Local Trades Network Development

I'm seeking a developer to create a comprehensive local trades network platform. This platform will enable tradespeople to share portfolios, post and discuss jobs, and build trusted reputations through interactions.

Essential Key Functionalities:
- Portfolio Sharing: Users should be able to showcase their work through:
- Photo uploads
- Video uploads
- Text descriptions

- Job Posting and Discussion: A forum for tradespeople to post and discuss jobs with interactions via:
- Comment threads
- Private messaging
- Public posts

Ideal Skills and Experience:
- Proficiency in web and mobile app development
- Experience with database management
- Strong UI/UX design skills
- Familiarity with video and photo upload integrations
- Excellent communication skills for ongoing collaboration

I’m looking for a developer who can bring this vision to life with a user-friendly and efficient platform. Please provide your portfolio and relevant experience.

1. Purpose and value proposition
GuildRadius helps local tradespeople and small merchants find work, prove credibility, and grow through peer‑verified collaborations. It combines a radius‑based forum for local job posts, portfolio profiles, merchant reviews, and a lightweight gamified retention loop (daily puzzle) that drives repeat visits and organic invites.

Core user problems solved

Hard to discover trusted local tradespeople.

No simple way to record and verify collaborations across projects.

Low retention for community platforms without a daily habit.

Merchants need a place to be rated and discovered by local trades.

2. Target users
Tradespeople (plumbers, electricians, carpenters, builders etc.) who want a public portfolio and verified collaboration history.

Small merchants and suppliers who want ratings and local visibility.

Local customers searching for trusted trades within a radius.

Community managers / local trade associations who want to promote verified professionals.

3. Core features (MVP + Phase 2)
MVP (launch)
User accounts & onboarding: email verification, trade selection, location (radius), portfolio image uploads.

Profile pages: portfolio gallery, trade tags, average collaboration score, contact CTA.

Radius Forum: create posts, filter by trade and distance, comment, flag content.

Merchant listings & reviews: create merchant entries, submit ratings and comments, recalc averages.

Daily puzzle widget: embedded iframe; webhook endpoint to record completions and award points/badges.

Basic gamification: points, streaks, badges, leaderboard placeholder.

Admin tools: flagged content queue, revoke points, basic metrics.

Phase 2 (after validation)
Invite collaborators: send/accept invites, create CollaborationRecord, optional peer ratings.

Verification badge: awarded when collaborators confirm and meet criteria.

Reference requests: contact flow to request references from collaborators.

Dispute resolution: admin tools for disputes and rating moderation.

Growth loop: invite tracking, referral rewards, featured merchant placements.

4. Pages and reusable elements (Bubble names)
Pages: Home, Newsfeed, RadiusForum, Profile, MerchantDirectory, PuzzleModal, AdminDashboard, InviteInbox.

Reusable elements: PuzzleCard, PuzzleModal (iframe), ProfileCard, CollaborationCard, BadgeShelf, InviteModal, MerchantCard, FlagModal.

5. Data model (high level)
User: name, email, trade, location, portfolio_images, points, badges, puzzle_streak, collaboration_score.

ForumPost: author, trade, radius_miles, content, created_at, flags.

Merchant: name, location, rating_avg, reviews.

PuzzleEmbedLog: user, provider, action, timestamp, idempotency_key.

CollaborationRecord: title, initiator, collaborators, photos, start_date, end_date, ratings, is_verified.

Invite: token, sender, recipient, status, sent_at, responded_at.

6. Key workflows (developer‑ready)
Onboarding: create User → email verify → prompt portfolio upload → set location.

Open puzzle: PuzzleCard → open PuzzleModal (iframe with user_id & idempotency token).

Puzzle webhook: verify HMAC/timestamp → idempotency check → create PuzzleEmbedLog → award points/badges (one per day).

Create forum post: create ForumPost → notify users within radius.

Invite collaborator: create Invite → send email + in‑app notification → accept adds CollaborationRecord and updates both profiles.

Merchant review: create review → recalc Merchant.rating_avg.

7. Acceptance criteria & KPIs
Acceptance criteria

Puzzle webhook validates HMAC and enforces one completion per user per day.

Invite accept flow updates both profiles within 3s and allows optional rating.

Admin can view flagged items and revoke points/badges.

KPIs

DAU, 7‑day retention, puzzle completion rate, invite conversion (sent→accepted), new users via invites, verified collaboration rate.

8. Suggested build approach & timeline
Phase approach: MVP core (2–6 weeks with Bubble specialist), soft launch to 50–200 users, measure KPIs, then Phase 2.

Tech choice: Bubble for MVP (fast, low cost). Custom webhook endpoint (small Node/Express or serverless) for secure HMAC verification and idempotency.

Budget guidance: freelancer Bubble build £4k–£8k; small agency £10k–£20k depending on polish and Phase 2 scope.

9. News & Grants section (product feature description)
Add a News & Grants section to the site to help tradespeople and small merchants discover funding opportunities and local support. This section should include:

Features
Grants feed: curated list of relevant grants, funds, and local support programmes. Each item includes: title, short summary, eligibility, deadline, link to official page, and region applicability.

Filter & subscribe: filter by region (e.g., UK regions), business size, and sector (construction, home services). Users can subscribe to email alerts for new grants.

Apply checklist: per‑grant checklist (documents required, typical timeline, contact points).

News updates: short articles about funding changes, success stories, and upcoming local enterprise events.

Admin curation UI: admin can add, edit, and flag grants; schedule push notifications for urgent deadlines.

Grant alerts: push or email alerts for grants closing within 14 days.

UX notes
Place the News & Grants section on the main navigation and surface urgent grants on the dashboard.

Use cards with clear CTAs (“Read more”, “Check eligibility”, “Save for later”).

Allow merchants to sponsor a grant highlight for visibility (monetisation option).

10. Example grant types to include (what to curate)
Local enterprise grants (county or city business support funds).

SME growth grants (innovation, digital adoption, equipment purchase).

Apprenticeship and training subsidies (levy transfers, training vouchers).

Green retrofit or energy efficiency grants (for trades doing retrofit work).

Community & social enterprise funds (if you support community projects).

11. How to keep the Grants feed accurate (operational)
Sources: UK government portals, local council business pages, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), Innovate UK, British Business Bank, and trade association bulletins.

Curation process: admin reviews and approves new grant entries; set a 30‑day recheck for each grant to ensure links and deadlines are current.

Automation: use RSS or API feeds where available; otherwise, manual curation with scheduled reminders.

12. Example News & Grants content items (templates)
Grant card: Title; 1‑line summary; Eligibility tags; Deadline; CTA link; “Save” icon.

News update: Headline; 2–3 sentence summary; link to full article; related grants.

Success story: Profile of a tradesperson who used a grant; before/after photos; grant used; contact for mentorship.