changing the world one wordpress site at a time
TRANSCRIPT
Changing the Worldone WordPress site at a Time
How we built a successful, distributed WordPress firm serving nonprofits
Our customers are changing the world
• American or global nonprofits (usually .org TLD, sometimes .gov or .edu)
• Funding comes from individual donors, foundations, government agencies
• 15-25% goes to overhead; extreme pressure to keep these costs down
We build websites
We design online petitions
We design online donation forms
In 4 years, we’ve gone from this…
BenDesigner, developer
IraTechnical
Project Manager
LesleyWebmaster,
communicationsDidn’t know each other at all…..
To this:
+ 6:
8 Secret Sauce Ingredients1. Partners2. Careful projections3. Biting the bullet4. Good tools5. Employees & company culture6. Treasuring (and firing) customers7. Communicating8. Constant assessment Graphic credit: Drew Melton
www.phraseologyproject.com
Photo credit: Bill Dickinsonwww.flickr.com/photos/skynoir/
PartnersDon’t go it alone – get partners!
Picking the Right Partners
PartnersMake sure you make a good team.
Careful Projections• What will you do?• What won’t you do?• Aim high, but make realistic
predictions• Remember:
Planning is guessing.
Projections Create cautious expectations.
Biting the Bullet
Bite the bullet Just do it!
The Tools• Project Management: TeamLab,
Smartsheet
• Timekeeping: BeeBole
• Calling: Skype, UberConference
• Contracts: CudaSign
• Videoconferencing: Skype, Zoom
• Wireframing: HotGloo, uxpin, balsamiq, Axure
• User testing: OptimalWorkshop
• Chatting: HipChat
Good Tools Start free, pay when necessary & don’t be afraid to change!
P.S.
The Employees
Employees & Culture Hire people you want to hang out with.
Our Customers
This is Hannah.
Customers Cultivate great relationships!
The CustomersYou’ll work hard to get them, but some customers aren’tworth keeping.
Customers Cultivate great relationships, but KILL THE BAD ONES!
F*&%ing up
Communicating
My guarantee: you will mess up something
…it’s all in the recovery!
Have hard conversations quickly and bravely
AssessingProjects: budgeted versus actual hours
Employees:1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, every year
Tools: constant assessment
Budget: monthly
Constantly Assess Check and check again.
Awesome Sauce Ingredients1. Don’t go it alone…but do choose carefully2. Create cautious projections3. JUST DO IT4. Use great tools5. Hire remote, and prioritize company culture6. Treasure (and fire) customers7. Communicate carefully and respectfully8. Constantly assess
cornershopcreative.com@cornershop
[email protected]@eckandgrumble
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