Acceding Titans - Professional Marketplace & Networking Platform

Africa's Premier Marketplace for Entrepreneurs Connect, collaborate, and grow your business with Acceding Titans

🎯 Overview

Acceding Titans is a comprehensive, production-ready frontend marketplace platform designed specifically for African entrepreneurs, professionals, and small to medium businesses. It's built with Next.js and connects to a Laravel backend API.

Key Features

• Membership-Based System: Regular, VIP, and VVIP tiers with flexible subscription plans
• Business Marketplace: Showcase products/services with direct WhatsApp integration
• Advanced Advertising: Post text, image, and video advertisements with moderation
• Job Marketplace: Post and find opportunities with proposal management
• Community Networking: Direct messaging, collaboration requests, and networking
• Birthday Rewards System: Celebrate members and promote their businesses
• Referral System: Earn commissions by bringing new members
• Admin Dashboard: Complete moderation and analytics tools
• Payment Integration: Integrated with your backend payment processing

🛠️ Tech Stack

Frontend (This Project)

• Framework: Next.js 16 with App Router
• Language: TypeScript (strict mode)
• Styling: Tailwind CSS 4
• State Management: Zustand
• Forms: React Hook Form + Zod validation
• HTTP Client: Axios

Backend (Laravel - Separate Project)

• Handles authentication, database, business logic, and API endpoints
• See NEXT_STEPS.md for required API endpoints

📋 Prerequisites

• Node.js: v18.17 or higher
• npm: v9 or higher
• Laravel Backend: Running on your local machine or server
• Git: For version control

🚀 Quick Start

1. Install Dependencies

npm install

2. Set Up Environment Variables

Copy .env.example to .env.local:

cp .env.example .env.local

Edit .env.local with your Laravel backend URL:

NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL="http://localhost:3000"
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL="http://localhost:8000"  # Your Laravel backend
NEXTAUTH_SECRET="generate-with-openssl-rand-base64-32"
NODE_ENV="development"

3. Start Development Server

npm run dev

Visit http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

📁 Key Directories

• app/ - Next.js App Router pages and layouts
• src/components/ - React UI and layout components
• src/hooks/ - Custom React hooks
• src/store/ - Zustand state management
• src/types/ - TypeScript interfaces
• src/lib/ - Validation schemas and utilities
• src/utils/ - Helper functions
• src/config/ - Application constants
• src/services/ - API client and service layer

🎨 Design System

Professional, clean design without gradients:

• Primary (Gold): #D4AF37
• Secondary (Black): #0A0A0A
• Success: #10B981
• Warning: #F59E0B
• Error: #EF4444

💳 Membership Tiers

Tier	Price	Ad Limit
Regular	₦2,000/mo	5/month
VIP	₦3,500/mo	20/month
VVIP	₦5,000/mo	Unlimited

📊 Available Pages

Public: /, /features, /pricing, /about, /contact, /terms, /privacy

Auth: /auth/login, /auth/register, /auth/forgot-password, /auth/reset-password

Dashboard: /dashboard, /dashboard/profile, /dashboard/catalogues, /dashboard/settings

Admin: /admin, /admin/users, /admin/content

🔗 Backend Integration

This frontend connects to your Laravel backend API. See NEXT_STEPS.md for:

• API client configuration (Axios)
• Required backend endpoints
• Service layer implementation
• Authentication flow

Expected API Base URL

By default, the app looks for your backend at:

http://localhost:8000

Configure via NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL environment variable.

🚀 Build & Deploy

# Build
npm run build

# Start production
npm start

📚 Documentation

• NEXT_STEPS.md - Setup API services and integration guide
• DEVELOPMENT_GUIDE.md - Project structure and architecture

Built with ❤️ for African Entrepreneurs