Posts Tagged ‘startup’

WP Bids… Coming Soon!

by Brian Casel  ·  6.22.2010  ·  Business

If you’ve been following my tweets for the past few weeks, you know I’ve been preparing to release a new product, called “WP Bids“. Today I’d like to tell you about what it is, and what’s in store…

WP Bids is a special theme for WordPress, which allows you to create awesome web-based project proposals using the platform we know and love (WordPress).

Who is it for?

It’s perfect for freelancers, design agencies, and other contractors who aquire clients by presenting high-impact proposals, which serve to clearly and professionally outline the project scope, time estimate, price quote, and other relavant info.

It’s especially useful for web designers, because it gives you the ability to tweak and customize your proposals the same way you’d tweak any other WordPress theme.  It’s a self-hosted solution, giving you full control over every detail.

Redefining how we use WordPress

The idea is to use WordPress, not as a public blog available for the world to see, but as a dedicated proposal platform, which you selectively grant access to potential clients.  Let me explain…

Read more

The Entrepreneur’s State of Mind

by Brian Casel  ·  1.6.2010  ·  Quotes

We entrepreneurs have the special ability to see the positive in things that others see as only negative.  – Startup Advice: It’s a State of Mind.  By JunLoayza

This is from a fantastic read about refreshing your current state of mind, boosting morale, and addressing problems from a new perspective.

I can certainly relate to the idea of keeping an optimistic and positive point of view when it comes to meeting challenges.  In fact, I think this is a quality that every entrepreneur shares.

When we’re confronted with a problem, we see an opportunity to solve it.  We don’t question whether or not to do something.  We question, how can it be done?

It’s this attitude that drives us to keep going.

Will You Pay For Your Own Product?

by Brian Casel  ·  12.14.2009  ·  Business, Quotes

“If you’re not going to pay for your own product, don’t expect anybody else to either” — David Heinemeier, 37 Signals Podcast

This point really struck a chord with me as I was listening to the (really awesome) new podcast show from 37 Signals.  When determining the pricing model for the product you will be selling, it’s important to focus on the customer’s perspective, not your own bottom line.

Of course, the goal is to create a profitable business.  However, you can’t reach this goal by overcharging for your product.  You also can’t get there by giving it away for free or too little.  It’s a balancing act of figuring out that sweet spot between you running a sustainable business and your giving your customer a great value for their money.

So ask yourself

What would you pay for this product?  Does the quality / usefulness / return on investment justify the price for the product, in your opinion as a consumer?

Set it and forget it

As I’m contemplating the pricing model for my upcoming WordPress themes business, there is one guiding principle that I seem to keep coming back to:  It’s a lot easier to lower your prices later than to raise prices.  So this means set the price high out of the gate, right?

Well, I’m not sure about that.  Given that I’m entering such a saturated market, my products will be competing not only on the basis of quality, but also on price.  And in the WordPress themes market, the price range is all over the map.  You have single theme prices ranging from free to $150 for a developer licsense.  You’ve got membership models (access to all themes) ranging from $5 a year to hundreds of dollars for just a few months.

So I’m aiming to fall somewhere in the middle of the road.  Not the most expensive out there, but not the cheapest.  I’m putting serious hours to make these themes of the utmost highest quality possible (by the way, I’m seeking beta testers for the next month!), not to mention the personal support I’ll be providing.  I want my prices to reflect these qualities.  But at the same time, I want to keep the barrier to entry (the price) low enough to attract consumers at the beginning.

Officially mentioning ThemeJam (And what it is)

by Brian Casel  ·  12.7.2009  ·  Bits

Introducing ThemeJam

So I’ve been casually mentioning (here, here, here, and here) that I’m involved in a second startup business aside from my core freelance web design services.  Today, I’d like to “officially” begin telling you about it.  I’m referring to the second logo placed down there in the left sidebar of this blog.

ThemeJam is my premium themes company, where I will be designing and developing themes for WordPress, among other platforms.  The plan is to launch ThemeJam sometime in early 2010 (the current site is only temporary).  I know, I know… there are already loads of WordPress themes companies out there.  What makes me think my little startup can compete in this already over-saturated market?  Well, I’ll get to that.

First, a bit about what ThemeJam will be:

  • QUALITY: These will be WordPress (and other) themes of the utmost highest quality.  I’m carefully crafting and developing each one to meet my personal (very high) standards of web design.  I’m also implementing all sorts of cool features and advanced functionality you’ve come to expect in premium themes.
  • OTHER PLATFORMS: In addition to WordPress, I’m porting each of my themes in several formats to give you a more well-rounded set of options.  Each theme will be available as raw HTML/CSS templates, an HTML email template (to use with iContact, MailChimp, etc.), a Twitter background, and possibly Expression Engine themes.  The layered PSD file(s) will also be included.  Pricing and packages TBA.
  • SELECTION: The plan is to launch ThemeJam with 4 themes initially (1 of them will be free!) and add at least 1 additional theme to the catalog every month.  The selection will range from blogs, portfolios, lifestreams, magazines, multi-media themes, product brochures, CMS sites, and anything else that strikes me as a valuable addition to the ThemeJam catalog.
  • REAL SUPPORT: Another must-have for any quality themes company.  I will be providing personal customer support to all customers who need assistance.  I’ll also be producing exclusive tutorials (articles and screencasts) on cusotmizing your themes to meet your personal needs.  Reliable customer support has proven to be been the backbone of my freelance web design business, and I plan to apply that same dedication to ThemeJam customers.
  • COMMUNITY: This is where it gets interesting.  ThemeJam will be a place where freelancers, web designers, and DIY web masters can come to connect and network.  I’m still brainstorming ideas in this area, but here are a few I’m considering:
    • Web developers directory – a place where selected Web Devs can be listed and potentially land work customizing ThemeJam themes for other customers.
    • Customizations showcase but with a contact link to the web developer responsible for those customizations.
    • Guest articles, tutorials, and videos from visitors, customers, and web developers.

Another WordPress themes company?

Yep.  I’m going for it in an already over-saturated market.  I don’t see heavy competition as a deterrent, but rather a plus for any creative industry, particularly one in the realm of web design.

Over the past few months, I’ve been heavily inspired by some of the great WordPress theme companies out there, namely:  Press75, Woo Themes, Studio Press, and Obox Design.  I find their designs are fantastic, and the way they have built and run their businesses sets a prime example for other creative entrepreneurs.  Sure, you can say my little startup, and the rest of the field are in direct competition with these guys.  But my aim is not take business away from them, or even dominate the market for that matter.

My goal is to carve out a little piece of the landscape, continue to do what I love (designing and developing high quality websites), and introduce a product-based component to my freelance business.  After specializing in WordPress development for clients over the past 2 years, commercial theme development is the next logical step, given my love of standards-based web design and WordPress (coupled with the motivation of your typical entrepreneur : )

So there it is.  I invite you to follow along as I continue to prep for the big launch.  I’ll be posting updates, ideas, and lessons I’m learning as I go.  And for those of you interested in getting in on the action early… you can stay updated on ThemeJam here:

Less is More

by Brian Casel  ·  11.12.2009  ·  Bits, Quotes

You can try to win a features arms race by offering everything under the sun. Or you can just focus on a couple of things and do ‘em really well and get people who really love those things to love your product. For little guys, that’s a smarter route. — Signal vs. Noise

Fantastic concept.  I love the idea of creating by subtraction.  During the creative process, I like to ask myself:  What can I remove to make this better?

As I’m contemplating a new web startup I’m involved in, it’s definitely important to keep the idea of simplicity at the forefront.  Product, pricing, & marketing… It all must be easy to digest in order to be easy to spread.

Page 1 of 212