A little background (my story):
My entrepreneurial journey started in 2007 when I decided to start my own business after being laid off from my corporate job.
The goal was to teach business owners how to use blogs to market their businesses. This seems like a no-brainer today (I’d like to think), but it was not so revolutionary then!
Because business owners were not interested and I needed to generate income, I was forced to accept the first paying gig that came my way.
That first client found me from my Google Business listing. When I answered the phone, they asked, “Do you build websites?”
Without hesitation, I responded, “Yes!”.
How hard could it really be?
It turns out that working without knowledge of what you’re doing and without modern technology is pretty dang hard.
This was at a time when web-based website builders were scarce, and WordPress was, well, just basic WordPress. There were no fancy themes or page builders like we have today.
I built my first site with the GoDaddy website builder, which had not been updated since 1999. It was a bit rough, and the result was even more terrible.
This led me to look for better options. One of those options was WordPress, and even though every theme on the market was the standard blog layout, content on the left sidebar on the right, and I knew nothing about coding.
I decided to move forward with WordPress. Going all in on the platform.
To condense things a bit…
After months of long days and late nights taring apart WordPress themes, rebuilding them, and repeated attempts at building new “test” sites, I was getting the hang of things.
And more importantly, I started to develop a passion for this stuff! I was having fun…but running out of money.
It wasn’t until mid-2008 that I started to make real money with WordPress.
Over the years, I became known as the “fixer”.
Turns out I’m good at solving problems!
I love a good challenge and am not afraid to get my hands dirty, doing whatever is needed to find a fix.
I realized part of my success was in my ability to find answers. Sometimes, people don’t know what questions to ask, so they can’t find the answers (this still applies in 2024 with the advent of AI).
Although I have used several company names over the years to keep up with the evolution of my business, my most successful business to date is WP Mantis. We focus on preventative support and being ready when our clients need us.
Another big part of my work is supporting and consulting other web developers, freelancers, and agencies that occasionally need help solving messy problems.
If you’re interested in my retainer services, please get in touch with me.
Today in 2025
In 2024, I found myself looking for a new motivation, considering new business opportunities, and wondering what to do next.
During that time, I noticed that I was becoming increasingly frustrated and bothered by many of the software tools I used to run my businesses, and I decided to take action.
Now, I’m using the tools I use every day to solve my own problems and build the software I want.
While I still run WP Mantis and work with my private clients, I’m even more driven by this new focus on building software that solves everyday problems.
This is what I offer you: the tools and guidance you need to build better business solutions here on this site and in my newsletter.
Another small change is that I no longer go by “the fixer”; instead, I prefer “Chief Problem Solver.”
