How to Build a Super App from Scratch: A Step-by-Step Guide from Industry Experts
- service service
- Jun 2
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
In today's rapidly evolving on-demand economy, launching a Super App like Uber, Bolt or Grab can unlock exponential growth. But how do you transform a blank canvas into a scalable platform combining ride-hailing and food delivery? In a recent webinar, seasoned entrepreneur and Playfood CEO Andrei Balahanski revealed the operational playbook behind launching and growing a food delivery business inside a Super App.
Drawing on over a decade of experience in operations, public relations, and crisis management, Andrei shared the practical steps Playfood has used to help over 34 businesses across 20+ countries turn ideas into reality. Here’s a timeline-based summary of the key insights from the webinar.
04:55 – Know Your Customer & Unique Value Proposition (UVP)
Before building any product, it is essential to identify your target audience. Andrei emphasised that defining your target audience and understanding their pain points is the first step in establishing a competitive food delivery business.
He recommends asking:
Who are your main stakeholders? (restaurants, couriers and customers).
What specific problems do they face?
How are your competitors addressing these needs, and where are they falling short?
Once you have mapped this out, you can shape your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) — the key factor that sets you apart. Playfood offers over 30 ready-made business models that can be adapted to your market. A strong UVP is more than just a slogan. It's a strategy that connects your offering with unmet demand.
07:07 – Organizational Structure
Building a food delivery business requires more than just a good idea — it also needs a robust operational structure. Andrei emphasised the importance of mapping out every step of the customer journey, from order placement to delivery, and allocating responsibilities to each stage.
Early-stage teams often have to take on many roles. The secret? Design your structure around roles, not people. For instance, one person might fulfil both marketing and sales functions, but these are two distinct roles with their own KPIs and goals.
A good structure includes:
Founders/CEO
Restaurant Partnership Managers
Courier Operations
Marketing & Customer Support
Legal & Finance
Each role should have clear responsibilities, performance metrics, and accountability.
11:40 – Hiring the Right Team: Key Principles & Process
Once the roles have been defined, the hiring process can begin. Andrei outlined a three-step approach:
Before hiring: know how many people you need and what their roles will be and know what salaries you can afford.
Finding talent: use job boards, competitors, headhunting, or ad campaigns.
Onboarding: create a knowledge base and onboarding documents so that new hires can become productive quickly.
A major pitfall? Expecting new hires to 'figure it out'. Effective onboarding saves time and prevents staff turnover. Playfood even provides templates and checklists to help their clients accelerate the process.
14:00 – Metrics and Dashboards
“You can’t scale what you can’t measure,” said Andrei. He broke down the food delivery process into 21 steps across customer, restaurant and courier flows, each of which is a potential point of failure if left unmonitored.
Key metrics to track:
Financial: revenue, average order value, profit margins
User behaviour: conversion rates, retention, promo code usage
Restaurant performance: prep time, top-selling dishes.
Courier performance: availability, delivery speed and customer rating.
Having a centralised dashboard of these metrics enables CEOs to make fast, data-driven decisions.
17:23 – Daily Planning & Operational Execution
Effective execution starts with agile thinking. Andrei recommends breaking your operations down into milestones such as:
First order
First 10, 100, then 1,000 orders
Scaling and automation
Use two-week sprints to set goals, then track progress through:
Weekly syncs
Daily 3P reports (Progress, Plans and Problems).
This cadence keeps the team aligned and helps to identify obstacles early on. Founders should proactively resolve obstacles to maintain high momentum.
20:39 – Marketing
Marketing is where your unique value proposition meets the real world. Andrei set out a marketing framework that focused on cost-effective acquisition and creative content.
Key steps:
Set your budget and define KPIs.
Launch paid ads (Google, Meta).
Leverage cross-promotion between services (e.g., ride-hailing and food delivery).
Explore SEO, influencer marketing, and offline tactics.
Playfood clients also gain access to ready-made marketing plans tailored to food delivery launches. These plans include campaign templates and content strategies.
22:02 – Sales Strategy: How to Attract New Restaurant Partners
Sales isn't just about outreach — it’s about structure. Andrei, who has built over 30 sales teams, shared this proven framework:
Set weekly KPIs (e.g. onboard 5 new restaurants).
Use CRM tools (even Google Sheets works at the early stages).
Train your sales team in product knowledge and how to handle objections.
Implement a motivating commission structure.
Track results and iterate weekly.
He also showed a sample CRM dashboard that can be used to manage leads, track performance and visualise conversion rates.
23:42 – Financial Management
You can’t grow if you don’t know your numbers. The final section focuses on the three key financial documents that every Super App start-up needs.
Unit economics: know your cost per order and profit margin.
Profit & Loss Statement: understand your revenue vs. expenses.
Cash Flow Forecast: prevent liquidity problems.
Andrei shared a sample calculator that can be used to determine breakeven points, helping founders to forecast growth and maintain financial stability from day one.
Ready to build your Super App?
This webinar is a masterclass in operational excellence. Andrei Balahanski offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to succeed in the highly competitive food delivery and Super App space, covering everything from market validation and team structure to performance metrics and onboarding.
Want to see how it works?
Or book a free consultation to review your current idea and plan your launch step by step!
Whether you're exploring the idea or already building your business, Playfood provides the tools, templates and support you need to launch with confidence. Let’s build your delivery business playfully!
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