We’re not done scaling.
If anything, we’re just now feeling the friction that comes with doing it right.
In Part 1, we talked about the opportunity.
In Part 2, we dialed in the machine.
In Part 3, we passed the reins to a team and started building a system.
This is the part where that system starts to creak.
This is the part no one documents.
Scaling Live Sales: Outgrowing Spreadsheets
When we started, we tracked Whatnot live show costs and sales performance in a Google Sheet. Simple tabs. Nothing fancy. We never imagined it would become the central hub behind a six-figure-per-month operation.
But it did. And the cracks started to show.
Manual processes opened the door to costing errors and inventory confusion. There was no integration with our broader tech stack. It was duct tape, and it held until it didn’t.
That’s why we’re building a fully customized internal platform inside Loveable right now. If it works, it changes everything. If it doesn’t, we’re in deep.
Hiring a Show Runner: The Team Scaling Breakthrough
Early on, we were burning people out. The same team members who built the momentum were staying late, running shows, plugging holes.
Hiring Sandra as a full-time Show Runner shifted the weight.
It stabilized the schedule, took pressure off the team, and gave us breathing room to focus on real growth.
Now Sandra supports every weekly show. Cameron still jumps in occasionally, which helps him stay close to his unit and train the next wave. But this was the unlock. Without it, we would’ve stalled.
Scaling Whatnot Live Selling Without Cracking
We’re not in maintenance mode. Not even close.
Right now, the focus is adding two more hosts. That’ll bring us to 35 to 40 hours a week of live shopping and livestream commerce, which is the current upper limit for our infrastructure.
From there, we’ll hit the real fork in the road.
Do we go deeper with one channel?
Or do we launch multiple channels, each with their own identity, inventory, and show bays?
One path keeps things tight.
The other could turn into a mid 8-figure channel with dedicated warehouse space, fulfillment lanes, and a full-blown media-style operation.
We’re not rushing that call, but we’re staring straight at it.
Unexpected Challenges in Scaling a Whatnot Operation
Scaling doesn’t just test your team. It tests your ability to delegate vision.
Cameron has stepped into that role. He’s driving this thing with conviction. His title may still say Marketing Coordinator, but his ownership goes way beyond that. In the next 30 to 45 days, we’ll officially hand him the reins to Social Selling as a business unit.
We’ve also brought on his replacement in marketing. If Cameron is going to build something real, he can’t keep straddling both sides.
Plateau or Pivot: When Whatnot Growth Stalls
Here’s what July looked like:
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$166K in revenue
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99.94 hours of live selling
Now here’s the part that matters.
In June, we hit $156K on just 60 hours of live selling.
That’s a 50 percent increase in airtime with only a 6 percent gain in revenue.
That might mean we’re nearing saturation or that our highest leverage shows are being spread too thin. If adding hosts doesn’t move the needle, the next step is obvious: new channel, new angle.
We’re already sketching out what that could look like. Niche outdoor? Broader category expansion? The opportunity is wide open, and the constraint is focus.
Whatnot: More Than a Live Selling Platform
Whatnot started as a sales lever in the live ecommerce space. Now we’re seeing the real unlock: brand lift, community pull, ecosystem growth.
Unlike TikTok Shop, which is inherently transactional, Whatnot is proving to be a gateway. We’re bringing people into the BattlBox universe, and they’re sticking.
This changes how we think about content, customer journey, and retention.
It’s not just another revenue stream. It’s a magnet.
Done right, it becomes the moat, the engine, and the compounding edge all in one.
What’s Next for Scaling Our 7-Figure Whatnot Channel
Right now, the flywheel is still spinning because the right people are in the right seats. If our internal Loveable app lands, it solves our biggest ops drag. If we add two hosts, we hit full capacity for our current model.
Then it’s decision time.
Do we contain and optimize?
Or do we break this open and build something no one else has done at scale?
We’re not done. Not even close.
Key Takeaways from Part 4
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Manual tools like spreadsheets won’t scale your Whatnot operations
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Hiring a dedicated show runner was crucial to team sustainability
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Growth without direction leads to plateauing; infrastructure is key
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Whatnot isn’t just transactional; it’s a brand-building flywheel
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