Officina22 – 9:12 AM
"Okay, this font looks like it was coded by a sleep-deprived raccoon," Sofia muttered, squinting at the supplier dashboard.
Leonardo laughed, half-asleep and over-caffeinated. "You're not entirely wrong. I picked the default Bootstrap template and never looked back."
"Yeah, well, it's time to look again. And we're switching this button color—no one trusts neon green, unless it's for nightclub flyers."
Sofia leaned over his shoulder, her long hair falling like a curtain between them and the rest of the world. She moved the mouse with precision, altering button placement, swapping in clean icons, simplifying the input fields.
Leonardo watched, fascinated. "You're fast."
"I once redesigned a car rental app in six hours on a bus to Prague. That's when I realized I'd never work a normal job again."
By noon, the supplier-side interface actually looked like something real—not some student project slapped together during finals week.
The dashboard now had:
A clean login screen
Part upload system with category tagging
Dynamic pricing fields
A slimmed-down inventory manager
A messaging box (bare bones, but it worked)
The code wasn't elegant, but it ran. And right now, that was gold.
"Okay," Leonardo said, sipping cold coffee, "let's hit the phones."
Cold Call #1 – A Milano-based CNC Parts Supplier
Ring. Ring. Ring.
"Buongiorno, Officine Baldini."
"Hi, this is Leonardo Venturi. I'm a Bocconi graduate working on a B2B marketplace for industrial parts. I was wondering if I could speak with someone in procurement or sales—"
Click.
He blinked.
Sofia laughed behind him. "Wow. That was fast."
Cold Call #2 – A Precision Steel Fabricator in Bergamo
"...we're not interested. We already use WhatsApp and email."
Leonardo tried again. "This would be faster. Centralized, organized. We can offer visibility to new clients—"
"I said we're not interested."
Cold Call #3 – A Turin-based 3D printing firm
"Hmm... interesting. Do you have a website I can check out?"
"Yes! I'll send it right now."
Finally. A bite.
He fired off the link, added the lead to a Notion CRM board, and turned to Sofia. "We're alive."
She raised her paper coffee cup like it was a champagne flute. "To our first maybe!"
Leonardo kept calling, while Sophia continued working on the website, keeping him company and encouraging him throughout the morning.
Coffee Break – 1:37 PM, Parco Ravizza
They took their cups outside and sat on the edge of a fountain, the Milan sun surprisingly kind.
Leonardo stretched his legs. "So, what's your story, Sofia? Parma, right?"
"Yep. Born and raised. I studied Industrial Design at Politecnico. Then did a minor in Interaction Design in Copenhagen."
"That explains the obsession with simplicity."
She smiled. "I started freelancing during my third year. Mostly ugly SaaS platforms begging for a UX glow-up. Turns out I'm good at making boring things pretty."
He grinned. "And you live in Milan now?"
"Kinda. I rent a microflat the size of a closet in Lambrate. I sleep in a Murphy bed that folds out over my desk. It's tragic and romantic, depending on the day."
Leonardo chuckled. "Any roommates?"
"Just a cactus named Caesar. He's judgy but low-maintenance."
He liked her vibe—laid back, sharp, fast-talking. Different from the polished, corporate types he was used to in class.
"And what about you?" she asked. "You seem... intense."
He looked at the park, thinking of his mom, of his father's old welding gloves still hanging in the garage, and the realization that without Sophia, he was alone hit him hard.
"My dad was a mechanical engineer. Ran a small parts shop in Brescia. I grew up surrounded by machines, gears, and oil-stained hands. But we barely broke even. I wanted more." He responded without realizing.
She nodded slowly, sensing the weight behind his words.
"And now?"
"Now I want to build something bigger than I am. Something real. And not just for money."
They sat in silence for a moment, the fountain murmuring beside them.
Then her phone buzzed.
"Back to work?" he asked.
She stood up. "Back to the frontlines."
Later That Evening – Officina22
Leonardo's inbox pinged.
Subject: "Loved the concept – let's talk more."From: Franco De Bellis, DeBellis Inox
He jumped out of his chair.
"Sofia! We got one!"
She high-fived him so hard their hands stung. "That's two maybes today. You're on fire."
They quickly sent a follow-up with a time slot for a Zoom demo.
Then they kept dialing.
By 9:00 PM, Leonardo's voice was hoarse. They had 3 promising leads. Not bad for day one.
On the whiteboard behind them, Sofia scribbled:
Day 1 – 3 Qualified Leads, 1 Working Frontend, 2 Zombies (Us)