// work · 05 / 05

Webflow-style editing,
on Payload CMS.

A complete client site built on the kit in 48 hours.

// clientScaler Marketing

// typeCMS kit

// stackPayload, Next.js, Postgres, Vercel

// rolePlanning, design and build

// year2026

// 01
The problem
Scaler Marketing now builds client sites in code, with content in Sanity. Clients missed how easy editing was in Webflow, and Sanity charges for each editor, so the bill grew with every site.
// 02
The choice
Scaler asked me to close that gap. I chose Payload, an open-source CMS that runs inside the site itself. Editors are stored in the site's own database, so there are no seat fees, and we can add whatever features clients need.
// 03
The editor
Clients click on the live page and type to change text, drag a new picture onto an image to swap it, or change a button's link. Colours and spacing come from the brand's own options, so nobody can break the design. Edits go to staging first, and Publish puts them live.
// 04
The result
Every page keeps a history, and any earlier version comes back in one click. The kit went live in October 2026 and already runs two sites. Each one gets the same editor, and improvements reach them all as updates. On Sanity, each site had to be patched by hand, and one needed 10 patches to Sanity's own code. Over 200 automated tests check each release, and Jesse, Scaler's CTO, built a complete client site on it in 48 hours.

// what i did

Webflow's editing. Scaler's own CMS.

I planned, designed and built a private CMS kit for Scaler Marketing on the open-source Payload CMS, with Next.js, Postgres and Vercel. Their clients get a visual editor, brand-safe styling and a staging step, with no per-editor fees.

// the editor