Interview with a WordPress Influencer

James Grasty Tells The Bro Basket Story – The Wooassist Interview Series

April 25, 2019 By John Leave a Comment

This time around, we interview James Grasty from TheBroBrasket. He shares with us his insights on ecommerce as well as the story behind the success of the company that he started with his peers. He has actually started numerous other businesses until he finally found success in his first ecommerce venture. With that, let’s get started.

How did the TheBroBasket website start? What inspired the idea of gifts for men?

It’s actually a pretty cool story. Our MBA Entrepreneurship class at CSU Channel Islands was creating a business from scratch as our class project and the basic idea started as “If women get flowers, then what should men get? A bucket of beer!” which in 2013 was not really a thing you could send. A few of us liked the idea so much we turned it into a real business after the class ended in 2014 launching out website in December of that year. We started out with just a few gifts at higher price points, and a bucket of beer of course, but over time with customer feedback we added a bunch different gifts and made our old ones better. Now here we are almost 5 years later humming along, its been an interesting journey.

What are some of the major challenges for TheBroBasket?

Shipping gift baskets full of glassware, glass bottles, food, and accessories AND having it arrive in one piece looking good has been very challenging. It has taken us a lot of time and effort to get it right and things still break on occasion but from where we started we are light years ahead.

James Grasty (middle) with his colleagues Kenneth Connel (right) and Mike Mazza (left).

What has been the biggest challenge for the company?

Getting initial funding from venture, angel, or any kind of investment was a pretty big flop. We had to pile our own money together with some friends and family and launch the business. Honestly, we would have not made it out of our first year without our friend and fellow former classmate investing $10k. That helped us get us through ’til we received our SBA loan. Once we had the funding from that we were off to the races and were really able to start properly growing the business.

What are your tips on how to make a business startup a successful one?

We, as my above example shows you, either be well funded or run a tight ship and really boot strap till you have proof of concept and get off the ground, or both! As someone that started over half a dozen businesses, I would say there are a number of things that I have learned from my successes and my failures.

Get proof of concept and figure out if there is actually a market for the product(s) you are trying to sell before you go all in.
Have management level experience in the business you are trying to start – I have gone as far as getting a job with a competitor to try and see how they operated.
Properly plan, like really get in the nitty-gritty – I can’t tell you how many business I have failed at and seen other crash just because they, and I, didn’t do the proper planning and market research before launching the business
Be willing to pivot – we launched the business as a gift basket delivery service, we quickly realized that was not a viable idea and pivoted to a full eCommerce company.
Be consistent & persistent – pressure over time will always yield you results.
With that being said, know when to fold your hand – I have seen too many people waste countless years and money on businesses and products that suck, just kill it and move on!

How do you think eCommerce has changed over the past 10 years?

Well, I have only been in the game for 5 years, but I did try to start an ecommerce company way back in 2002. I realized I didn’t know enough coding to launch on 3dCart and had to move on. So I would say that the ease with which one can launch an ecommerce business has been one of the biggest changes. You don’t have to know the first thing about coding/programming, and hell you don’t even need that much money. The biggest downside to all that is its so easy now you get a lot of wannabees that think its easy to become some ecommerce stud, and yeah its easy to launch a business online but its still hard as ever to make that business succeed.

What do you think is the future of ecommerce?

I feel like it will continue to get easier and easier to own and operate a business in the ecom world, which is great for society as a whole, but means more competition for us that are already here and more expensive advertising. Amazon will continue to get bigger and Google will do the same, so hedging your bets and diversifying marketing channels and income streams is always a good idea.

How did you get started with WooCommerce?

Funny story; we paid way too much money to a local “website development” company that gave us a terrible website that I could probably make in a day these days, and it happened to be on WooCommerce. Thinking back, we should have been on a hosted solution like Shopify or BigCommerce, but it was what it was. It worked out for the best when we redeveloped the entire site and relaunched it less than 6 months later. We utilize a ton of customization and have customizable products and we would struggle to have these unique product offerings on a hosted solution.

What advice can you offer for aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs?

Come up with or find a really cool and or unique idea and build a product/brand or service around that. We are looking at acquiring another ecommerce company and I really get annoyed when I find these companies that are just practicing retail arbitrage and/or selling cheap crap from China. Amazon and others are just going to get bigger and they will eat those people’s lunch sooner than later! So your best bet is to have a unique private labeled product and a solid brand that you can stand behind, that will help you become successful and stand the test of time.

Dustin Hartzler: On Being a WordPress Fanboy and Helping Out the WordPress Community

March 9, 2016 By John Leave a Comment

In our quest to connect with top influencers in WordPress and Web Development, we found a kindred soul in Dustin Hartzler: a self-confessed WordPress fanboy, a WooCommerce customer support team member, and an entrepreneur who follows a strict schedule and values life outside work. He started using WordPress in 2009 and has taken big steps since then to immerse himself in his craft and contribute to the WordPress community.

Aside from being a Happiness Engineer at Automattic, Dustin is the founder of yourwebsiteengineer.com, a site devoted to WordPress with podcasts published weekly, and the owner of Hartzler Digital Media. He took a moment off of his busy schedule to answer our questions. In this interview, get to know Dustin as a keen web developer and a successful entrepreneur. What works for him may work for you too.

1. You described yourself as a WordPress fanboy. What do you think sets WordPress apart from other content management systems?

The community. There are so many passionate WordPress folks and they are all willing to share their knowledge with others.

2. What does it mean to be a Happiness Engineer at Automattic? What’s the most rewarding aspect of your role? What is the most challenging?

A Happiness Engineer is a member of the customer support team that helps people every day on how to use WordPress. I’m a Happiness Engineer on the WooCommerce team, so I get to debug and troubleshoot customer’s websites all day. It’s super challenging because every site is different; on a different host, with different plugins, with different themes. It’s most rewarding when I find bugs in our code, submit a request and have the issue fixed for all of our users.

Dustin-Hartzler_Woo-Happiness-Engineers_Automattic_screengrab — Dustin with other Woo Happiness Engineers. Image Credit: https://dustinhartzler.com/2015/12/16/co-working-and-holiday-party/

3. In your opinion, what separates good developers from great developers?

Great developers continue to work on their craft. They also don’t add every feature that is requested. They have a vision of what the code should do and program until that vision has been met.

4. How would you describe your workflow when working on a project? How do you approach a challenging project? Do you have any rituals that you follow?

It depends on the project. I like to map things out and break them into little steps. It’s hard for me because I have way more ideas than time to implement.

5. What inspired you to start YourWebsiteEngineer.com?

After listening to podcasts for three years, I knew I wanted create my own show. I was also starting my own website development company at the time and thought it would be a great way for me to learn WordPress better; by teaching others. I’m still going strong with my podcast, releasing a new episode every week since 2010.

yourwebsiteengineer_podcast_screengrab_425 — Image Credit: http://yourwebsiteengineer.com/category/podcast/

6. What are your favorite development tools and why?

I love using Sublime Text for coding and have the GitHub app installed on my computer so I can track all of my changes to my code with version control.

7. Why did you choose to have a career in web development? And why focus on WordPress?

I love the challenge of creating something out of nothing. There’s never a dull day when I’m constantly learning new things everyday. I’m focusing on WordPress, because I decided back in 2010 that I wanted to master one platform and I picked WordPress back then.

8. How do you manage your time between work and being a family man?

I balance having a full-time job and my family by having a very scheduled life. I add everything to my calendar. This helps me not over-schedule my day. I also wrap up all work by 4:30pm. This gives me time to spend with my family and I can enjoy non-computer things in the evening.

Dustin-Hartzler_family — Dustin with wife Melody and daughter Kenley. Image Credit: https://dustinhartzler.com/2015/12/05/happy-birthday-melody/

9. What’s in store for Dustin Hartzler? Do you have any big projects going on for you? What’s keeping you busy on your spare time?

When I look at OmniFocus, I’ve got tons of things that I want to do, but don’t have the time (like most entrepreneurs). One thing I want to release this year is a guide at how to manage your time / plan your day; written for developers and others who don’t have to report in for a job every day.

10. If you had one advice to give to a budding developer, what would it be?

Always keep learning. Find something that you love and continue to get better at it. If you like building themes for clients, pursue that. If you’d rather write code, write code.

Ivan Bjelajac: On Working with Passionate People in a Dynamic Environment

July 11, 2016 By John Leave a Comment

UPDATE: Ivan Bjelajac is now CEO of Devana Technologies.

Ivan Bjelajac is Chief Operating Officer of Devana Technologies. Before joining Devana, he was a freelance web developer in 2006, moving onto various technical support and management roles. At one point, he became CEO of Cybernet Technologies. In this interview, Ivan shares his insights on the WordPress industry, how he does his job, the kind of people that he works with, and Kevin Garnett.

1. What sets ManageWP apart in today’s competitive WordPress niche?

I would say it’s the people. From the start of our journey we wanted to create a great premium product that would allow WordPress users to save time and increase productivity. It was the first product of its kind in the market and it obviously helped us out tremendously that we created a market niche in WordPress management but it’s not the product itself that earns us money. It’s the developers, product people and guys from the customer happiness departments that deliver the value to our customers on a daily basis. Without them we could not keep innovating and going the extra mile for our clients. We would not be where we are today.

2. Could you describe the team that you are working with? How has your team dynamic changed over the years? What do you think can still be improved?

Passionate is probably the right word. A number of people went through the company in the last 6 years, but passion has always been there.

In the beginning we thought we should just hire everyone that seemed to be good or have potential and we were completely flat as an organization. That did not turn out to be the best possible way to do things so now as the team grew we introduced strict hiring rules and gave more power to team leaders.

The good thing is that we managed to grow without sacrificing the focus on our customers and our product. We have some great mentors and seniors in our company and tend to hire great people, but we still have a long way to go when it comes to implementing processes, making our employee onboarding and development processes faster and more efficient.

3. Are there any people who have influenced your work ethic? And how? Are there any WordPress influencers that you look up to? Please tell us more about it.

Probably Kevin Garnett, although I have never met him personally. 😉

They say your own quality is an average of five people you spend the most time with. Most of the people I learned from are not involved with WordPress. Some are not even into technology but have successful businesses in other areas. I had the luck to surround myself with people that were not my role models but who did help me form certain beliefs. They are all of various ages, backgrounds and tend to offer different perspectives on things which can be invaluable.

When it comes to WordPress, there is of course our founder Vladimir Prelovac, whom I’ve known for 16 years and counting, but I also like to hear what Jason Cohen, Andrew Nacin, Adii Pienaar, Syed Balkhi and Mason James have to say about WordPress and business in general. I also tend to learn a lot from WordCamps and having different chances to talk to our customers in general.

4. The work environment at Devana has been described as a ‘productive mess’. Can you tell us more about it?

Well I would have to say that it’s a pleasure and a curse to work with passionate people who believe in creating both great products for our users and in building a better life for their co-workers and their community. It is hard to match their resolve and honestly sometimes I find it hard to keep up. We tend to want to get too much done, step on each others toes, argue a lot but we also help each other, take pride in our work and keep a high standard of quality – so things tend to get unpredictable.

We are still looking for ways to incorporate a healthy amount of processes to go along with our creative chaos and keep that fine line between being efficient and creative.

5. What is a typical day for an Ivan Bjelajac? How do you get things done? Do you stick to a particular schedule or work rituals?

I would love for someone to answer this question for me. 🙂 We are a very dynamic environment so each day looks a lot different. I actively try to reduce the amount of things we work on and add more processes so hopefully I will be able to tell you about my typical day sometimes in the near future.

6. Are you still involved in any development work for ManageWP or any other development projects?

Not that much. I am still involved in our business decisions, some feature and architecture decisions but I mostly focus on working with our partners and vendors. The team is more than capable doing most things without me and there are also many things where I actually think they are much better than me. I do tend to get involved a lot into our R&D. Sometimes our guys are happy about it and sometimes they hate me for it, but that is another story…

7. Aside from WordPress, what are your other interests? What do you like to do when you are not working?

I like to travel. I am trying to visit at least one country each month or two. Good thing is that my job actually helps me achieve that goal. Even if we are super-busy I can at least find a weekend to visit a conference or a WordCamp.

8. Seems like you are fond of basketball. Have you ever played ball with the team at Devana?

Quite a few times though we haven’t done it for a while. We should probably do it again sometimes soon after we launch ManageWP Orion. That is a good idea, thanks for putting it in my head. 🙂

9. It is quite admirable that Devana has been pumping 10% of its profits Zivojin Misic Foundation. Why in particular did you choose this foundation?

All companies are built to make money. What makes them different is what they do with that money. There is a great TED talk by Simon Anholt that explains the concept we believe in.

When it comes to Zivojin Misic, we actually founded the foundation ourselves and so far it has been exclusively founded by our company. We chose to focus on education and promoting entrepreneurship because those are the areas that we think are lacking in systematic solutions and return the biggest ROI when it comes to our environment.

10. What makes you a successful COO? If you have one advice to give to a young entrepreneur, what would it be?

Be genuine. The COO is probably the only position in the company that is harder to describe than the CEO position as all kinds of different people get promoted to it and it is usually complementary to the CEO. So, as there are no 2 CEO’s that are exactly the same there usually are no 2 COO’s that are exactly the same and the position usually does not translate that well from company to company.

I think I owe my success to working with some great people and finding ways to help them do their jobs the best way possible without forgetting it’s about the product and other people in the company and mostly not about yourself.

So being a good COO is mostly about how well you play with others and complement your CEO and other senior executives.

If your main function is to play the role of an enabler for other people and you try to do it without being genuine – it’s probably not going to work out in the long run.

Samantha Gowing on Food Health Wealth and Thriving in the Wellness Industry – The Wooassist Interview Series

February 15, 2019 By John Leave a Comment

Samantha Gowing has close to 20 years of experience in improving the health and well-being of Australians. Her background as a restaurateur and dietitian ensures she creates tasty and nutritious meals that everyone can enjoy. This, coupled with her business expertise, allowed Food Health Wealth to thrive in a trillion dollar indsutry.

We have been working with Sam since 2015 helping her maintain her website, among other things. We look up to her as an expert in her own field, so we saw it fit to include her in this interview series. Read on below for the interview.

How did the Food Health Wealth website start?

I co-created the first incarnation of the website in 2002 with a coder I met through a friend. I had wanted to build a site since the 90s, but web design was so expensive then. For about $500 I was able to work with a great developer who coded the back end originally in Mambo freeware. It was rather clunky in hindsight, yet it got my business up and running in the new digital era.

Samantha Gowing Wooassist Interview — Samantha Gowing started Food Health Wealth way back in 2002.
Image Credit: Nelly le Comte

What are some of the major challenges for Food Health Wealth?

Raising awareness so people understand the power of food as medicine and the benefits of cooking from scratch are some of the constant challenges. The solution is to create a multi-faceted platform of services and skill sets that can constantly evolve and change to suit market trends, dietary changes and constantly researching the science-based evidence as it comes to hand, so you are always the leader in the field and top of the game.

What has been the biggest challenge in your career?

Transitioning from a successful career as a hotelier and restaurateur to retraining as a clinical nutritionist in 1999 and trusting that the wellness industry would be the $4.2 trillion global Industry it is today. Being ahead of the trend has allowed me to develop the unique spa and wellness programs that service the niche in the global marketplace for a spa cuisine and wellness specialist in the booming arena of luxury lifestyle retreats, health spas and elegant beach resorts.

Benefits to industry include intensive one-on-one training in the healing cuisines, exclusive cooking demonstrations, conference presentations ready-to-go spa food menus, management systems and kitchen templates.

What are your tips on how to make a business start-up a successful one?

Ask yourself if you are meeting your clients’ needs before you meet your own needs? Do you consider what the client can afford to pay more than what you need to earn? Letting go of the hourly rate structure brings about an opportunity to focus on the project as a whole and not incremental parts, which in my experience leads to less productivity as a consultant as constant clock-watching and cramming tasks into set hours can result in taking more time to do the actual work. If you’ve ever been self-employed in the healing arts or other creative health pursuits then you’ll probably agree that one of the biggest hurdles is knowing not what to charge, but how – and when.

How has eCommerce changed over the past 10 years?

It’s never been easier to set up an online store as it is today. While eBay and PayPal have made online transactions secure in the last ten years, it was unchartered territory. Contact forms were the target of cyber pests and unsecured payment gateways were fraught with danger.

What do you think is the future of eCommerce?

With internet access 24/7, it is easy to shop online almost anywhere. Be mindful of this when developing products and services. Consider lightweight products for better shipping rates and understand what your market really wants when it comes to purchasing a product online. VDO platforms and seamless downloadable modular courses are the way to go if you’re a service only provider such as a wellness consultant. If you’re a chef and nutritionist like me, then think about developing a signature range to sell within your own country with the view of global export in the longer term. Ecommerce is a rapidly growing vehicle that is constantly changing and evolving so stay ahead of the game and as Apple Pay and afterpay platforms ensure your customers can shop 24/7 it is an exciting time for ecommerce and online stores. .

How did you get started with WooCommerce?

I was looking for an ecommerce platform that would seamlessly integrate with my site and be just complex enough to navigate when I wanted to make changes and add new products.

What advice can you offer for aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs?

1. Know how to network your market. Get yourself a mentor or a go-to

I cannot stress this enough. You must surround yourself with like-minded peers. The biggest challenge many start-ups face is gaining clarity over their product and their offer. You simply cannot be all things to all people, and you must create a niche that is an inch wide and a mile deep. See my mentoring page here.

2. Future hunt trends before they arrive

Adopt an entrepreneur’s mentality. For example, current research from Global Wellness Institute forecasts that workplace wellness approaches will change radically. Embrace trend forecasting websites and blogs to help you identify emerging trends before they become part of the culture and business potential.

3. Beware of imitations

The highest form of flattery they say, however it can be very costly and very painful. This is the problem with being a pioneer. Don’t let it get you down. Rise up and rule your roost.

4. Protect and defend your IP

Trademark what you can. Image and recipe ‘borrowing’ is rife and always has been. Always credit your source! In academia, you’d be booted out of an institute for not referencing diligently – and plagiarism. Always declare your influence. Start with something like, ‘the work of (fill in this gap) has always inspired me’.

5. Develop Product

In order to get traction, you need to become very good at selling yourself and your products with grace, peace and ease. If you truly believe in yourself, your product and your offer, then you should not have to think twice about it as it will help your community. Get your product in to as many hands as possible and ask friends to take a pic of them reading, eating or wearing it.

Lisa Shinham from WaveZoneSkim Shares Her Company’s Story – The Wooassist Interview Series

October 18, 2018 By John Leave a Comment

On this part of the Wooassist Interview Series, we talk to Lisa Shinham – owner of Wave Zone Skimboards. Together with her husband Jeff, Lisa first worked part-time building Wave Zone while she worked in corporate. At one point, the company experienced massive growth that Lisa had to leave her 15-year stint in the corporate world to focus on their company. “Good enough is never good enough” has always been their mantra. And now they own and a successful and thriving WooCommerce store that sells high-quality hand-crafted skimboards.

So let’s get started with the interview.

How did WaveZoneSkim start?

Wave Zone Surf Company opened in 1990 as a single location watersports store. Among the offerings were custom surfboards, skimboards, wind surfers and apparel. We expanded to include the wholesale of our skimboard brand to surf shops around the world. The growth was so massive that we decided to close the shop and transition purely to wholesale. As the customer need expanded, we found that we were able to reach additional market areas through our own website; a great option for holiday shoppers, those who do not live near a beach or surf shop location,

What are some of the major challenges for WaveZoneSkim?

Managing materials costs is a daily event, but one over which we can exercise some control.

Tougher to prepare for are the challenges presented by natural disasters. This year alone we have seen red tide spreading along the western coast of Florida, a hurricane strike to the eastern USA, a tsunami clipping Guam and volcanic activity threatening Hawaii. If one of our surf shops are affected, we are as well.

The exponential increase in online sales has created opportunity and challenge in equal measure. This could be counted as the largest ongoing shift in the way we do business today versus 25 years ago. Most significant is the detail needed for an individual transaction. This is much different and more labor intensive than shipping a case of a dozen boards to a surf shop. Customer expectations must be successfully managed on the front end. Fulfillment and customer service must be top notch.

What has been the biggest challenge in your career?

The largest challenge I have personally faced has been keeping up with technology. From e-commerce, to web design, to multiple social media platforms. Change is constant when determining how to best reach a customer. Having a good working knowledge as well as augmenting that by delegating to skilled individuals has been essential!

What are your tips on how to make a business startup a successful one?

Strategic planning is essential. It’s a relay race of sorts. A clear written timeline with each step assigned to a specialist. Communication is key. From concept to implementation to promotion to launch every step must be giving its due. Responsibility, accountability and respect to all must be flowing with the team working to build each other up. If the day has come to load website product then the individuals in charge of descriptions, SKUs, pricing and photography need to be aware and on point!

Skim Team Riders at the 2018 Vilano Pro-Am Competition

How has ecommerce changed over the past 10 years?

10 years ago there was a greater range of comfort in terms of buying online. As customers have gained understanding of secure sites and payment systems, closing the online deal has become far more achievable. Customers are largely at ease doing online business.

Today websites must be engaging and easy to navigate… truly streamlining the customer experience. A picture is worth a thousand words and the professionalism of your site must inspire confidence in your brand and products. A customer can comparison shop platforms and brands quickly and easily. The online marketplace continues to grow and a business must be on its game to stay out in front of competitors.

What do you think is the future of ecommerce?

The past few years ecommerce has paralleled brick and mortar business challenges. Smaller “mom & pop” retailers struggled to keep pace with big box stores, and still do. Today, online businesses battle the same fight to keep pace with large sites like Amazon. A marketplace the size of Amazon can afford to offer membership benefits such as free shipping and customer-centric return policies that can be tough for a small business retailer to match. With the continued increase in online sales, that pendulum is beginning to swing back a bit, with a bit more customer accountability to the tune of re-stocking fees and reduced eligibility for pre-paid return shipping.

With a continually growing base of tech savvy customers as well as online purchasing being the increasingly common choice, people will be continue to be more and more comfortable with doorstep delivery in many aspects of their lives. Convenience fees will become the norm and exceptional service will no longer include a huge ding to profit margins to secure the sale.

That said, however, individual sites will always need to continue bettering the customer experience in order to secure the business.

Team Manager, Alex Bevard, running a Technique Session for youth. This was a Demo Day hosted by Naples Outfitters in Florida.

How did you get started with WooAssist?

A colleague mentioned WooAssist to me in passing. Upon visiting the Wooassist site, I found a video on the home page told my story well. Like many, I had invested a generous sum to rebuild my site. After completion of the project, I found myself buried under lack of knowledge regarding WordPress and its many plugins. I felt a bit stranded… as if I was in a newly built house with a bit of furniture yet so much more was still needed to truly live there and call it mine. I learned as much as possible via trial, error and online resources to add content and enhance the sites direction.

I had big ideas and no way to bring them to fruition. I bought a small support package from Wooassist and tested a small job. The recommendations and results have been amazing. The Wooassist staff has been responsive and proactive. Their service and follow through have been superior.

What advice can you offer for aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs?

Continuing education in the areas of technology and online marketing is important. Learn about meta tags, keywords, H1 headings, etc. Outsourcing is highly effective but, like all other business investments, it’s important to know what you are paying for. A good blend of both paid and organic exposure is important. Top notch photography, engaging content and relatable videos are very achievable and worth the investment. Most importantly, automation is critical. With systems and automation that cover everything from FAQs to inventory control, people can use time where it needs to be spent, such as building business and relationships.

How did the TheBroBasket website start? What inspired the idea of gifts for men?

What are some of the major challenges for TheBroBasket?

What has been the biggest challenge for the company?

What are your tips on how to make a business startup a successful one?

How do you think eCommerce has changed over the past 10 years?

What do you think is the future of ecommerce?

How did you get started with WooCommerce?

What advice can you offer for aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs?

1. You described yourself as a WordPress fanboy. What do you think sets WordPress apart from other content management systems?

2. What does it mean to be a Happiness Engineer at Automattic? What’s the most rewarding aspect of your role? What is the most challenging?

3. In your opinion, what separates good developers from great developers?

4. How would you describe your workflow when working on a project? How do you approach a challenging project? Do you have any rituals that you follow?

5. What inspired you to start YourWebsiteEngineer.com?

6. What are your favorite development tools and why?

7. Why did you choose to have a career in web development? And why focus on WordPress?

8. How do you manage your time between work and being a family man?

9. What’s in store for Dustin Hartzler? Do you have any big projects going on for you? What’s keeping you busy on your spare time?

10. If you had one advice to give to a budding developer, what would it be?

1. What sets ManageWP apart in today’s competitive WordPress niche?

2. Could you describe the team that you are working with? How has your team dynamic changed over the years? What do you think can still be improved?

3. Are there any people who have influenced your work ethic? And how? Are there any WordPress influencers that you look up to? Please tell us more about it.

4. The work environment at Devana has been described as a ‘productive mess’. Can you tell us more about it?

5. What is a typical day for an Ivan Bjelajac? How do you get things done? Do you stick to a particular schedule or work rituals?

6. Are you still involved in any development work for ManageWP or any other development projects?

7. Aside from WordPress, what are your other interests? What do you like to do when you are not working?

8. Seems like you are fond of basketball. Have you ever played ball with the team at Devana?

9. It is quite admirable that Devana has been pumping 10% of its profits Zivojin Misic Foundation. Why in particular did you choose this foundation?

10. What makes you a successful COO? If you have one advice to give to a young entrepreneur, what would it be?

How did the Food Health Wealth website start?

What are some of the major challenges for Food Health Wealth?

What has been the biggest challenge in your career?

What are your tips on how to make a business start-up a successful one?

How has eCommerce changed over the past 10 years?

What do you think is the future of eCommerce?

How did you get started with WooCommerce?

What advice can you offer for aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs?

1. Know how to network your market. Get yourself a mentor or a go-to

2. Future hunt trends before they arrive

3. Beware of imitations

4. Protect and defend your IP

5. Develop Product

How did WaveZoneSkim start?

What are some of the major challenges for WaveZoneSkim?

What has been the biggest challenge in your career?

What are your tips on how to make a business startup a successful one?

How has ecommerce changed over the past 10 years?

What do you think is the future of ecommerce?

How did you get started with WooAssist?

What advice can you offer for aspiring ecommerce entrepreneurs?

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