Going Solo

After 4 ½ years in the agency world I’m stepping out to start a company of one.

These years have been amazing.

I’ve had the privilege of working alongside some of my closest friends, people who I admire and respect deeply.

And, in the midst of a number of what I consider “once in a lifetime” experiences I’ve had the opportunity to develop a personal mission. This personal mission is driving me and is why I’m now stepping out on my own.

My Mission

I believe in the importance and power of WordPress as an “operating system” for the Open Web. I want to see a strong, healthy, diverse, and vibrant Open Web for our generation and the next. I see the success and future of WordPress as an important indicator of the health of the Open Web.

In my work in the enterprise, and particularly with technology companies, I’ve had the rare opportunity to connect with numerous individuals and organizations outside the WordPress ecosystem, help them see the value of WordPress, and offer guidance on how to be a part of this ecosystem.

As I take off my agency hat, I’m putting on a hat that I’d best describe as the hat of an Evangelist.

My personal mission is to help technology companies figure out and invest in WordPress, the operating system of the Open Web.

I believe that if I’m successful in doing so, then that’s good for the companies I’ve had the privilege of offering guidance to. And as they serve their customers better through WordPress and attract new customers to WordPress, that’s good for WordPress and good for the Open Web.

So what’s next?

I’m open for work again! I’m looking for three types of engagements:

  • Consulting Engagements – One-time or ongoing engagements where I offer my insights, perspective, and strategic guidance. I’m best at helping organizations figure out their WordPress strategy. (I’ve setup a consulting page with more details)
  • Webmaster engagements – Ongoing, month-to-month engagements where I take on ownership of a web property (or multiple properties) and am responsible for “all the things” (e.g. maintenance, updates, support, and ongoing development).
  • Small WordPress projects – Projects where I can come in and “do all the things” (I code, design, write, test, you name it) to get a job done.

Ideal budgets are in the $5,000 to $2,500 range, either per project or per month.

As I work, I’m pursuing the “big picture” side of my personal mission through a few different projects:

  1. GrowInWP.com – This project is intended to serve as a guide for decision makers in technology companies to help them figure out WordPress. I believe strongly in sharing my best thoughts and ideas freely and openly and I’ll do so through GrowInWP.com.
  2. IntegrationIndex.com – This project is intended to help product managers evaluate how well their product integrates with WordPress.
  3. PluginCurator.com – A tiny project (with a minorly ambitious roadmap) designed to help site owners discover new plugins.

Outside of those projects, I’m also working to support HostCamp, the Tide project and Creating Clients.

Thank you for reading! If I can be of help to you or someone you know, let me know.