This Is How Non-Technical People Build Software Now [WRAP 207]

Hey Reader,

So I'm adding a calendar invite to a webinar email—the kinda thing that should take about 30 seconds—and I get hit with one of those "You've reached your plan limit" notifications. They're asking me for $29/month to make calendar invites.

I built my own version in an hour.

That kicked off a weekend where I ended up building two web apps with Claude Code even though I have minimal coding experience. You might not have the same problems to solve as I do, but what I'm sharing today will give you ideas about how to start fixing a couple of your own.

💡 One Big Idea: The coolest way to solve your own problems

The first problem came up because I was using a tool to help me add event reminders to my webinar signup emails. But then I ran into a usage limit which was asking me to pay $29/month to create calendar events.

Y'all, it literally took me an hour to build a replacement tool with Claude Code. Now my assistant and I can create as many calendar invites as we need, and embed them directly in Kit emails.

Enter SendInviteTo.Me 🗓️ You just put down the title, date/time, location, description, and voila! You can embed the invite on your website or email.

The second problem had been bugging me for a while—liquid syntax in Kit emails. It's the not-as-scary-as-php-but-still-scary-to-noobs code that shows your name at the top of the email, as well as other things like dates, tags, etc.

Kit has a very helpful doc on their site, and there is a personalization menu in the email editor, but it's pretty simple. I had a list in Notion of codes I used often, but it wasn't always as handy as I wanted.

So in two more hours I built a reference tool for commonly used liquid code, along with the complete list of subscriber variable, filter, and control flow tags available for Kit emails.

That's why WriteLiquid exists.

I've written about this a couple times before, and these days I'm only using Claude Code. It keeps getting easier to use, by the way—you can code in the desktop app, no terminal required.

Look, I didn't build these tools because I'm technical. I built them because I had a specific problem and decided to try solving it myself instead of paying someone else or living with the workaround.

If there's something in your business that's held together with duct tape: a janky spreadsheet, a manual process you repeat every week, a tool that does 80% of what you need... you might be closer to fixing it than you think.

📹 Video to Watch: Nat Eliason shows you how to vibe code a pomodoro timer​

I actually haven't released this video publicly yet, but it's a recording from the HeyCreator Summit last year. My friend and vibe-coding sensei, Nat Eliason, came on to talk about how the nature of software is rapidly changing and what non-technical people (like me!) can do now.

You can see from the thumbnail that it's a long one, really more of a podcast interview, but if you skip to 26:47 on the video you'll be able to watch Nat's build. And while you watch, remember that everything he's doing is easier now.

📰 Article to Read: You Can't Think Your Way to a Meaningful Life​

But here's the thing about building—you actually have to start. Which brings me to something my brother Mark wrote recently.

Mark is on a writing tear and putting some great stuff down in his Substack. A recent post is about a problem that many smart people face... the learning trap. The belief (subconscious or not) that if you learn enough then "the thing" will get done.

The thing could be a business, a book, a relationship, or just a personal goal you have. Mark gives some really sharp and easy-to-follow bits of advice about how to avoid that trap, or at least escape quickly if you still fall in.

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Thanks again for reading the WRAP, I'll talk to you again next week.

Matt Ragland