Lesson

A focused solution can create immediate business value.

Problem

Rate data changed frequently.

Updating application data through deployments would be inefficient.

Solution

Introduced:

Google Sheets
+
Apps Script APIs

Business users could update pricing without modifying application code.

Result

The system became easier to maintain and iterate on.

Lesson

Sometimes a spreadsheet is the correct database.

Problem

The business required support for international relocations and shipments.

Domestic calculations alone were no longer sufficient.

Solution

Introduced:

• Origin and destination management
• Volume-based pricing
• Ocean freight calculations
• Destination charges
• GST calculations
• Margin calculations
• Invoice generation workflows

Result

The platform expanded beyond domestic logistics.

Lesson

Successful systems often reveal adjacent business opportunities.

Problem

The application was becoming more than a calculator.

Operational information was beginning to spread across multiple workflows.

Solution

The project direction shifted from:

Calculator

To:

Operations Dashboard

Result

The foundation for a larger platform was established.

Lesson

Once multiple operational workflows exist, centralization becomes valuable.

Problem

Spreadsheets worked well for validation, but were becoming limiting for operational workflows.

Solution

The architecture evolved toward:

• Supabase
• PostgreSQL
• Authentication
• Storage
• Relational data modeling

Result

The platform gained a proper operational data foundation.

Lesson

Validation tools and production systems often require different architectures.

Problem

Warehouse operations required structured visibility.

Storage, billing, and outstanding balances needed a dedicated workflow.

Solution

Introduced:

• Client management
• Storage tracking
• Pod management
• Billing cycles
• Ledger history
• Outstanding balance tracking

Result

The platform gained its first major operational module.

Lesson

Financial workflows benefit from historical records rather than editable totals.

Problem

Employee financial transactions needed tracking and visibility.

Solution

Built a transaction-based system for:

• Loans
• Advances
• Repayments
• Outstanding balances

Result

Employee financial history became transparent and auditable.

Lesson

Derived balances are safer than mutable balance fields.

Problem

Fuel expenditure and vehicle efficiency lacked visibility.

Solution

Introduced:

• Vehicle records
• Fuel entries
• Odometer tracking
• Mileage calculations
• Cost analysis

Result

Operational expenses became measurable.

Lesson

Useful visibility is often more valuable than perfect automation.

Problem

Multiple operational systems now existed.

The challenge shifted from building individual tools to creating a unified operational platform.

Solution

Established a long-term direction focused on:

• Quotations
• Warehouse Operations
• Billing
• Employee Management
• Fuel Tracking
• Reporting
• Operational Visibility

Result

The project evolved from a collection of tools into a platform strategy.

Lesson

Business software grows by solving one practical problem at a time.