Case Study · Trade

A full-stack multi-tenant CRM built from scratch in WordPress.

Custom SaaS build for Gather360 — a clean, fast, multi-tenant CRM for UK small businesses. Stripe Checkout subscriptions, email-based team invitations, complete tenant isolation, marketing site, and full SoftwareApplication schema graph.

Live · 5★ Google
assetroofinglimited.co.uk
Gather360 website shown across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices
Project Gather360 SaaS
Type Multi-tenant SaaS CRM
Operator Mako Digital
Build Type Custom WordPress / PHP / AJAX
Live App gather360.co.uk
Year 2026
The Brief

A saas crm platform that needed a website to match the work.

The brief for Gather360 came from a simple observation: most CRM software is either too expensive, too complicated, or both. The big players charge per seat, bury features in enterprise tiers, and take weeks to onboard. Small businesses end up managing clients in spreadsheets because nothing else fits.

The goal: build something different — a clean, fast, multi-tenant CRM that a small business owner could sign up for, invite their team, and be using in under ten minutes. One fixed monthly price, unlimited users, no per-seat fees, no unnecessary complexity.

Beyond the application itself, Gather360 needed a full marketing site — homepage, features, pricing, about — with proper SoftwareApplication schema, a 14-day free trial flow, Stripe Checkout subscription billing, webhook activation, and the operational plumbing to run as a real SaaS business from day one.

Build Specifications

The build, decoded.

Every Mako Digital case study includes a complete build specification — the actual technical decisions that made the project what it is.

Build Type Custom SaaS — WordPress backbone
Architecture Multi-tenant with full data isolation
Routing Querystring-based app shell
Data Layer Custom DB tables + scoped queries
Auth WP user system + invitation tokens
Billing Stripe Checkout + webhook activation
Free Trial 14 days, no card required upfront
Email System SMTP2GO (SPF / DKIM / DMARC)
Marketing Site Homepage / Features / Pricing / About
Schema Markup SoftwareApplication + FAQ + Breadcrumb
Hosting Hostinger Premium (LiteSpeed)
Build Time 8 weeks brief to live SaaS
Our Approach

Five build decisions that shaped the final site.

Every Mako Digital build follows a documented approach — consistent across every project, calibrated to each client’s industry, brand, and customer journey.

01

Multi-tenant architecture, properly isolated

The entire Gather360 app is built as a set of custom WordPress page templates — no plugin framework, no page builders. The app shell handles routing via querystring, with all data operations through AJAX endpoints. Every database query is scoped to the logged-in user's account ID, enforcing complete tenant isolation at the data layer. The UI feels like a native web app — because it is one.

02

Subscription billing built on Stripe Checkout

Stripe Checkout handles the entire subscription flow — 14-day free trial, payment method capture, automatic activation, recurring billing, and customer portal. Webhooks update the WordPress user database when subscriptions activate, renew, lapse, or cancel. The platform launched with a clean transition from Stripe test mode to live mode via a WP Admin settings page — no code changes required.

03

Email-based team invitations that just work

Adding team members shouldn't require creating user accounts manually. Gather360 uses a simple invitation flow — invite by email, recipient clicks a tokenised link, sets their password, and joins the account. No admin friction, no per-seat fees, unlimited users on every plan. SMTP via SMTP2GO with full deliverability (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).

04

Marketing site engineered to rank

Alongside the app, we built a full marketing site — homepage with live dashboard screenshots, feature showcase, pricing page, and about page. Every page was built with SoftwareApplication schema telling Google exactly what Gather360 is and what it costs, plus FAQPage schema and BreadcrumbList schema. Google Search Console verified on launch day with sitemap submitted and key pages indexed immediately.

05

Operational from day one

Gather360 launched with active subscriptions from day one — not a beta, not an early-access list. Hosted on Hostinger Premium (LiteSpeed) for performance, with proper backup strategy, monitoring, and a clean deployment workflow for ongoing feature releases. Mako Digital remains the operator and developer; the platform continues to grow as a real working SaaS business.

By the Numbers

The build at a glance.

1 Multi-tenant
SaaS launched
14 days Free trial
(no card)
8 wks Brief to live
turnaround
£0 Per-seat
fees
Users per
account
100% Custom code
no SaaS plugin
If we wouldn’t put it on our own business, we wouldn’t put it on yours.
The Mako Digital Standard

Gather360 Case Study: Mako Digital designed and built a custom WordPress website for Gather360, multi-tenant saas crm platform based in Wigan. The build delivered a bespoke theme coded from scratch, full schema markup, complete local SEO setup, and a Google Search Console-verified launch.

The Gather360 project sits within Mako Digital’s portfolio of bespoke WordPress builds — the same standards-led approach we apply to every client across Wigan borough and the wider North West. See our Custom CRM Development UK page for the full service breakdown, or visit the case study archive for more examples.

FAQs

Common questions about the Gather360 build.

How much does it cost to build a custom SaaS like Gather360?

Custom SaaS builds at Mako Digital are scoped per-project — typically starting from £5,000+ for a working MVP and scaling based on complexity. Gather360 represents a fully operational multi-tenant SaaS with Stripe billing, team invitations, and a full marketing site — a more substantial build than a simple lead-capture site. Get in touch with your concept for a fixed quote.

How long does a SaaS build like Gather360 take?

Eight weeks from brief to live for Gather360 — including the multi-tenant architecture, Stripe integration, team invitation system, marketing site, and SEO setup. Larger SaaS builds with more complex feature sets can take longer, but Gather360's eight-week timeline is representative of what's achievable when the brief is tight and decisions are made quickly.

Why build a SaaS on WordPress?

WordPress provides a solid foundation — user authentication, database abstraction, admin interface, plugin ecosystem, and a hosting environment that works on any cheap VPS. We build custom page templates and custom database tables on top of that foundation, getting all the WordPress benefits while writing exactly the code we need. The alternative — building a SaaS from scratch in Laravel or Node — takes longer and costs more without delivering proportional benefits for most B2B tools.

How does multi-tenant architecture actually work?

Every account in Gather360 has a unique account ID. Every database query — clients, contacts, notes, follow-ups — is scoped to that account ID. Users only ever see data from their own account, even though all accounts share the same database tables. This is enforced at the data layer, not the UI layer, so there's no way for one account's data to leak into another's. The same architecture pattern can be applied to any custom SaaS we build.

Does Mako Digital build SaaS for other clients?

Yes — Gather360 is operated by Mako Digital ourselves, but the same SaaS development approach applies to bespoke client projects. RefAssure (reference checking SaaS), Resolve Recruitment (compliance recruitment), TalentLynk (recruitment platform), and the Compliance360 suite are all client SaaS projects we've delivered. Get in touch with your concept and we'll discuss feasibility, scope, and pricing.

What schema markup does Gather360 use?

SoftwareApplication schema (declaring Gather360 as a CRM software product, with pricing, applicationCategory, and operatingSystem properties), FAQPage schema for the homepage Q&A section, BreadcrumbList for site hierarchy, and Organization schema for Mako Digital as the operator. The full graph helps Google understand what Gather360 is and surfaces it properly for SaaS-related searches.

Where else does Mako Digital build software?

Across the UK, predominantly serving Wigan borough and the wider North West. We've built reference checking SaaS (RefAssure), recruitment platforms (TalentLynk, JobPitch), compliance platforms (Compliance360 suite), and bespoke CRMs for individual businesses. See Custom CRM Development UK for our development approach.

Can I sign up for Gather360 myself?

Yes — Gather360 is live and accepting subscriptions at gather360.co.uk. 14-day free trial, no card required to start, one flat monthly price after that with unlimited users.

More Like This

Other Mako Digital trade business case studies.

If the Gather360 build is the kind of work that fits your business, these are the closest peers in our portfolio — same custom-WordPress approach, different industries.

Your Build, Next?

Got a SaaS idea or need a custom CRM built? Let’s talk.

Custom SaaS development from £5,000+. Same approach as the Gather360 build — clean architecture, multi-tenant where needed, Stripe integration, no SaaS plugin shortcuts.