# Robin Goudeketting

> Developer building MVPs, custom web apps, and internal tools for entrepreneurs and small businesses. I write about Ruby on Rails, Next.js, rapid prototyping, and the decisions founders face when turning an idea into software.

This site is a portfolio and blog. Posts cover practical web development topics — when to build custom software versus using off-the-shelf tools, MVP scoping and cost, technical SEO, and real scenarios from client work.

## Key pages

- [Home](https://goudeketting.nl/): Portfolio overview, services, and contact
- [Blog](https://goudeketting.nl/posts): Full archive of articles
- [Projects](https://goudeketting.nl/projects): Selected client and personal projects
- [Contact](https://goudeketting.nl/#contact): Get in touch about a project

## Key clients

- [Danküchen](https://www.dan.at/): Austrian kitchen manufacturer
- [Assict](https://www.assict.nl/): Dutch fundraising consultancy — custom grant management platform
- [Shai Creative](https://www.shaicreative.ai/): AI video pre-production tooling

## Blog posts

- [What Can You Actually Build With a Rapid Prototype?](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2026/04/24/what-can-you-build-with-a-rapid-prototype): Rapid prototyping isn't a buzzword. Here are real examples of what a developer can build in days or weeks, before you commit to a full product.
- [The Rise of the Vibe Code Cleanup Specialist](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2026/03/10/vibe-code-cleanup-specialist): A new category of developer is emerging: specialists who clean up AI-generated applications. It may signal something deeper about how software is being built.
- [What Is an MVP and Do You Actually Need One?](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2026/03/06/what-is-an-mvp): MVP gets thrown around constantly in startup circles. But what does it actually mean in practice, and do you need one before you can launch?
- [When Excel Is Enough (And When It Isn't)](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2026/02/25/when-excel-is-enough): Most businesses run on spreadsheets longer than they should. Some run on them longer than they need to. Knowing the difference saves you time, money, and a lot of frustration.
- [How to Audit a Website: A Practical Guide](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2026/01/27/how-to-audit-a-website): Your website has probably been live for a few years. It's been updated by different people, migrated at least once, and has plugins or features nobody remembers adding. It works, mostly, but you suspect it could be doing better.
- [Admin Dashboards Explained: What They Are, Why You Would Need One, and How to Choose the Right Approach](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2025/10/22/guide-to-admin-dashboards): A practical guide for business owners and managers on understanding admin dashboards, evaluating when you need one, and choosing between off-the-shelf, low-code, and custom solutions.
- [Why Tech Debt Feels So Paralyzing: What My Blog Taught Me](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2025/09/16/psychology-of-tech-debt): Why does tech debt feel so paralysing? After neglecting my blog for three months, I realised both create the same psychological trap—imaginary compound interest that makes simple tasks feel insurmountable.
- [Building the Same CRM: Rails 8 vs Laravel - Convention vs Elegance in Rapid Development](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2025/06/23/rails-vs-laravel-crm-comparison): After building a complete CRM in 2 hours with Rails 8, I analysed what the same system would require in Laravel. Both frameworks excel at rapid development, but represent different philosophies: Rails' convention-driven speed versus Laravel's elegant flexibility.
- [Building the Same CRM: Rails 8 vs Django - Two Approaches to Rapid Development](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2025/06/16/rails-vs-django-crm-comparison): After building a complete CRM in 2 hours with Rails 8, I analysed what the same system would require in Django. Both frameworks excel at different aspects of rapid development, revealing distinct philosophies for MVP creation.
- [Deploying a Complete CRM: Rails 8 Rapid Prototyping to Production in 15 Minutes (Part 4)](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2025/06/09/company-management-mvp-deploying): After building a complete CRM in under two hours, we now need to deploy it to the web. We do this using kamal, dockerhub, and the docker setup that comes shipped with rails 8.
- [Build a Complete CRM in 2 Hours: Rails 8 Rapid Prototyping (Part 3)](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2025/06/02/company-management-mvp-in-2-hours-pt-3): To show the value of Ruby on Rails in rapid prototyping, I decided to create a simple, but functional, company management system in under two hours, demonstrating why it remains unmatched for rapid MVP development in 2025. In part three, we add filtering and pagination.
- [Build a Complete CRM in 2 Hours: Rails 8 Rapid Prototyping (Part 2)](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2025/05/26/company-management-mvp-in-2-hours-pt-2): To show the value of Ruby on Rails in rapid prototyping, I decided to create a simple, but functional, company management system in under two hours, demonstrating why it remains unmatched for rapid MVP development in 2025. In part two, we add authentication and make sure each user has their own companies.
- [Build a Complete CRM in 2 Hours: Rails 8 Rapid Prototyping (Part 1)](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2025/05/19/company-management-mvp-in-2-hours-pt-1): To show the value of Ruby on Rails in rapid prototyping, I decided to create a simple, but functional, company management system in under two hours, demonstrating why it remains unmatched for rapid MVP development in 2025. In part one, we create the models and set up our database.
- [Why Ruby on Rails Remains the Ultimate Framework for Rapid Prototyping in 2025](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2025/05/13/rails-for-rapid-prototyping): Since its 2004 release, Ruby on Rails has remained one of the most effective frameworks for turning ideas into working software—fast. While other technologies have emerged, Rails excels at helping developers validate concepts quickly through functional prototypes. This article explores why Rails is still a go-to for rapid prototyping, its strengths and trade-offs, and how to get the most from it.
- [How I built my own blog in hours: Next.js vs. Traditional Platforms](https://goudeketting.nl/posts/2025/05/05/my-custom-blog-in-six-hours): How I leveraged my existing Next.js website to create a custom blog solution in just 6 hours instead of adopting a new platform, embodying my rapid prototyping philosophy of building exactly what you need, nothing more.

## Projects

- [Assict Fondsenwervingsportaal](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/assict-fondsenwervingsportaal): A platform to help Assict manage their fundraising efforts.
- [Shai](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/shai): AI Video Pre-Production 100x faster
- [Canary](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/canary): Using the science of personality to help people grow into their best selves.
- [Ultimate Insights](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/ultimate-insights): Throw analysis - evaluate patterns in throws, drops, and where it happens on the field.
- [Career Basecamp](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/career-basecamp): Trying to help people find a meaningful career using the science of personality.
- [Buy Nothing Today](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/buy-nothing-today): BuyNothing.today is a satirical e-commerce platform where users can purchase different tiers of 'nothing' as a provocative commentary on overconsumption and materialism.
- [Part 4](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/part-4): A website for Part 4, they offer flame-retardant, biodegradable, and Cradle to Cradle gold® certified curtain fabrics designed for circular use.
- [Fine Lines by Hanna](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/fine-lines-by-hanna): A website for a visual artist, showcasing her work.
- [Personal Website](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/personal-website): This website, showcasing my work.
- [Easy Retry](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/easy-retry): An ruby gem that allows for easily retrying blocks of code.
- [Parameterize](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/parameterize): TypeScript library for normalizing and parameterizing strings, making them URL-friendly.
- [TitleizeJS](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/titleizejs): An NPM package that transforms strings into titles.
- [The Robin Googol](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/the-robin-googol): Exploring the size of a googol, visually, using my name
- [Should I Go Out](https://goudeketting.nl/projects/should-i-go-out): Should you go outside during the corona crisis? This app will help you decide!

## Full content

- [llms-full.txt](https://goudeketting.nl/llms-full.txt): Full markdown content of every blog post, concatenated for LLM ingestion