I talk a bit about what business was like in 2008. Besides some personal struggles, 2008 was also a time when individuals and businesses were clamping down on spending. So what can you do if you are freelancing through that?
My interview with @Mixergy is live. Check it out here: https://t.co/fvxio9FArN
It's great. We cover 15 years of business.
I like getting tactical on podcasts. I know Andrew likes it too. I missed some spots. So here are 5 tips I wish I shared during the interview.
🧵👇
I talk a bit about what business was like in 2008. Besides some personal struggles, 2008 was also a time when individuals and businesses were clamping down on spending. So what can you do if you are freelancing through that?
This was part of what encouraged us to focus on membership sites.
!!!
We weren't tracking it. The membership sites we helped launched had reporting built in showing $$$.
There were already a couple established membership plugins for WP when PMPro launched.
We didn't try to recreate the affiliate networks they had already set up.
We focused on becoming the best free membership plugin available on the https://t.co/d1AEC5iAwa repository.
When I told Andrew about the frustrations of dealing with 3rd parties changing their APIs when trying to grow WineLog, he asked "Do you have to deal with that kind of thing with PMPro?"
Yes! We do. What's different? Focus.
We didn't have the energy, time, or desire to pivot and try something new.
If you have other active projects, you can turn to them for what seems like easier progress.
But if you only have one project to focus on, you HAVE to make it work...
Stopping work on WineLog, InvestorGeeks, and the other side projects we had back around 2010, gave us the time and attention needed to make PMPro a success.
When we made the switch from consulting to 100% products-based revenue, we turned down $90k in new work over 3 months to focus on a PMPro relaunch.
The relaunched PMPro 4x'd revenue immediately. Focus.
https://t.co/iX5eyPiHcq
I glossed over that one to talk about other add ons, but ARC is pretty cool. The idea behind it is insightful even if you don't use PMPro.
They maybe want access to something right away, but don't really see the benefit in extending membership another month or year.
Auto-Renewal Checkbox tries to address these customers.
You see this kind of UI all the time when donating online.
However, if you notice this pattern on your site, you should try some things.
Think about how you could create a separate 1-time-payment product. Maybe your subscription is giving TOO MUCH value, and you should break part of it off into a separate product.
I talk more about timing and pricing here:
https://t.co/klD0HkRXy7
I said it was easier to step away from work in a products company vs a services company.
Andrew said, "Yeah? What's the longest you stepped away?" Maybe hoping for a great sabbatical story, but I had none.
I'd say 4 days in the minimum to really get away. Shoot for 7. More could be better.
If you haven't done that in a while, work it out.
If you can, watch the interview anyway. Like it on the site. Ask a comment there. It really helps to show Andrew you're listening.
https://t.co/fvxio9FArN
https://t.co/x67YCk5v1o
More from Startups
20 years ago, I created the Danish gaming site Daily Rush with @mwittrock – inside a startup accelerator called Prey4, complete with fantastical projections of world domination 😂 – but now it's the end, after the proprietor of many years died in 2018.
Daily Rush was the culmination of years of using the web to do gaming journalism. I started Konsollen all the way back in 1995, then ran https://t.co/zsT3ykQcVk for years in anticipation of Id's shooter, then worked at a web portal, then Daily Rush.
This was how I got into web development, project management, organizing, writing, publishing, and how I met lifelong friends. What a wonderful time. But most good things come to an end. We should all be so lucky to see something we help set in the sea brave the waves for 20 yrs!
It's awesome to see the Internet Archive snapshots from all the way back to the early months of the site. Web design anno 2000 😍
The memory lane trip on the Internet Archive goes all the way back to the precursor to Daily Rush, that https://t.co/zsT3ykQcVk site. Here's a snapshot from 1999! Complete with all the news written by yours truly 😄
Daily Rush was the culmination of years of using the web to do gaming journalism. I started Konsollen all the way back in 1995, then ran https://t.co/zsT3ykQcVk for years in anticipation of Id's shooter, then worked at a web portal, then Daily Rush.
This was how I got into web development, project management, organizing, writing, publishing, and how I met lifelong friends. What a wonderful time. But most good things come to an end. We should all be so lucky to see something we help set in the sea brave the waves for 20 yrs!
It's awesome to see the Internet Archive snapshots from all the way back to the early months of the site. Web design anno 2000 😍
The memory lane trip on the Internet Archive goes all the way back to the precursor to Daily Rush, that https://t.co/zsT3ykQcVk site. Here's a snapshot from 1999! Complete with all the news written by yours truly 😄
5 Micro Skills That Will Improve Your Life Drastically
// A THREAD //
Even the small things compound over time... and become huge.
And they become HUGE.
This is the list of small skills that will improve your life A LOT over time, you can't even imagine how much... before you give it a try.
I'll present the skills in form of mini challenges.
1. Type with all ten fingers 10 days - 10 mins in the morning.
Most of us spend a lot of our time behind the computer typing.
Yet, not many people know how to write with all ten fingers —> drastically faster.
You can learn it for free here:
https://t.co/ow2WTHrXBJ
2. Make at least one Zap
Zappier allows you to make micro workflows between the applications you use.
Let's say you have to calendars (work and normal) and you want to sync them all the time —> Zappier
2b. You send an email every month remind your customers to pay the maintenance fee + reminder them if they won't —> Zappier
You want an email notification every time someone edits a Google sheet —> Zappier
Basic version is free. @zapier
// A THREAD //
Even the small things compound over time... and become huge.
And they become HUGE.
This is the list of small skills that will improve your life A LOT over time, you can't even imagine how much... before you give it a try.
I'll present the skills in form of mini challenges.
1. Type with all ten fingers 10 days - 10 mins in the morning.
Most of us spend a lot of our time behind the computer typing.
Yet, not many people know how to write with all ten fingers —> drastically faster.
You can learn it for free here:
https://t.co/ow2WTHrXBJ
2. Make at least one Zap
Zappier allows you to make micro workflows between the applications you use.
Let's say you have to calendars (work and normal) and you want to sync them all the time —> Zappier
2b. You send an email every month remind your customers to pay the maintenance fee + reminder them if they won't —> Zappier
You want an email notification every time someone edits a Google sheet —> Zappier
Basic version is free. @zapier
