The Portal – From Accounting Fix to Company-Wide Platform

Overview

While serving in a full-time accounting role, I developed this platform during off-hours and downtime to address the very inefficiencies I encountered day-to-day.
Big Blue Ocean, a seafood wholesaler, relied on outdated accounting and logistics workflows built around printed reports, handwritten revisions, and a disconnected legacy system. Originally hired into the accounting department, I quickly identified inefficiencies in accounts receivable (AR) tracking and invoice processing.

What began as a small web tool to track aging balances evolved into a mission-critical internal platform known as The Portal. Over seven years, I led its transformation from a utility script into the central nervous system of the company’s operations.

Phase 1: Custom AR System (2016)

Built a PHP/MySQL web app to parse exported data files
Digitized invoice, payment, and customer data
Visualized AR aging reports and flagged overdue accounts
Introduced an order tracker that flagged orders from customers who were overdue or on credit hold
Significantly reduced manual tracking and improved visibility for accounting staff

Phase 2: Revisions & Quality Tracking (2017–2018)

Introduced a 5-step workflow to manage customer product disputes
Replaced printed invoice markups with a structured web-based review system
Allowed approvals, notes, and changes to be tracked digitally
Cut paper usage and reduced back-and-forth between departments

Phase 3: Customer Portal & Analytics (2019)

Built secure logins for customers to view their invoices directly
Eliminated the need to print/scan/email daily invoices
Created advanced filtering and breakdowns to analyze:
- Product type and grade
- Country of origin
- Customer and sales rep
- Product age
Enabled smarter product allocation and sales strategies
Supplemented with Excel, Python scripts, and third-party tools for reporting

Phase 4: Automation Layer (2020–2021)

Integrated with legacy software to export structured .txt files every minute
Node.js backend ingested and versioned data in audit tables
Kept the Portal’s live data layer current with near real-time updates
Fully eliminated manual uploads

Phase 5: Communication Integrations & Mobile Tools (2018–2022)

GroupMe bot (early internal alerting tool)
Zoom bot launched during the pandemic
Slack bot added in 2022 for more advanced interaction
Bots were tightly integrated with the Portal:
- Queried AR, orders, inventory
- Triggered SMS alerts for sales managers
- Flagged held or overdue orders
Built a mobile-friendly order form for direct customer entry

Phase 6: Modernization & Dockerization (2022–Present)

Dockerized the full stack for production deployment
Linode server managed with Portainer
Began gradual rebuild using React + modern tooling
Legacy components are being phased out module by module

Results & Impact

Replaced multiple layers of paperwork and disconnected workflows
Became the go-to platform for accounting, sales, logistics, and customer service
Enabled live reporting, flexible analysis, and better decision-making
Internal teams gained real-time visibility into AR, orders, and product behavior
Continues to evolve with active maintenance and expansion via Sudologist Inc.

Next Steps

Complete front-end rebuild in React
Expand forecasting and reporting
Prepare infrastructure to support multi-organization expansion

The Portal started as a side project in an accounting department. Today, it is the digital backbone of a multi-department wholesale operation.