This 2016 WordCamp Raleigh presentation provides guidance and insights for those interested in starting a part-time or full-time WordPress Business.

2. Who Am I
●
Designer / Developer /
Consultant at SixFour Web
Design & Marketing
● SixFour Web helps
businesses and non-profit
organizations tell their
stories online to help them
reach their customers and
supporters in a meaningful
and compelling way

3. My first business -My First Website

4. Lessons Learned
● Owning your own business is great.
● Success is based on how effectively you
communicate how your business solves
the customers' problems...and actually
solve them
● It's hard to start a business during the
worst recession since the Great
Depression

6. SixFour Web is Born

7. Why Start a WordPress Business?
● It's Cheap. Low Barrier to Entry
● Large Market Share. As of July 2016,
WordPress powers 26.7% of all websites
and 59.3% of CMS's*
● Like other businesses, as your experience
grows, your ability to scale and grow your
business grows
*source - W3Techs

8. Smashing Magazine says
● WordPress is free and GPL
● A great community is behind WordPress
● A lot of talented people actively develop
and support it
● When you do start turning a profit, that
profit belongs to you
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/06/
dos-donts-wordpress-startups/

9. Starting Your Business
● General business principles are important
and you will need to stick to them in
order to be successful
– Understand who you are selling your services
to; everyone IS NOT your customer
– Solve customer problems
– Deliver on your promise

10. Ray's Most Important Principle
● Do not charge less than Market Rate,
even when you are just starting out!

11. Do not charge less
than Market Rate,
even when you are
just starting out!

12. But I Don't Know enough!!!
● WordPress is not just one thing. There are
many, many, many opportunities for
specialization, and many areas for you to
build your unique WordPress business
● Need proof?

16. You Can Do it!
● I have confidence in YOU!
● Make the commitment to learning your
craft and performing it well
● You just need to remember one thing...

17. Do not charge less
than Market Rate,
even when you are
just starting out!

18. Finding Customers
● To find customers, you need to ACTIVELY
let people know you are in business
● This is called MARKETING
● It's not a business unless you are
prepared to market and promote your
services. Otherwise it's a hobby
● You already knew this

19. How to market your Business
● Build a good Zix, Squareface, Feebly or
Go Mommy website
No!

20. How to market Your Business
● Build a good WordPress website
● Tell your friends and family
● Promote your services on social media
● Find business networking groups and visit
their meetings
● Develop and practice your 30 Second
commercial / your “elevator
speech”

21. OK. What Business should I start
● Since this is YOUR business, you should
do something you like and you really
want to do
● Why would you want to just create
another job?
● Choose a business that fits your skills and
personality

22. Business Idea #1
WordPress Website Installation and Setup
● Description:
Provide customer with WordPress
website, assist in theme selection, work
with new or existing hosting account,
add content, assist in theme selection
● Difficulty:
Low

23. WordPress Website Installation
and Setup
SKILLS NEEDED
● Technical ability
● Design skills
● Image editing
RESOURCES
● Wordpress codex
● WP recommended
hosting companies
● WPbeginner
● Various theme
shops

24. Business Idea #2
Website Maintenance
● Description:
Maintain website from technical
perspective, provide updates to
WordPress core, themes and plugins.
● Difficulty:
Low to Moderate

25. Website Maintenance
SKILLS
● Pretty good
understanding of
WP ecosystem
● Troubleshooting
ability
● Understanding of
PHP and JS very
helpful
RESOURCES
● WordPress codex
● WPtavern.com
● google.com
●
wordpress.stackexchange.
com

26. Business Idea #3
● WordPress Consulting
● Description:
Advise customers on how best to
leverage WordPress to solve their
business problems
● Difficulty:
Moderate to High

27. Wordpress Consulting
SKILLS
●
An expert level
understanding of WP
and its capabilities
●
Problem solver
●
Business acumen
● Know the difference
between a hammer,
a screwdriver and a
scalpel
RESOURCES
● torquemag.io
●
Wptavern.com
●
A List Apart
● Smashing Magazine

28. Business Idea #4
Plugin or Theme Development
● Description:
Design and develop custom theme or
plugin solutions for individual customers
or for sale to the mass market
● Difficulty:
High

29. Plugin or theme developMenT
SKILLS
● Understanding of
WordPress
● Alphabet Soup:
PHP, HTML/CSS,
JS, and jQuery
● Design and UX
skills for theme
development
RESOURCES
● WordPress codex
●
codepen.io
● github.com
● uxmag.com
● developer.wordpress.
com

30. Ready To Get Started?
● Here's the first step
● Talk to the entrepreneurs and
microentrepreneurs who are here at
WordCamp. Learn how they started and
why they started. Ask about their
mistakes. Ask how they got bigger. Ask
how they got better. Build networks.
Make connections.
Forge partnerships.

31. Final Words
The most rewarding thing about
starting iThemes has been and will
always be the people. Specifically,
the team I work with, and the
people we serve. Profit is
essential, but we find and fulfill
our purpose when we're focused
on people. We call it Making
People's Lives Awesome.
Cory Miller,
Founder iThemes

32. Final Words
Unity Digital Agency started in
August 2016--last month! We
provide data-driven solutions for
nonprofits. The most rewarding
this is only being accountable to
my clients, not a boss...not having
to divide that. It’s 100% about
them.
Alisa Herr,
Founder and CEO Unity Digital
Agency

33. Final Words
What was most rewarding came
to me after I started teaching
WordPress. It was all about that
look in the client/student’s eyes
when they had that “aha” moment
and something they were
struggling with finally clicked for
them. It’s the helping people that
makes it most satisfying for me.
Bob Dunn AKA BobWP,
WordPress Coach, Blogger and
Podcaster

34. Final Words
Both WordPress and Cart66
attract a ton of entrepreneurs and
people trying to make money
doing what they love. So the most
rewarding thing about starting
Cart66 is seeing people realize
their dream of doing what they
love using a tool that we created.
Lee Blue,
Developer and Founder Cart66

35. ThankS!
Ray Mitchell
SixFour Web Design & Marketing
sixfourweb.com
@sixfourweb
Get the slides and a bonus at:
http://sixfourweb.com/2016-wordcamp-raleigh-slides/