Building CraftedCV.io in 3 Weeks: Tech Stack, Sleepless Nights, and the Road to Launch
Launching my startup was a sprint, not a marathon—especially when bootstrapping. In Part 1, I shared how I validated the idea of CraftedCV.io over a weekend. Here’s how the next stage, building, unfolded. It was chaotic, thrilling, and executed in just three weeks.
Week 1: Choosing My Tech
The first week was all about critical decisions. Getting the tech stack right was essential to maintain speed without sacrificing quality.
Front-End Decisions
Framework & Setup: I started with React + TypeScript + Vite using Bolt.new, which initially was amazing due to its rapid prototyping capabilities. But as complexity grew, managing the project in Bolt became challenging.
Hosting: Netlify, which I didn't know of before this project was amazing! It has quick deployments, reliability, built-in CI/CD, oh and loads of features free.
Back-End & Middleware
Sketchy Backend: Make.com was my initial backend because I could create API endpoints and pass the request object to other services without writing any code. It was all about speed.
Database: Supabase integrates with Bolt.new with the click of a button, which was a massive speed boost. Oh and I'd never heard of Supabase before this project!
Payments: Stripe integration was essential from the start to manage subscriptions.
What I Skipped (initially)
Password resets and email verification? Later.
Detailed FAQ? Eventually.
LLC and formal banking? Future me would handle those.
Week 2: Development—From POC to Production
Dodging Prototype Pitfalls
Bolt.new allowed incredibly rapid prototyping, but I soon encountered issues with code rewrites that introduced bugs when the pages got more complex. Shifting to GitHub and Cursor IDE was a lifesaver, allowing better code management and fewer headaches.
Middleware Magic with C#
To securely route requests and manage authentication, I developed a lean middleware API layer in C#. Requests were routed to the C# API and then if needed, to Make.com endpoints. This allowed for authenticating requests between the front and back ends. Additionally the C# API is hosted on Azure Container Apps was chosen for how quickly I could build and deploy with "az acr build" from the command line so there was no need for a real CI/CD pipeline.
Week 3: Panic Mode and Final Touches
SendGrid Nightmare
I signed up for SendGrid and had my account promptly shut down withing 24 hours because they thought I was a fraud. After communicating that indeed I was a real person, they reinstated my account a day later. I then encountered issues integrating it with Supabase for triggering email verification and forgot password emails. The details of how I fixed this are hazy as much of it was done between 11 pm and 2 am over multiple nights.
Launching Live
Monday morning February 17th, President's day arrived. With a mix of anxiety and excitement, I published my LinkedIn post ever announcing CraftedCV.io. Users began signing up almost immediately. Most of these were people I personally knew but it was still fun. CraftedCV.io was now officially alive!
Was the Chaos Worth It?
Absolutely. Building fast forced clear decisions, kept momentum high, and was a rush. Users cared about results—not the missing FAQ page.
Stay tuned for Part 3: The launch aftermath—what users loved, what broke immediately, and the invaluable feedback that shaped CraftedCV.io’s future.
(Ready to fix your resume effortlessly? Try CraftedCV now: https://craftedcv.io)
