This class was presented to the Texas Veteran's Community at the WP-BootCamp In October 2015. Sandi and Nick Batik discussed what we wished we would have known when we started our own WordPress business in 2007. We talked about the skills needed to be successful as a WordPress professional, opportunities within the community, as well as advice and resources.

1. STARTING OFF RIGHT
WITH WORDPRESS
(Advice, Skills, Training, Resources)
Nick & Sandi Batik
@nick_batik / @sandi_batik / hansonwp.com

2. Or: Don’t Do What I Did
Life is too short to learn from your own mistakes

3. Working hard, Working Alone, Re-writing WordPress
Life Lesson: Don’t Work Alone

4. Dev Cod(e) share - a fish story
Life Lesson: Share Freely –
Information (just like fish) goes bad quickly

5. Marketing copy omits the messy How-to details
Life Lesson: Know your strengths, grow your skills,
but be willing to abandon bad decisions

6. Life Lesson: Ask for support, Support Others
The WP101 Plugin is always a good idea

7. Don’t try to fix other people’s mistakes
Life Lesson: Bid every job as a new project,
or have the client pay for discovery

8. Scope Creep: adding features, ideas, and more people
Life Lesson: Tell your client “Great! Let’s add that in phase
2.”

9. Some people want a lot, but won’t pay for a lot
Life Lesson: Some jobs are too expensive. Walk away.

10. Life Lesson: Celebrate. You never know what you’ll learn

11. Get to the front of the room
Life Lesson: Being a leader makes you the expert
You’d be amazed who notices.

12. Some things are out of your control
Life Lesson: Be sure you know whose in charge,
and be willing to compromise to save a project.

13. Google the error message
Life Lesson: Don’t make things too complicated.
Sometimes the answer is in front of you.

14. Find a mentor. Mentor someone else.
Life Lesson: Open Source is not just software –
its a way of life.