Home Business Directory Platform

I’m building an online directory that lets local, home-based entrepreneurs showcase what they do and makes it easy for nearby customers to discover them. At launch the site will spotlight three key categories—handmade products, food & beverage, and home repair services—so clear taxonomy and tagging are important from day one.

Core user flow
1. A business owner signs up, creates a profile, and publishes listings.
2. Visitors search or filter results, view profile pages, read reviews, and reach out directly.

Key features to implement
• Business owner profiles with a descriptive About section, full contact details, rich product / service listings, and a built-in chat panel for real-time enquiries.
• Robust search and filtering (by category, location, keyword, rating).
• Customer-driven reviews and star-ratings, displayed on each profile.
• Clean admin dashboard so I can approve listings, moderate reviews, edit categories, and export data.

Technical expectations
The site must be responsive, load quickly, and use a secure, database-driven backend. I’m open on framework or CMS as long as it supports future scaling and easy maintenance.

Acceptance criteria
• All three features—profiles, search/filter, rating system—working end-to-end.
• Mobile and desktop views tested on the latest Chrome, Safari, and Edge.
• Clear hand-off: source code, database dump, and a brief setup guide.