No Instagram ads. No VC. Just 3,200 WA contacts. Budi, ex-sales FMCG Bandung, built a wholesale replenishment tool for warungs in 18 months — from zero to Rp 2B ARR (Rp 167M MRR).
The Loop
1) Catalog WA Business (900 SKUs, photo + price daily 4am). 2) Order via “BALAS 12A 3” shortcut. 3) Supplier pre-payment pool (warungs pay H-1, Budi pays supplier COD — float = cash flow). 4) Delivery via internal 2 riders + Paxel for outside.
Unit Economics
- AOV Rp 420k, take 8% = Rp 33.6k per order.
- Repeat 11×/month → LTV Rp 369k per warung.
- CAC Rp 45k (door-to-door sampling) → payback 1.3 orders.
- churn 7% — handled via weekly visit if no order 7 days.
Why It Works in Indonesia
Warungs trust people, not apps. WA is already habit; no download friction. Supplier loves one collector vs 200 small invoices.
Bottom line: Community + WA + float beats app + burn. Start narrow, own a kecamatan before a city.