WordPress Services and My Pricing Strategy

Pricing has always been a painful topic for everyone, both clients and contractors/companies. Clients try to keep it as low as possible (normally) and contractors try to earn more (again, normally). There are quite a few videos, books, tutorials and blog posts on the subject, and not as many people talking about that. Chris Lema is one of the most open people when it comes to pricing, and he's helped me to negotiate on projects and find out the best possible way to discuss projects with serious customers who would like to build a given software and have a clear vision… Continue Reading

5 Business Predictions for 2023 Following the Downward Spiral in Tech

In 2022, one share of Meta Platforms Inc, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, was traded at $378. Less than two months in, the technological juggernaut collapsed to under $89 a share — reaching the trading levels of 2015. But, Meta is not alone. The Nasdaq 100 took a 38% hit from its peak. Layoffs have followed suit across the titans of technology — with tens of thousands of employees losing jobs across Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Twitter alone. Heading into 2023, the future is tumultuous. What geoeconomic changes are about to resurface in the new year? Dive… Continue Reading

Top 26 of My Most Recommended Newsletters

I have been asked by many of my followers and business associates about my most recommended newsletters and every time, I take delight in sharing my list. Whenever I recommend, you are guaranteed that I only recommend what I read on a regular basis. After all, we cannot give what we do not have. :)  Each week, more and more newsletters get added to my list ( I even just signed up for 3 more newsletters as of this writing!) I also maintain a newsletter of my own wherein I faithfully release my latest resources and the most important articles… Continue Reading

Best 100+ Blog Niche Ideas That Are Guaranteed to Be Popular

Are you thinking about how to start blogging for money? To help you get started without wasting any time, here’s a list of 100+ profitable blog niches to make money. Most people who want to make money online stumble upon the thought of starting a blog. But gradually, when they are getting into it, they are stuck on the very first thing about what blog niche they must choose to write upon. Do you have the same questions as these: What types of blogs make the most money?What are the top blog niches?How do I start a profitable blog to… Continue Reading

How to Get Better at Asynchronous Communication

Allocating your time and creative juices on just whatever and whenever you feel like it can be great. However, in most business dynamics, you can’t really escape the reality of having to sync over client meetings - as well as handle communications following requirements in different formats (such as video drips, email threads, screencasts).  In the early days of my career, I worked multiple jobs at a time with more or less flexible hours. My second real full-time job was a promising venture at first - until I remained the only project lead on-site at the office. I worked as… Continue Reading

WordPress Security: Critical Vulnerabilities In 10 Popular Plugins (2020 Case Study)

WordPress is often portrayed as an insecure platform that should be avoided for enterprise-grade projects. Having spent the past decade deploying WordPress for SMEs, I’ve busted this myth numerous times – including our guide for important security considerations disclosing our experience working with banks and other financial institutions. As the ubiquitous platform now powers over 40% of the Internet, being a vendor common to attacks from hackers is expected. Any industry leader in tech gathers more attention and “script kiddies” when popularity exceeds a certain point. The Main Security Risk With WordPress The WordPress Core platform (the free software available… Continue Reading

How to Manage A Network of Websites

A common question that we get from companies maintaining multiple sites, advanced or medium businesses with multiple publishing websites, and other forms of organizations that have to maintain several websites at once is: How do you manage and maintain a network of websites? Most of their concerns revolve around finding the best ways to offload, outsource, or work with maintenance and development companies to ensure efficient management of these websites.   Here are several steps that you need to consider when you need to offload your websites to a third-party vendor or build the right team that will help maintain this… Continue Reading

14 Reasons Why the Website RFP Process Is Really Broken

One of the most painful roadblocks of the web ecosystem is the practice of creating and submitting RFPs (Request for Proposals). And among the leading reasons why we transitioned to WordPress retainers back in 2014 was precisely due to how broken this process is. (The other key goal was focusing on recurring revenue.) But since the process of recruiting agencies and freelancers is so ridiculous at large, let's look up some raw data. 80% Of All Projects Fail The most trusted and authoritative source of data in terms of project success and failure rates is the CHAOS report by the… Continue Reading

Is Your Business Safe? (15 Operational Questions)

The last recession has put almost all businesses to the test. Some were hit really hard especially the hospitality and travel industries, along with brick and mortars. A few made some decent profit like pharmacy and  home delivery services. But everyone else was partially hit or still struggles to make a living in these uncertain times. I launched my agency during the great financial recession. While sales were terrible back then, starting from the ground was scalable and I wasn’t renting an expensive space and paying dozens of people while business was down. One of the most operational lessons I… Continue Reading

16 Reasons I Haven’t Responded To Your Email

After writing about the main reasons I don't pick up my phone, I was eager to author a separate breakdown of why I dodge scheduled meetings (and what makes asynchronous work more bearable). But due to the evergrowing influx of emails or direct messages across a dozen platforms, a rationale behind delaying replies appears to be a more timely piece. On a regular business day, I receive about 350 direct emails and dozens (or sometimes hundreds) of direct contacts across social networks or IMs (excluding work communication). Without further ado, here's a list of possible causations on why you haven't… Continue Reading