Hours every week lost to spreadsheets
While working at Code Ninjas Rochester, I saw the team spending several hours each week manually entering data into Excel sheets. They tracked student progress and "ninja bucks" — the in-center reward currency — but the process was slow, repetitive, and prone to mistakes. Definitely not ideal for a busy center with a lot of kids moving through it every day.
The root problem wasn't the data — it was the interface. Excel is powerful but it's not designed for the workflow of a coding education center. There's no search, no visual feedback, no guard rails against entry errors. Every week the same friction.
Parallel to the admin tool, we also implemented strategic marketing automation using Mailchimp. This ensured that while internal data was organized, external communication with parents and leads was automated and high-trust, providing a holistic digital upgrade for the center.
I decided to fix it.
NinjaAssets — built for the actual workflow
NinjaAssets is a web app designed specifically for Code Ninjas Rochester. It replicates the logic of the spreadsheets but wraps it in an interface that makes every common task faster, clearer, and error-resistant. The goal wasn't to add features — it was to make the existing workflow feel effortless.
"Jeremy created a website which we use as a daily tool for our business operations. The development process went pretty smoothly from the start with discussion on initial requirements for the tool including hosting it in a private server. The website/tool was delivered on-schedule and fully operational bug-free. Communication with Jeremy was exceptional ensuring that he understood our business needs for the tool and any changes that were needed during the development process did not have any impact on schedule. Overall, we were and continue to be very satisfied with his work and the services he provides us to host our website/tool. I would highly recommend Jeremy and his work for your IT development, hosting and digital marketing needs."
Tasks that used to take hours now take around five minutes. The tool runs every day at Code Ninjas Rochester as part of the core staff workflow — not a demo, not a side tool, but the actual system the team relies on.
Building tools that real people use every day is one of the most honest tests of good software design. If the interface gets in the way, people stop using it. NinjaAssets didn't just get deployed — it stuck.
For Rochester MN businesses looking for a freelance developer who can build custom internal tools — not just websites — this project is a direct example of that capability.