KitchenLog (working name)
Idea status: Idea stage · Target: an MRR ladder ($1k → $50k by month 24) instead of one fixed number · Verdict: No as described. No as a UK care-home kitchen log. Go, small and conditional, as FSMA 204 traceability records for small US produce distributors that run on QuickBooks, and only with access to the food-distribution trade. · Last updated: 30 Sept 2026
Start here → WHAT-TO-DO-AND-AVOID.md: odds at each MRR level (with conditions, ~15 hrs/week vs full-time: $1k ~40% / 55%, $5k ~15% / 27%, $10k ~7% / 14%, $20k ~2.5% / 6%), customer math, 12 do's, 14 avoids, checkpoints.
Where this idea came from: the 30 Sept 2026 micro-SaaS idea catalog, row E7 ("Digital food-safety (HACCP) logs"), in ../_research/2026-09-30-micro-saas-idea-catalog.md. Its evidence is FoodDocs (Estonia): ~$2M revenue (a Latka estimate) and about €2.3M raised. The catalog named two solo starting points:
- UK care-home, school, nursery or small commissary kitchens, built on the FSA's "Safer Food Better Business" pack, with off-the-shelf wireless probes;
- FSMA 204 traceability-lot records for small US produce distributors (compliance date "~July 2028, unverified").
This assessment scores both and picks one: FSMA 204 for small US produce distributors. The July 2028 date is now verified. See analysis/02.
About the name. "KitchenLog" is a working name. Check trademark and domain before using it publicly. Two problems are already visible:
- An app called "KitchenLogs – Food Safety Diary" is on the UK App Store (research/10, F12).
- The recommended wedge sells to distributors, not kitchens. The name no longer describes the product. Rename it before launch.
Research was run on 30 Sept 2026, with a confidence level on each claim. See research/10-verified-research.md.
Folder layout
kitchenlog/
├── WHAT-TO-DO-AND-AVOID.md ← final analysis and decision (read first)
├── README.md ← this index
├── analysis/ ← the investor-style assessment
│ ├── 00-one-page-brief.md
│ ├── 01-verdict.md
│ ├── 02-market-reality-check.md
│ ├── 03-feature-scrutiny.md
│ ├── 04-expanded-feature-catalog.md
│ ├── 05-pre-mortem.md
│ ├── 06-fundability.md
│ ├── 07-gaps.md
│ └── 09-assumptions-and-open-inputs.md
├── plans/ ← execution plans
│ ├── 08-90-day-plan.md
│ └── 11-24-month-gated-roadmap.md
└── research/ ← verified, cited evidence
└── 10-verified-research.md
File numbers match the other ideas in the portfolio, so cross-references like "doc 08" work the same way.
Documents
| # | Document | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| — | WHAT-TO-DO-AND-AVOID.md | Final decision: MRR ladder odds, customer math, 12 do's, 14 avoids, checkpoints |
| 00 | analysis/00-one-page-brief.md | The whole verdict on one page |
| 01 | analysis/01-verdict.md | Probability of success (Tier A and B), fundable yes/no |
| 02 | analysis/02-market-reality-check.md | The two wedges scored, buyer, pain score, competitors, vitamin vs painkiller, market size |
| 03 | analysis/03-feature-scrutiny.md | Every feature in the catalog idea sorted into Table stakes, Differentiator, Distraction or Liability |
| 04 | analysis/04-expanded-feature-catalog.md | Features distributors, their customers and the FDA ask for, each classified |
| 05 | analysis/05-pre-mortem.md | Three most likely causes of death, warning signs, fixable? |
| 06 | analysis/06-fundability.md | Would I invest, the skeptic's first 5 minutes, proof points, bootstrap vs raise |
| 07 | analysis/07-gaps.md | Gaps to paid, renewed and referred customers |
| 08 | plans/08-90-day-plan.md | First 90 days, week by week |
| 09 | analysis/09-assumptions-and-open-inputs.md | Assumptions made, and the inputs that would change the verdict |
| 10 | research/10-verified-research.md | Cited research (30 Sept 2026) and what it changed |
| 11 | plans/11-24-month-gated-roadmap.md | Month 0–24 phases, gates, revenue path, budget guardrails |
Caveat
Team, hours per week available, location and trade access were not provided. The assumptions are in analysis/09. Still unverified: the number of small US distributors not already on a produce ERP, what they pay today, how widely produce cases carry scannable lot barcodes, and the real revenue of FoodDocs (sources disagree: $150K to $3M). See research/10.