The AI Tool That Treats You Like a Human (Not a Developer)
How I Built Real Software by Simply Saying "I'm Not a Coder — Walk Me Through This"
I need to tell you about the moment everything changed for me.
I was staring at Claude Code, completely stuck. Error messages everywhere. Something about “environment variables” and “API authentication.” I had no idea what any of it meant.
So I typed seven words that changed everything:
“I’m not a developer. Explain this simply.”
And Claude Code... actually did. It stopped speaking in jargon. It started walking me through each step like a patient teacher. Click this. Copy that. Paste it here. When I made mistakes, it told me exactly what went wrong and how to fix it.
That’s when I realized: this tool was designed for people like us.
Not developers. Not engineers. Business owners with ideas who never thought they could build real software.
Today I’m going to prove it to you. We’re going to build something together — a tool that could transform your business — and I’m going to give you the exact prompt that makes Claude Code hold your hand through the entire process.
Word of the Day: Claude Code
Claude Code is Anthropic’s tool that builds software for you through conversation. You describe what you want in plain English. It writes all the code. But here’s the secret most people don’t know:
If you tell Claude Code you’re not a developer, it completely changes how it talks to you.
Instead of assuming you know what “npm install” means, it says: “Open your Terminal and type this command. This installs the tools we need.”
Instead of “configure your environment variables,” it says: “Go to Supabase, click Settings, then API. Copy the URL and paste it into this file. I’ll tell you exactly where.”
It’s like having a developer sit next to you, watching your screen, guiding every click.
What We’re Building: The Review Requester
Let me ask you something: How many customers have you served this year?
Now: How many of them left you a Google review?
The gap between those two numbers is costing you money. Every single day.
Here’s the brutal truth about reviews:
Businesses with more reviews get clicked more in Google searches
93% of consumers say online reviews impact their buying decisions
The businesses with hundreds of reviews aren’t better than you — they just ask consistently
You know you should ask for reviews. But you forget. Or it feels awkward. Or you’re already on to the next job.
What if a system asked for you? Every time. With minimal effort.
That’s what we’re building, here’s how it works:
This exact system would cost you $50-150/month from review management companies. Or $2,000-5,000 to hire a developer.
Or you could build it yourself this weekend.
How to Access Claude Code
Step 1: Go to claude.ai
Step 2: You’ll need a Pro Plan ($20/month) to access Claude Code. If you don’t have it, upgrade in your account settings.
Step 3: Look for Claude Code in the interface. You can also access it through your computer’s Terminal by installing it (Claude will walk you through this too).
Step 4: Before you start, create a free account at github.com — this is where your code will live. Claude Code builds everything inside a GitHub “repository” (just a folder for your project).
That’s it. You’re ready.
The Prompt That Does Everything
Here’s where I hand you the keys.
Copy this entire prompt and paste it into Claude Code. This single prompt will:
Tell Claude Code to treat you like a non-developer
Walk you through setting up every account you need
Build your entire Review Requester step by step
Explain every single thing it’s doing in plain English
THE PROMPT:
I want to build a Review Request System for my small business, but I need you to understand something important: I am NOT a developer. I have never written code. I don't know what most technical terms mean.
Please walk me through EVERYTHING step by step, in plain English, like you're sitting next to me and guiding each click. When you need me to do something, tell me:
- Exactly where to click
- Exactly what to type
- What it means (in simple terms)
- How to know if I did it right
If I encounter an error, I'll paste it to you — please explain what went wrong and how to fix it without using jargon.
Here's what I want this Review Requester to do:
WHAT I NEED:
1. A simple dashboard where I can log in
2. A form to add customers (name, phone number, email, service date)
3. A list showing all my customers and whether they've been sent a review request
4. Automatic text messages sent 24 hours after I add a customer, asking them to leave a Google review
5. The ability to customize the text message and add my Google review link
6. A way to see stats (how many requests sent, how many reviews received)
PLEASE GUIDE ME THROUGH:
1. Setting up a GitHub account and creating a repository for this project (if I haven't already)
2. Setting up Supabase (for the database) — show me exactly where to find the keys I need
3. Setting up Twilio (for sending text messages) — walk me through getting a phone number
4. Setting up Vercel (to put this on the internet) — explain how to connect it to GitHub
5. Building the actual application, explaining each piece as we go
6. Deploying it so I can access it from anywhere
Start by asking me what I've already done (if anything) so you know where to begin. Then guide me through each step one at a time. Don't overwhelm me with multiple steps at once.
Remember: Talk to me like a patient teacher, not a fellow developer. I want to learn, but I need it explained simply.What Happens Next
When you paste that prompt, Claude Code will start a conversation with you.
It will probably ask: “Have you already created a GitHub account? Do you have Supabase or Twilio accounts yet?”
Answer honestly. Then it will guide you through each piece.
The services you’ll set up (Claude Code will walk you through each one):
Total cost: About $21/month (including Claude pro) plus pennies per text. Compare that to $100+/month for review software you don’t own.
The Warning: Dunning-Kruger Will Humble You
I need to be honest with you about something.
When I first discovered Claude Code, I felt invincible. “I can build anything!” I thought. “Why did I ever think coding was hard?”
Then I got my ass kicked.
OAuth authentication. API keys. Environment variables. Deployment errors. Database connections that wouldn’t connect. I spent three hours one night trying to figure out why one thing wouldn’t talk to another thing.
What I experienced has a name: The Dunning-Kruger Effect.
The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a psychological phenomenon that explains why beginners often feel more confident than experts, and why that confidence crashes hard once reality sets in.
Here’s how it works:
Stage 1: The Peak of Confidence (Left side of the chart)
You learn something new. It seems easy. You think, “Why did anyone ever say this was hard?” Your confidence is sky-high because you don’t know what you don’t know yet. This is sometimes called “Mount Stupid” — and we’ve all been there.
Stage 2: The Valley of Despair (Bottom of the chart)
Then you try something slightly harder. Suddenly, nothing works. You realize how much you don’t understand. Your confidence crashes. This is where most people quit. Look at the stick figure in the graphic — that’s you, wondering what the hell happened.
Stage 3: The Slope of Enlightenment (Right side of the chart)
If you keep going — through the frustration, the failures, the confusion — something shifts. Concepts start connecting. Things that confused you begin making sense. Your confidence rises again, but this time it’s built on actual competence. This is the breakthrough.
The key insight: The only way to get to the right side of that chart is to survive the valley.
This exact thing happened to me.
I built my first app in an afternoon. Felt like a genius. I was standing on top of that left peak thinking, “I can build ANYTHING now!”
Then I tried something slightly more complex.
OAuth — the thing that lets users “Sign in with Google” — destroyed me for two days. I didn’t understand why my API keys weren’t working. I copy-pasted error messages and screenshots to Claude Code dozens of times. I Googled things at midnight. I felt like an idiot.
I wanted to quit. I was deep in that valley, looking up at both sides, wondering how I’d ever climb out.
But I didn’t quit. I took breaks. I came back the next day. I asked Claude Code to explain things differently, more simply. And then — breakthrough. It finally clicked. The feature worked. That high of getting something to work after struggling for days? AMAZING!
This WILL happen to you.
You’ll feel brilliant, then stupid, then frustrated, then — if you keep going — you’ll feel the breakthrough.
The valley is not a sign you should quit. It’s a sign you’re learning.
“The Work Works On You”
There’s a phrase I keep coming back to:
The work works on you.
While you’re struggling to understand databases, the struggle is teaching you how systems connect. While you’re frustrated by API errors, that frustration is rewiring your brain to think in new ways. While you’re building this Review Requester, it’s building something in you.
You won’t fully understand this until you’re on the other side.
But trust me: the person who emerges after building their first piece of software is not the same person who started. You’ll see technology differently. You’ll see problems differently. You’ll realize that every piece of software you’ve ever paid for was just... someone else’s idea, built.
And now you can build too.
The growth you’ll experience trying this will be more than you can understand right now. You’ll only see it in hindsight.
More SaaS Ideas Once You’ve Built This
After your Review Requester is live, you’ll have the skills to try anything you’d like. Here are ideas worth exploring:
Client Portal — Your clients log in and see project status, files, messages, and next steps. No more “just checking in on progress” emails. They can see for themselves.
Appointment Reminder System — Automatically text customers 24 hours before their appointment. Restaurants, salons, consultants — anyone who loses money to no-shows needs this.
Simple Lead Tracker — Add leads, mark them as contacted/converted/lost, add notes. Replaces expensive CRM software with something that does exactly what you need.
Quote Calculator — Embed it on your website. Customers enter details, get an instant estimate. You capture their info as a lead. Works 24/7.
Employee Time Clock — Staff clock in/out from their phones. You see everyone’s hours in a dashboard. Export for payroll. Done.
Same pattern every time: Describe it to Claude Code. Let it guide you. Deploy to Vercel (or wherever Claude recommends). Own it forever.
The Bottom Line
Two years ago, building software required either learning to code (years of study) or hiring someone who knew how (thousands of dollars).
Today, it requires a conversation.
Claude Code isn’t just a tool — it’s a patient teacher who never gets frustrated, never judges your questions, and will walk you through anything step by step.
All you have to do is tell it the truth: “I’m not a developer. Walk me through this.”
And it will.
Your move:
Go to claude.ai
Access Claude Code (Pro plan required)
Create a GitHub account if you haven’t
Paste the prompt I gave you
Follow Claude Code’s instructions, one step at a time
When you get stuck, paste the error and ask for help (sceenshots work best)
Keep going
By this time next week, you could have a working Review Requester that automatically gets you more Google reviews.
Or you could still be thinking about it.
Your choice.
—Scott