WhatsScale
WhatsApp automation — no Business API needed
I spent 8 years as a Product Manager. Porter (unicorn), Adevinta, Printify. I wrote PRDs, ran sprints, shipped features through engineers.
In April 2024, I quit. No job offers lined up. Just a belief that I could build something myself.
The first attempt failed.
I built FAM a B,2B SaaS. Got 100+ users, 60% activation. But it didn't scale. I learned a lot. Mostly about what not to do.
Then I discovered Claude Code.
Not "learning to code" in the traditional sense. Learning to build with AI. Different skill. Steeper curve than I expected debugging, architecture decisions, testing. But faster than any bootcamp.
134 commits in 60 days. Built WhatsScale from zero.
What is WhatsScale?
It started with a silly problem: I wanted to automate WhatsApp messages for my Fantasy Premier League group. Deadline reminders, standings updates, tips.
Every solution I found required WhatsApp Business API expensive, complex, meant for enterprises. Nothing worked with a personal WhatsApp number.
So I built it myself.
Then I realized: Shopify store owners have the same problem. They want to message customers on WhatsApp (98% open rates vs 20% for email), but the Business API is overkill for small stores.
WhatsScale lets them send order confirmations, abandoned cart reminders, and shipping updates from their personal number. No API approval needed.
The journey:
November 2024: MVP for my FPL group
December-January: Built the full SaaS
Applied to Zapier → Rejected (trademark/partner requirements)
Pivoted to Make.com → 13 templates approved on their marketplace(https://www.make.com/en/integrations/whatsscale)
Where I'm at now:
5 beta users. $0 MRR. Figuring out GTM.
Sharing the journey here because IndieHackers posts helped me when I was starting. Hoping to pay it forward.
If you're a PM thinking about building, just start. AI makes it possible now.
Happy to answer questions about Claude Code, Make.com, or the PM → builder transition.
2 Comments
This resonates a lot — the PM to builder path using Claude Code is real and underrepresented.
One thing that hit me during a similar Claude Code marathon: I wasn't tracking the API costs as I went. Opened the Anthropic console after a heavy session and the number was... uncomfortable. That experience directly led me to build TokenBar (tokenbar.site) — a macOS menu bar app that shows live token usage and estimated cost as you build. $5 lifetime.
Congrats on 134 commits in 60 days. The WhatsApp angle for small Shopify stores is a genuine gap — you've identified a real distribution channel (Make.com templates) that most solo builders overlook. Worth doubling down there before GTM gets complicated.
Congrats on the launch! What channels are you testing to bring in your first customers?