Building Rezervasyon: My First Month

About a month ago I started building Rezervasyon, a simple system for barbershops to manage appointments and reduce no-shows.

The idea was pretty straightforward: many barbers still manage appointments through WhatsApp or by memory. That creates problems like missed bookings, confusion, and customers forgetting their appointments. I wanted to build something simple that could help with that.

Week 1-3: Building the System

The first three weeks were mostly focused on building the core system.

I wrote the main parts of the application and used a lot of AI-assisted coding to move faster. Instead of spending weeks figuring out every small problem alone, I used AI tools to help generate and debug parts of the code. It did not replace understanding the system, but it definitely helped speed things up.

During those weeks I worked on:

• The booking system logic
• The database structure
• The SMS reminder system
• Connecting APIs and buying credits for messaging
• Fixing deployment and server issues
• Testing the whole flow from booking to reminder message

There were a lot of small problems to solve. APIs did not work at first, deployment failed a few times, and some parts of the system had to be rebuilt. But after a lot of testing, everything finally worked together.

At that point, the system was ready for real users.

Talking to Real Barbers

After finishing the technical side, I started the part that matters the most: finding real users.

I went to barbershops and asked them a few simple questions:

• How do you manage appointments right now?
• Do customers forget their bookings?
• Would reminder messages help?

The responses were interesting.

Out of the first three barbershops I talked to, two said they would be interested in using something like this. That was a good sign that the idea might actually solve a real problem.

It also helped me understand what barbers actually care about, which is different from what a developer might assume.

Creating a Strategy

After those first conversations, I started thinking more seriously about how to approach barbershops.

Instead of just showing them a random app, the idea is to present it as a tool that helps them avoid lost appointments and organize their day better.

Right now the focus is simple:

• Talk to more barbers
• Show them how the system works
• Get feedback
• Improve the product based on real usage

Where Things Are Now

At the moment, there are six barbershops that are very likely to become clients.

The next step is onboarding them, seeing how they actually use the system, and improving it based on their experience.

Building the software was only the first part. Now the real challenge begins: turning it into something people actually want to use every day.

What I Learned So Far

This first month taught me a few important things:

• Building the product is only half the job
• Talking to real users changes how you think about the product
• Simple ideas can solve real problems
• Things always take longer than you expect

But it has also been one of the most interesting projects I have worked on so far.

And this is just the beginning.