Business

The Udemy Game

Recommitting to Udemy

8/13/2018 / Business, Thoughts / , , , , ,

Nearly two years I was contacted by Udemy to develop a custom WordPress theme course for them in an effort to refresh their offerings. They told me a number of things, like how much money I could make and what it would mean for me as a featured instructor. They didn’t tell me how to play their game. Like how my price didn’t matter; it’s usually $10. I also wasn’t told that I’d be constantly hit up for free content, no matter how I felt about the amount of money I was making. The whole thing annoyed me. But I’ve decided to recommit, and I’m going to play the game.

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Who would you hire with investment money?

What Would You do if You got $100K for Your Business?

7/9/2018 / Business, Thoughts / , , , ,

Over the weekend my friend Dave asked me an interesting question regarding my business: What would you do if someone handed you a bunch of money today? The root of this question, to me, is this: what would I pay for that I currently do myself? The context of the conversation that lead up to that question follows suit. He also asked me if I’ll ever grow to hire someone, and who that would be. After talking through so solutions I came up with an an answer.

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Get the Free Gutenberg Checklist

Now Available: License An Introduction to Gutenberg Course

8/2/2018 / Business, News / , , , , ,

With WordPress 5.0 quickly approaching, it’s time for us to start thinking about educating our teams, clients, and employees on Gutenberg and the new editor. Today I’m happy to announce that you can purchase bulk licensing for my Introduction to Gutenberg course.

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11 Great WooCommerce Tools

11 Great Tools for Your WooCommerce Store

7/12/2018 / Business, Websites / , , , , ,

I just got back from WordCamp Grand Rapids, and the theme of the camp was tools and services to make WordPress better. I spoke about some tools I use for Creator Courses, specifically revolving around the e-commerce portion. I also learned about some great WooCommerce tools from the attendees. I’d love to share some of them with you.

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Self Employment: Year One Recap

6/19/2018 / Business, News, Thoughts / , , , , ,

I started my first business in high school, making websites for anyone who’d give me a shot. It was a great way to make money that I carried through college, grad school, and my adult life. I even did it full time a little after college, but lack of benefits and the need to learn more forced me to find a full time job. For pretty much that entire time, the stakes were different – and not very high. I didn’t have anyone except myself to support and I didn’t require too much.

That changed when I got married and had a daughter. I thought my chances at full time self-employment were dramatically lower as a result. However, today marks the anniversary of me leaving my full time job to pursue my side business full-time. I’d like to reflect on the first year.

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A new favorite travel spot - Cabo

My Summer Travel Schedule for 2018

5/17/2018 / Business, Speaking / , , , ,

One of my favorite things to do is travel and speak at conferences, and summer is prime time to do that. Not only is it nice most places in the summer, but lots of great events happen – especially in July. Here’s where I’ll be traveling and/or speaking. If you’ll be at any of these places, be sure to say hello!

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How much does it cost to build a WordPress website?

4/2/2018 / Business, Websites / , , ,

So you need to buy a car. You start by setting a budget and picking a make and model you like. Determine if you want new or used. Do some research online; perhaps you consult a Kelly Blue Book. Then, armed with a good idea of what you need, what you’d like, and how much you can spend, you go to the car dealer. You shop around a bit. But you know for sure, if you want a Ford Fusion, you’re paying between $20K and $25K. There’s a sticker price and most dealers will stay within a few thousand of that. But what about website cost?

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“No But We Can Order It Online for You.”

3/16/2018 / Business, Thoughts / , , , ,

I have a confession to make: when it comes to shopping, I like it a lot more than my wife does. I also really like going to stores and buying stuff…even though with Amazon I can get most things the same day if I order them before 11am. But there’s something about going to a store or a mall, picking out the thing you want, and walking out with it. It bums me out that retail is dying. The news that Toys ‘R’ Us is closing kills me. That store is probably the reason I like shopping so much. But over the last few months, my shopping excursions have been fruitless, and the reason makes it very clear why retail is dying.

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