I’m going to say something controversial. If you want to build a truly successful business, you need to stop acting like a WordPress developer.
Developers are taught to be logical, to follow best practices, to ask for detailed requirements, and to work within the system. Entrepreneurs? They're scrappy, they break rules, they solve problems with whatever they have lying around, and they don't ask for permission.
I was watching an excellent TED Talk by John Mullins called “6 Tips on Being a Successful Entrepreneur (aff)“, and it hit me: the most successful people in our space don't act like employees. They act like entrepreneurs. Mullins lays out six mindsets that are pure gold for anyone trying to make a living with WordPress.
These aren't just fluffy motivational tips; they are hard-nosed, practical strategies. Let's steal them.
Put in to Practice: Thinking Like an Entrepreneur
For the Freelance WordPress Designer / Developer That Wants to Be a Founder
- The Mindset: Think Narrow, Not Broad.
- The Developer Trap: “I build websites for small businesses.” This is a fatal mistake. It makes you a commodity.
- The Entrepreneurial Move: “I build lead-generation websites for plumbing companies.” Suddenly, you're not a generalist; you're a specialist. You can speak your clients' language, solve their specific problems, and charge three times as much because you're the expert. Stop being a WordPress developer. Start being the “Plumber's Web Guy.”
- The Mindset: Ask for the Cash.
- The Developer Trap: Starting work on a 10% deposit because you're just happy to get the project.
- The Entrepreneurial Move: 50% upfront. Non-negotiable. As Mullins points out, Elon Musk funds Tesla's production lines with customer deposits. Your clients should be funding your work, not the other way around. You are not a bank. Getting paid is a sign of respect.
For the Agency That Wants to Dominate
- The Mindset: Problem First, Not Product First.
- The Agency Trap: “We should start selling Accessibility Audits!” Why? Because it sounds like a good idea?
- The Entrepreneurial Move: Call ten of your best past clients and ask them: “What's the most annoying or expensive problem in your business right now related to your website?” You might discover their biggest problem isn't accessibility; it's that their team wastes 10 hours a month manually entering form submissions into their CRM. Boom. Your new high-value service is “Automated CRM Integration,” a solution to a real, expensive problem.
- The Mindset: Beg, Borrow, But Please Don't Steal.
- The Agency Trap: “To offer SEO services, we need to buy a $5,000 annual subscription to this enterprise software.”
- The Entrepreneurial Move: “Let's ‘borrow' the expertise by partnering with a trusted SEO contractor for our first few projects. Let's ‘beg' for data by using the free versions of tools to land the client first, and only pay for the pro license once the project is signed.” Be resourceful. Use what you have before you spend what you don't.
Adopting even one of these mindsets can fundamentally change your business. Pick one this week and try it out.
The conversation continues in our private WP-Admin Club Facebook group. Find the link to this post's discussion thread below and tell us which entrepreneurial mindset you're going to try.
