#65 – Bob Dunn on Building a WooCommerce Community – WP Tavern

[00:00:00] Nathan Wrigley: Welcome to the Jukebox podcast from WP Tavern. My identify is Nathan Wrigley.

Jukebox has a podcast which is devoted to all issues WordPress. The individuals, the occasions, the plugins, the blocks, the themes, and on this case constructing a WooCommerce neighborhood.

Should you’d prefer to subscribe to the podcast, you are able to do that by trying to find WP Tavern in your podcast participant of alternative, or by going to WPTavern.com ahead slash feed ahead slash podcast. And you may copy that URL into most podcast gamers.

You probably have a subject that you just’d like us to characteristic on the present, I’m very eager to listen to from you, and hopefully get you all of your thought on as quickly as doable. Head over to WPTavern.com ahead slash contact ahead slash jukebox, and use the shape there.

So on the podcast immediately, we’ve Bob Dunn. Should you’ve been utilizing WordPress for any size of time, and also you’ve been consuming content material within the ecosystem, it’s extremely probably that you just’ve come throughout Bob earlier than. He’s been utilizing WordPress since 2006, WooCommerce since 2011, and has been podcasting since 2014. In one other life earlier than he found WordPress, Bob ran a advertising firm, however now his endeavors are all about WordPress.

We discuss how Bob discovered WordPress again within the day, when he was creating web sites with HTML and Flash. Bob branded himself as BobWP, and has by no means regarded again. After a number of years of working an company alongside his content material creation, in 2014 Bob determined to go all in on his content material and constructing a neighborhood round it.

As you’ll hear, he tried a wide range of totally different codecs, a few of which labored, and others which fell by the wayside. Nevertheless it was all a journey to the place he’s now.

Given the scale of the WordPress neighborhood, Bob was in a position to uncover his area of interest inside the larger complete and focus upon WoCommerce. His fashionable Do the Woo podcast was born, and he’s been engaged on it ever since.

We discuss how Bob has managed to maintain the momentum going, and what he thinks are distinctive about his podcast and neighborhood. It’s not about rising a bunch or worrying concerning the variety of listeners. For Bob, it’s about creating significant connections and dealing to make his neighborhood a worthwhile place to be for himself, his cohosts and customers of his content material.

We discuss how rising a neighborhood resembling this may be financed, in addition to the ways in which Bob is making an attempt to innovate within the close to future to provide worth again to the WordPress challenge extra typically.

It’s an attention-grabbing dialog about how content material creators can discover a place within the WordPress ecosystem, and what affect they will have.

Should you’re fascinated with discovering out extra, yow will discover all of the hyperlinks within the present notes by heading to WPTavern.com ahead slash podcast. The place you’ll discover all the opposite episodes as properly.

And so, with out additional delay, I deliver you Bob Dunn.

I’m joined on the podcast immediately by Bob Dunn. Whats up, Bob.

[00:04:05] Bob Dunn: Hey Nathan, thanks for having me on. I’m fairly excited to be right here.

[00:04:08] Nathan Wrigley: Yeah, you’re very welcome. Thanks. Bob is understood to me as a result of we’ve met in the actual world, and I’ve been following his podcast for a lot of, a few years. However in the event you don’t know Bob, let’s provide the alternative to introduce your self. So it’s a reasonably bland query. I’m sorry about that. Nevertheless it’s the one which we normally begin with. Simply give us a little bit of background, inform us who you might be, what your relationship is with WordPress and so forth.

[00:04:32] Bob Dunn: Okay. Earlier than WordPress, earlier than I even bought into WordPress, I ran a advertising firm. My spouse and I ran a advertising firm, and these had been the times of print design. In order that’s type of was my background for, for a lot of, a few years. And finally moved into WordPress, which is one other little story in itself, however was simply in search of one thing easy and simple to segue into the online so far as our enterprise.

And in 2006, I began taking part in with WordPress. Received into it an increasing number of. My spouse was running a blog on Typepad, I imagine, on the time. So I used to be considering, properly, perhaps we must always take a look at this running a blog factor on WordPress. Received into that. That was what appealed to me first off.

After which secondly was the truth that I had spent, in my different enterprise doing these horrible HTML web sites with Flash, they usually had been simply atrociously, they had been a horror. And I believed, I’ve bought to seek out one thing easier that I could make a pleasant, clear web site for shoppers. I don’t want something fancy, and I discovered that with WordPress and truly did in, I feel, 2018, my first WordPress web site for our enterprise. And from there it was historical past. In 2010, I branded BobWP. I’ve been coaching, I’ve finished nearly every little thing in WordPress, or no less than tried every little thing besides improvement. And I’m, the place I’m at immediately with, Do The Woo, which is a WooCommerce builder neighborhood web site. However yeah, it’s been an attention-grabbing and enjoyable journey.

[00:06:06] Nathan Wrigley: How did you determine that you just had been going to show your consideration to what it’s that you just now do principally, which is neighborhood constructing and podcasting? Was there a second in time the place you thought, I not want to really construct websites and cope with shoppers? I need to think about the content material creation and the neighborhood constructing.

[00:06:25] Bob Dunn: Yeah, round 2014 was after I stopped doing service work, designing websites particularly. I simply was burned out. It was to the purpose the place I’d virtually dread if anyone contacted me to place a web site collectively, and I feel it’s simply because I’d been doing, at that time, between that and our different enterprise, I’ve been doing shopper companies for a great, in all probability 23 years or 24 years.

And I believed, man, this isn’t the way in which to work with shoppers. I’m not giving them what they deserve. If I’ve that type of perspective and I’m simply dreading the following challenge. Ever because the starting of my involvement with WordPress, the neighborhood all the time performed an element. That was an element that actually, was all the time there and all the time moved me ahead.

Again in 2007, 2008, I used to be on one other on-line neighborhood, and it was very distinctive. I’m not going to get into the reason of it, take a little bit bit too lengthy, however that bought me extra concerned in neighborhood, on-line and each in particular person. And that caught with me, the neighborhood all through.

And now the podcasting got here alongside. I used to be a content material maker. In 2007 I went to a workshop with some colleagues of mine, and it was on podcasting they usually actually needed me to start out a podcast. And I believed, properly, that is very intriguing. I used to be taking a look at what I used to be doing. Uh, I don’t have the bandwidth for this. So I instructed them perhaps sometime, and that sometime got here like, I don’t know what number of years later. 2014 is after I began the primary podcast, and Matt Madeiros, which lots of your listeners know from Matt Report and WP Minute. He was doing podcasting means again then too, and he stored poking at me.

And we had a reasonably good relationship, we talked loads. And once more, since we had been each content material makers, he stated, come on Bob, you bought to attempt podcasting. So he was by no means like, down my throat, however each now and again we’d be speaking and he’d go, oh, whenever you going to start out that podcast? So between his lower than annoying poking at me, after which having waited, I believed that is prime time.

So in 2014, I stated, I bought to do this podcasting factor. And I did one for a couple of yr and I referred to as it WP Breakdown. And I believed it was very intelligent as a result of I used to be primarily repeating what I did with tutorials and stuff. I used to be writing, breaking down WordPress. However then I additionally considered the frustration of WordPress, anyone having a breakdown with WordPress. So I believed it was intelligent. I don’t know if anyone ever actually bought that from the title.

However they had been 10, 15 minute monologue podcasts that I did. And I wasn’t actually thrilled with it. I feel it was a format I had. So after a little bit over a yr I stated, I bought to stop this. That is simply me rambling, regurgitating what I’m writing down someplace else. I would like to attend until one thing hits me after which I’ll begin up once more.

[00:09:38] Nathan Wrigley: That’s good. I confess that I don’t assume in all of the years that I’ve been podcasting, I don’t assume I’ve had the braveness to do any monologue type of factor. It’s all the time been an interview. So both with one particular person or a number of individuals. I don’t fairly know why that’s, however I’ve all the time discovered it way more straightforward to get dialog going, than to steer myself to take a seat there and write one thing that I assume individuals would need to take heed to.

[00:10:05] Bob Dunn: Yeah, and I’d all the time been instructed, even within the early days of my different profession, individuals all the time instructed me, you bought to do one thing Bob. You both want to enter being a DJ or a minister, due to your voice. And I believed, properly, you already know, you don’t go into one thing simply due to your voice. And that’s the place a couple of individuals began poking me at podcasting.

Oh, you’ve got a voice for podcasting. I stated, properly, that’s good, however it could be higher if I had the time and the sources and every little thing else that comes together with it. The voice alone isn’t going to do it. And I’ve had a, I’ve had a couple of monologue ones. I’ve had a couple of interview. I’ve really finished seven podcasts since 2014.

[00:10:44] Nathan Wrigley: That’s actually fairly loads. It all the time amazes me that the neighborhood surrounding the WordPress challenge is sufficiently big that it could have so many little niches. So, you already know, in the event you’ve bought a plugin that does one explicit factor, which will properly afford you a life-style, in the event you can promote it and upsell it and shift some licenses, then you may have a life-style there.

But in addition that extends to issues such as you and I each do. It’s wonderful to me that there are sufficient individuals on the market who’re into WordPress that it could help a number of totally different podcast channels and YouTube channels and all types of content material creation, tutorials, but in addition podcasts such as you’re listening to now. I discover that extraordinary.

[00:11:29] Bob Dunn: Yeah, it’s wonderful. And I feel after I was doing it on my own, I spotted that no, this isn’t proper. This isn’t meant to be me simply being right here on my own doing a little monologue. I’m probably not having fun with it. And I feel that was a neighborhood a part of it, nagging at me, as a result of after I began Do the Woo, I feel I did one or two episodes and I stated mainly, screw this, I’ve bought to get a co-host no less than.

And I reached out to Brad Williams from WebDevStudios. He stated, would like to do it. We did a couple of by ourselves after which I believed even two individuals week after week or regardless of the cadence was again then. Is it actually what I need to do? Is it actually what the listeners need to hear? The 2 of us speaking week after week. So shortly after that we began bringing in friends.

[00:12:26] Nathan Wrigley: I’ve tried my hand at neighborhood constructing with issues like Fb teams and so forth. Numerous alternative ways of getting the neighborhood going, however that looks like an space the place you might be actually concentrating. So it’s not true to say that you just do the podcast. You do the podcast plus you’ve got these endeavors to construct neighborhood. You’ve bought a wide range of totally different individuals serving to you create the podcast, but in addition you are attempting to create a neighborhood across the podcast. How’s that going and what’s the intention there?

[00:13:00] Bob Dunn: I feel that, I began with constructing neighborhood round BobWP. So the model in 2010 that I began, that helped make the way in which for constructing different communities, as a result of it’s actual laborious to construct, have these different grandeur concepts and never have constructed your individual neighborhood your self. So I did that, and after I actually sat down and began taking a look at constructing neighborhood and I learn books and I listened to the folks that had been consultants in constructing neighborhood and I noticed lots of issues and I believed, this simply doesn’t, there’s one thing that doesn’t jive with what I need to do.

And what I found was two issues that I used to be taking a look at constructing a neighborhood. I name it with out the noise and with out the metrics. And what I imply by that’s with out the noise, after I first began the concept of Do the Woo and constructing a neighborhood for the WooCommerce builder. All people would ask me the query, so are you doing a Slack channel? Are you doing a Fb group? Is that this like a Discord? The place are you constructing this neighborhood? I stated, I’m not doing any of these. And so they had been simply type of pause.

My thought was that, and as painful because it sounds, that I would want to construct neighborhood, mainly one particular person at a time. That I didn’t have to show that I’ve a neighborhood of 1000’s of individuals, or I’ve this group that has 10,000 individuals in it. As a result of the affect was extra vital to me than the quantity. As a result of as all of us know, you may have 20,000 followers on Twitter, and also you have interaction with perhaps 2% of them in the event you’re fortunate.

So there’s that metric that doesn’t imply that your neighborhood’s profitable or not, I actually really feel that means. The metric is the communication you’re having with people. The way you’re connecting individuals. And that tied into much less noise.

I didn’t want a bunch of individuals in a bunch on Discord and have all of them speaking away to one another. We have now loads of alternatives to do this, and I didn’t want so as to add one thing to that pile. So taking that in thoughts and transferring forward with these two, I name them my targets or my mantras, I suppose. It’s gone very properly as a result of, what I see is, when I’ve individuals on the podcast, I’ve a specific amount of hosts, and our podcast is a little bit distinctive to the area as a result of I’ve like, I imagine, 9 or 10 co-hosts now that do the totally different reveals.

I type of combine them up. All of them have their totally different personalities. They create in a unique perspective. And the connections which were made between hosts and friends and friends and friends and hosts and hosts has been wonderful. And it’s not this, like I stated, big quantity that I’m going to simply fear about attaining and saying, be a part of this neighborhood of 10,000 individuals, 20,000. No matter I would like it. Be a part of this neighborhood the place individuals are connecting with one another in numerous methods. And that’s what I feel the podcasting has actually delivered to it.

And also you, you’ve got your weekly Monday podcast the place you herald three totally different individuals. With you, I’m certain that very same factor is occurring. You’re constructing the WP Builds neighborhood that means as a result of they’re all connecting. You could have the folks that are available and take heed to the chat. You could have friends that perhaps have listened to different friends, who is aware of, they could have reached out to one another. Generally we hear about these tales, generally we don’t.

And people are the issues which are impactful to me. And I feel that’s a strategy to actually construct neighborhood versus these steps that individuals undergo. And there’s nothing unsuitable with having Fb teams. There’s nothing unsuitable with having Discord teams. All of them have their place. However personally for me, I knew the route I wanted to go.

[00:17:05] Nathan Wrigley: Yeah. So as to enable your self the time to place into this challenge. No matter it’s given the time that this podcast is launched, wherever you’ve bought to. However with a purpose to give your self the time, you clearly have to finance that. And I’m questioning how that works for you. Do you’ve got relationships with corporations? Are you sponsored in sure methods? How do you cope with paying the payments primarily?

[00:17:34] Bob Dunn: Yeah, it’s outdated sponsorships and it’s a tricky row. You may get sponsors, no downside. You may get sponsors in the event you don’t have listeners. They put out all this stuff that perhaps have labored for them. Quite a lot of it’s who you already know. Quite a lot of it’s your personal neighborhood construct up. And lots of it’s luck, I feel. So sure, I’ve at the moment 12 pod buddies which are my main sponsors, after which I’ve some spots for smaller sponsors.

After I began my first podcast or certainly one of my first, it was, Do the Woo really, within the early years, modified to a podcast referred to as WPeCommerce. After I began that podcast, out of the gate, I began with sponsors and I used to be in a position to get some individuals to come back in and help me. Now, simpler stated than finished. I had lots of, as you talked about, lots of connections within the area. I had already constructed up lots of relationships. I constructed up a model, no matter that model could convey, but it surely clearly was one thing that sponsors discovered worth in.

Now, you may solely carry that to this point. It’s important to actually begin delivering and it’s a must to, it’s a must to be sincere together with your sponsors. And the way I do it’s, lots of occasions you’ll, how do I need to say this? Sponsors could have expectations, and people expectations could be metrics. What number of listeners do you’ve got? What number of click-throughs am I going to have?

Now, in the event you don’t have that or that isn’t your principal purpose, as I stated earlier than, with my neighborhood, I’m not taking a look at a lot the metrics. I’m wanting on the affect it has. Then you definately’ve bought to show round, promote that. And that’s what I do is I promote the affect of what my sponsors are doing for the neighborhood.

And that’s not a straightforward promote, let me inform you. And never everyone has a funds to spend the cash on that. So I’m lucky. It’s one thing that when time comes round to get sponsors, it’s not like I simply sit again and ship out 12 emails and I get 12 yeses. It does take work and it’s not one thing I like to recommend for everybody.

You realize, there’s lots of different methods you may fund your efforts. However in the event you actually are in a position to do it full-time and put into it all of your blood, sweat, and tears. And in addition determine what else you may present via these sponsorships. Let me kinda step again. I’m type of going off on a bizarre tangent.

One of many greatest issues I can ask anyone in the event you’re going to do a sponsorship, whether or not it’s for a podcast for a neighborhood, is 2 issues. Be artistic and be versatile. Should you ship out and also you say, hey, that is what you get, case closed, we’re finished. Nice. If that’s it, and it really works, fantastic. However the one means you may develop a sponsorship, develop belief from sponsors is to throw in some creativity to actually mainly give them a little bit bit extra of an open guide than saying that is what we ship throughout this time period, and that’s it.

And that’s what’s going that can assist you. And it helps them to know extra of what you’re really doing with the podcast or the neighborhood, no matter it could be. Versus simply saying, you get this and that’s it. If that is smart. I type of went off on a little bit tangent there and type of bought a little bit away from neighborhood, however the sponsorship is an actual, I want it was reduce and dry is what I want it was.

And I may say, hey, you already know, simply do that and also you’ll be completely happy, and life will go on and you’ll exit and odor the roses and stay your life. However it may be irritating, might be difficult, however in the event you work on it laborious sufficient, you’ll discover that candy spot.

[00:21:31] Nathan Wrigley: Yeah, you solely should go to occasions like WordCamps to see that WordPress has this large industrial bit to it. There’s a whole bunch of corporations at these occasions vying to your consideration, they usually could have cubicles, they could have nice huge areas of the exhibition corridor in the event you like, dedicated to their services or products. Or it could simply be that they flip up and stroll the halls and attempt to meet new individuals and forge relationships, arrange conferences and what have you ever. So there’s a really giant proportion of individuals within the WordPress area who need to promote into that area. After which alongside comes anyone such as you who’s instantly speaking to these individuals.

And so I can see that the match is de facto good. You’re primarily a conduit. You’re a brief circuit between individuals who’ve bought a product that they want to promote, and looking for that viewers and it’s laborious to construct that viewers. And I’d think about in lots of instances, these corporations, they actually don’t have the sources to construct their very own unbiased viewers.

So the concept of piggybacking of the laborious work that you just’ve finished over a few years should appear very interesting. But in addition, yeah, I suppose they’ve bought their constraints by way of whether or not they’ve bought the funds, what their success standards are and so forth. However do you see your self as that center man, in the event you like? The individual that sits between the neighborhood who need to take heed to genuine individuals speaking in genuine methods, and the businesses who need to get their product and repair to that viewers, however probably don’t know fairly find out how to do it.

[00:23:08] Bob Dunn: That’s precisely how I promote my sponsorships. I’m there to be an advisor. I’m there to be anyone {that a} sponsor can throw it in opposition to the wall and see if it sticks. I may give them my impressions of what’s happening locally. For our new yr with our sponsors, an enormous a part of that’s me being a conduit. I imply it’s like, I inform my sponsors it’s, it’s a horrible strategy to say this, however use and abuse me. I’m right here that can assist you make connections. If you wish to discuss to anyone, if you wish to meet anyone. If I see a possible dialog that I really feel could be helpful to whoever and the sponsor, and neither certainly one of them have had any inclination about this can be taking place.

I’ll come proper to them and say, hey, I’ve talked to so-and-so and I actually assume you need to join with this particular person. And on the identical time, connecting with the totally different friends we’ve, I’ve had some sponsors which have really related with friends. Within the subsequent 12 months, as a bunch, what our sponsors are doing as a part of their sponsorships now, and this type of brings a different piece of the neighborhood again in, sure share of their sponsorship will go proper again in to fund a number of the issues that we’re seeing and doing within the area proper now so far as sending individuals to WordCamps, sending contributors to contributor days.

Serving to contributors mainly finance all of the hours and efforts they’re placing into issues. So I believed, what higher means, particularly for sponsors that won’t know the place to place that cash, the place they’ll get essentially the most worth for it, placing it again into the neighborhood. I need to be that conduit.

[00:25:04] Nathan Wrigley: So a number of the sponsorship cash that you just’re receiving on this explicit yr, you might be turning that spherical and recycling it again to individuals in your neighborhood to assist them, as you described, get to WordCamp occasions. But in addition I’d think about there’s different issues. However that’s the intention is to siphon off a sure proportion of your sponsorship income and repurpose it to assist neighborhood members.

[00:25:28] Bob Dunn: Proper. And that’s one of many issues, I did it as, I elevated my sponsorship and as a additional advantage that sure, let’s put this pocket of cash collectively. Once more, chances are you’ll not know the place to place it. However I can discover the most effective locations. I can discuss to the proper individuals. I can ensure that I’m not reinventing the wheel as a result of there’s a number of organizations being put collectively, the WP Group Collective, all these different ones that can be capable to assist with this, and I can accomplice with them.

So I’m actual huge with partnerships, discovering the proper place to place the cash. I’m simply not going to place some type on my web site and say, okay, apply to be despatched right here, or to fund your challenge or no matter. I need to strategically be sure that the sponsors monies are going to the proper place.

[00:26:19] Nathan Wrigley: Yeah. That’s actually attention-grabbing. So there’s that as a part of your neighborhood, however I do know you’ve bought fairly a couple of irons within the fireplace and concepts circulating round. Relying on the time that this podcast is launched, perhaps these concepts could have modified. However proper now, as of after we’re recording this, what are the targets, in the event you like for Bob and Do the Woo and the neighborhood round that for this coming yr.

[00:26:43] Bob Dunn: I actually need to get much more individuals concerned, attain extra of the underrepresented globally. One huge factor is that we need to attain out much more international and a number of the pockets, particularly within the Woo Builder. And it’ll be WooCommerce, I imply WordPress as properly. However, it’s entering into these communities and elevating their voices.

Basically that’s what my complete podcast is about. Irrespective of how I do it. I’ve bought a number of totally different concepts apart from having anyone are available as a visitor, I’m going to be doing a little panels, some stay feeds, and I’d prefer to outline it as a podcast for the neighborhood by the neighborhood.

So there’s some actual attention-grabbing items we’re taking a look at. We’re taking a look at bringing in a couple of podcasts that will probably be in native languages, as a result of lots of my friends, English is just not their first language. I really feel they wrestle a little bit bit with actually expressing themselves, like they’d need to categorical themselves. And I can’t do that loads, however I believed how nice would that be to have, let’s say I’m simply going to pick a rustic in Europe, France.

I get a pair friends, host. We get a pair friends for them and I mainly give them a little bit little bit of route of what they need to discuss. In all probability one thing WooCommerce, and allow them to do it in French, and go at it. And that is one thing that I need to do to provide again to these little communities in all these totally different international locations. At the least saying, hey, you’re no less than particular sufficient and also you’re a part of this neighborhood that we need to no less than provide you with this virtually as a present, and provide the alternative to boost your voice, however in your individual language.

I’m doing a Friday present that I name WooBits, and I’m going to open it up and have a visitor co-host are available with me every week and I’ll pick a subject or two and we’ll simply have a dialog. Once more, this will probably be very open. It’s simply anyone that desires the chance to type of discuss on the extent as a co-host, however not have the dedication of doing this frequently or beginning their very own podcast.

And once more, throughout elevating their voices. Yeah, there’s a number of issues I’m making an attempt to consider what else is coming to thoughts, however I’m anyone that likes to assume I’ve this stuff in place and these concepts in place, however I’m certain organically over the following nonetheless many months, different concepts will come and in different nice potentialities. And lots of these do come via the sponsors too. I always discuss to them and say, do you’ve got some distinctive thought you needed to do with the neighborhood? Let’s see if we will do one thing below the guise that Do the Woo and make it occur.

[00:29:42] Nathan Wrigley: Given that you’re now doing the Do the Woo podcast, and also you’ve gone down the rabbit gap of WooCommerce solely actually. Why did you determine to do this and never give attention to WordPress as a complete? As a result of, clearly WordPress as a complete is far larger. So why the fascination with Woo was it that you just had been simply extra fascinated with that whenever you started this journey, or did it simply seem to be a pleasant area of interest to be concerned in? What was the considering there?

[00:30:12] Bob Dunn: Boy, that’s a, that’s a great query. I want I may say it’s as straightforward as I used to be consuming one night time and determined to do it. However that will be too easy. The entire journey to Woo, I imply, I’ve been concerned with WooCommerce because the starting. I used to make use of their themes of their early days when their had been WooThemes, so I knew them as an organization.

I knew, I’ve identified lots of the individuals there. It was a product that simply all the time impressed me from the time it was launched. Throughout my dash of doing extra tutorials and stuff on bobwp.com, a couple of years again, I made a decision to give attention to WooCommerce solely as a result of I knew there was a market, as a result of I used to be into affiliate internet marketing at the moment. And I knew there was a necessity.

In order that was simply common matters, writing about plugins, extensions, issues like that. However then the extra I bought into it, and the extra I talked to individuals at WooCommerce, and the extra I talked to individuals concerned with WooCommerce, I felt just like the neighborhood was of builders who had been a little bit fragmented. And I took upon myself, I believed, what if I used to be in a position to really begin bringing them collectively? Begin elevating their voices.

And, I spotted that the Woo Builder neighborhood was very fragmented they usually had been all doing their very own factor. And I, I simply thought, okay, with as a lot expertise that I’ve put into WooCommerce, and it simply was a pure segue for me. One thing simply instructed me alongside the way in which to get into it an increasing number of. I felt right here’s a possibility to do one thing greater than only a podcast. Do one thing neighborhood clever. So I, I really talked to lots of people over a interval of about seven or eight months earlier than I even kicked off Do the Woo, to actually get a really feel of if that is one thing that’s viable. And every little thing led me that means.

So, there was that preliminary curiosity all the time utilizing WooCommerce, and it simply constructed on it through the years. And the attention-grabbing factor about it’s that as a lot as we discuss WooCommerce, I’m discovering I discuss simply as a lot about WordPress, in conversations on the podcast and stuff, as a result of clearly WooCommerce is constructed on high of WordPress. So it’s a slash, you already know, Do the Woo, do the WordPress kind of factor. Besides that that’d be actually cumbersome to name it that.

However the two overlap a lot that the love and the pursuits I’ve had in WordPress for therefore a few years matches in. And WooCommerce is a big, giant piece of software program. Quite a lot of websites on the market. And I hoped by speaking particularly to individuals in different international locations and their challenges and the way they’ve constructed these little Woo communities, different locations that none of us find out about.

I believed, properly, it was certain it’d be good to get them a little bit bit extra seen and hopefully lively and do this in any means I can via the location. I’m type of going again into neighborhood, however one thing that simply grew over time and I simply determined to run with it as a result of I actually knew that, I simply noticed the potential for that neighborhood. And only a facet reality, after I began Do the Woo, I did a number of episodes of it and I really flipped over then to a podcast referred to as WPeCommerce Present. And I did that for nearly two years, 4 years I feel. And there was in all probability properly over 2, 300 episodes. And that was a extra generalized WordPress and e-commerce.

And in direction of the tip of it, I used to be having this nagging feeling. I needed to kick Do the Woo again into issues. So I really began to Do the Woo up once more. Did each of them on the identical time, and finally determined to finish the WPeCommerce and give attention to WooCommerce.

[00:34:17] Nathan Wrigley: Do you, given that you’re actually eager on e-commerce and WooCommerce particularly, and doubtless hold your eye very intently on the way it’s being developed. What’s your emotions for 2023, or certainly the final yr? What have you ever loved within the area? So I’m considering notably not concerning the neighborhood there, however a number of the bits and items which have rolled out into WooCommerce. What’s been thrilling, what’s been attention-grabbing? What services or products have you ever seen which you thought, ah, that’s one to look at, or that’s been good to see?

[00:34:49] Bob Dunn: You realize, I hate to confess this, however I’ve gotten to a degree within the final two, three years that I carry on high of WooCommerce by proxy. As a result of I really feel like I’ve been put ready to place all these different individuals on, loads smarter than me, and get the individuals that actually know what they’re speaking about to speak about WooCommerce.

I feel what I’ve seen most about WooCommerce, and that is perhaps, I’m not a developer, I don’t construct websites anymore, so generally my consideration type of weighs away from a few of that stuff, and I get too perhaps targeted on the individuals. However I like the expansion they’ve been doing. I really feel like they’re not simply going, you already know, loopy. They’re not this like bam, bam, bam. Tons of options, tons of options, flipping this, flipping that. Including stuff on a regular basis. They, they’re taking their time they usually’re doing it proper, even with blocks.

How lengthy that they’ve taken to usher in Woo Blocks and the dialogue across the product web page and can the product web page keep as it’s, or will it turn into completely block based mostly? They don’t rush into something. And generally I do know perhaps for some folks that’s irritating, however for myself as a enterprise particular person and anyone that’s been in tech for some time, and simply having talked to lots of people. I feel the factor that I’ve seen. Although the progress is transferring quick in lots of methods, they sustain with the proper issues, however they don’t push the envelope a lot that they overdo it.

And I feel that’s the factor I’ve seen essentially the most. And when I’ve individuals discuss WooCommerce, I’ve acknowledged essentially the most is that they’re doing it at a tempo that’s good they usually’re doing it proper, and that’s, my takeaway is. And even after I take heed to them discuss what they’ve sooner or later, it’s not like this, we’ve dozens of issues we need to do. It’s extra of a logical, step-by-step versus simply piling it on. So I feel that’s in all probability my greatest takeaway. And, it’s from an even bigger, perhaps a extra chook’s eye view.

[00:37:10] Nathan Wrigley: Given that you just’ve modified your profession a number of occasions, you’ve flipped between totally different jobs. If we forged your eye into the crystal ball over the following few years, do you see your self nonetheless doing this? Do you’ve got as a lot vitality and keenness for it now as you probably did, and do you propose to maintain doing Do the Woo? Or do you think that the long run may supply one thing else?

[00:37:37] Bob Dunn: Nicely, if anyone needs to purchase Do the Woo, I’m all the time. No, I’m simply kidding. We’re within the, age of acquisitions, no. Critically, I’m at an age, I began WordPress on the age of, proper earlier than my fiftieth birthday, I began diving into WordPress. So I’m at an age the place I’m not seeking to give you the following huge and new factor for myself.

I’m actually content material with what I’m doing proper now. So I’m assume I’m in it for the lengthy haul, as a result of I feel it’s going to be round. I don’t know the way it will mould itself through the years. However my pivots that I’ve had through the years, and I’ve had a number of of them. They are going to be smaller pivots, however they’d nonetheless in all probability be inside the realm of what I’m doing, versus simply doing one other complete swing. Now, I’m additionally anyone that claims by no means say by no means, and also you don’t know what the long run holds. So don’t maintain me to it. However I don’t have any, I’ve too many concepts for this nonetheless, and I feel there’s nonetheless a lot potential. I feel I’m locked in for some time.

[00:38:48] Nathan Wrigley: If anyone’s listening to this Bob, they usually’re eager on e-commerce and WooCommerce particularly, they usually by no means knew that you just had been making an attempt to develop communities and join individuals and all of that. Whether or not they’re from an organization which may prefer to be on the one hand or the neighborhood member on the opposite. The place do they discover you? The place’s the most effective locations to get in contact with you and what you do?

[00:39:09] Bob Dunn: Finest place after all, you may all the time go to web site, dothewoo.io. I do have a bobwp.com web site. It’s a little bit bit lean proper now. I’m type of rebranding that. However dothewoo.io. After which on Twitter, I’m nonetheless hanging on Twitter. I imply, I’ll be there until they throw me off or one thing. You will discover me @dothewoo, @bobwp. However mainly search for BobWP on Mastodon, LinkedIn, all that stuff. You’ll discover me there and that’ll join you with Do the Woo.

[00:39:43] Nathan Wrigley: Bob Dunn, thanks for chatting to me on the podcast immediately. I actually recognize it.

[00:39:47] Bob Dunn: Thanks, Nathan. It was a real pleasure.