Notes from the startup journey.
Jeffrey de Lara, founder of Unisoft Ventures, on building UniSMS and Tenant.ph, running a startup in the Philippines, and the occasional BIR adventure.
Why Email Drives Me Crazy (And How I'm Fixing It at UnisoftBox)
Email won't let me block people, spin up throwaway addresses, or automate my inbox. So I'm building UnisoftBox to fix all three—and torturing my own inbox as the guinea pig.
Read the postWhy I'm Saying No to Government Projects (And What I'm Doing Instead)
After building UniSMS, I'm at a crossroads. Here's why I'm skipping government contracts despite the revenue potential, and what I'm focusing on instead.
Read the postMy First Hire and UniSMS's Closed Beta
I hired my first person — a bookkeeper on retainer, not a developer — so I can spend more time programming. Plus, UniSMS virtual numbers are live in closed beta with two-way SMS.
Read the postBIR Certification Denied (Suspended Indefinitely)
BIR finally replied after four months. They denied my certification because they're changing the rules and decided small companies need not apply. Suspended until further notice.
Read the post1 Year as a Startup Founder: Building tenant.ph and an SMS API for the Philippines
Three microservices, two SaaS products, one internal tool, 986 UniSMS users, 14,209 SMS sent, and a lot of ramen noodles. One year in review.
Read the postBIR Phone Call: Two Months and Counting
I tried to contact BIR to follow up on our request for certification. The phone rang 4 times, got picked up, and all I heard was the sound of wind blowing. Round 2 of the BIR adventure.
Read the postBuilding Our Own SMS API: Because Buying is Overrated
Every business needs SMS. Instead of buying from someone else, we decided to build our own. Here's the story of how UniSMS API came to be.
Read the postMy BIR Certification Adventure
A comedy of errors documenting my journey to get BIR certified in the Philippines. Spoiler: The phone tag game is real.
Read the postMy eBIRFORMS Nightmare (And Why I'm Building Something Better)
Just did my first annual report with eBIRFORMS. One week waiting for email, inaccurate computations, saved filings that change on their own. There has to be a better way.
Read the postMy Journey as a Startup Founder
The beginning of an adventure into entrepreneurship, building tenant.ph, and learning accounting along the way.
Read the postBuilding something that needs SMS, payments or a custom system?
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