Daily log
Day 16 / 132
doneTuesday, May 26, 2026 · Phase 1
Tasks
- [x] Close HandyCost as counted launch #4
- [x] Repair the broken Astro GA4 analytics component
- [x] Backfill daily logs for Days 13-15 and write Day 16
- [x] Formally defer Austin Handyman as a counted launch
- [x] Synchronize the portfolio tracker and roadmap
- [x] LocalShoot creator outreach — 10 LinkedIn DMs sent; 9 visible recipients captured, 1 unnamed
Blockers
- — LocalShoot outreach is sent; replies, objections, and signups are pending.
- — LaunchCost and Parent Care remain built-but-not-closed backlog.
What I learned
- — The GA4 tag being present in HTML is not enough. The executable script and the custom-event path both need to be verified.
- — A custom event handler that calls window.gtag requires the analytics component to expose gtag on window, not only inside Astro's inline-script wrapper.
- — HandyCost counts only after the market-intent event appears in Realtime. That gate is now closed.
Tomorrow
- → Check LocalShoot outreach replies and log every non-response, objection, missing-location suggestion, and signup.
- → Close one more existing backlog gate before starting any fresh site: LaunchCost or Parent Care.
- → Keep Austin Handyman deferred unless there is a real operator/provider plan.
Day 16 — Tue May 26
The turnaround block did its first job: HandyCost is now counted launch #4.
The GA4 Realtime dashboard showed the proof that was missing: one active user on Handyman Cost Calculator — HandyCost, with page_view, first_visit, session_start, click, and pro_finder_click all registering. That closes the §5 gate for HandyCost because the site has a functional calculator, real content, analytics, and a tracked conversion action that captures commercial intent.
The debugging mattered. The live page had the GA script tag, but the shared Astro analytics component was rendering the config call inside an inert template string. After that was fixed, the custom event path still needed window.gtag, not a wrapper-local function. Commit c8ce1df fixed both issues and was pushed to main; Cloudflare picked it up, and Realtime confirmed the result.
Days 13-15 were also backfilled honestly as zero/drift days. Austin Handyman is formally deferred as a counted launch: useful as a template/demo, not countable until a real provider plan and real conversion backend exist. The scoreboard is repaired enough to move into the next hard thing: LocalShoot outreach.
That outreach block started before EOD: 10 LinkedIn DMs sent, 5 Meetup DMs sent, and 1 Reddit post published into a Houston creator/photography channel. The LinkedIn screenshots captured 9 visible recipients from the DM batch; 1 of the 10 LinkedIn recipients is still unnamed in the record. The next measurement step is not more messaging yet. It is response logging: non-responses, objections, missing-location suggestions, and any creator who actually tries the map.
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