WordPress is the perfect tool for startups! Free, open source, has several customization options and is backed by an active community – the perfect tool any startup needs! Today’s startups face a mélange of issues – one of them is the need for a potent tool to support them. This is where WordPress comes into the picture: From creating enterprise grade websites for their corporate website, to riding the eCommerce wave by setting up a WooCommerce-powered online store, to even providing Web development services through WordPress, the possibilities are limitless! This talk will go on to analyze specific details on how a startup can leverage the power of WordPress in various stages, to grow and become successful, along with a case-study. The talk is conducted by Hari Shanker - A Happiness Engineer at Automattic.

1. Hari Shanker R
Happiness Engineer
@HariShanker
harishanker.net
For
Start-Ups

2. We are passionate about making the web a better place.
We’re always hiring!
https://automattic.com/work-with-us/

4. Because…
“WordPress is both FREE and PRICELESS at the same time!”
- Matt Mullenweg, Co-Founder of WordPress

5. +26% of the web
Powers 1 in 4 websites
+78m
Total WordPress Sites
5 billion
Page Views
+300k
Developers
+40k
Plugins
+14m
WordPress.com
58%
CMS Share
Because…
WordPress powers the internet & is the most popular Content
Management System!

6. and more…
All the big brands use WordPress

7. And, the best of ‘em all!
The WordPres
Community
Loves you! <3

8. WordPress in Startups
As a Tool To Power
Your Startup
Provide WordPress
Services

9. WordPress as a
Tool

10. WordPress is so powerful & flexible that you can use it to create ANYTHING on
the web, period.

11. Some Quick & Obvious
Use-Cases
* If there isn’t, it’s part of the WordPress core already OR you should consider
writing a plugin for that! ;)
A.K.A. There’s a plugin for
anything and everything!*

12. The Corporate Website of Sony Music - built using WordPress.
Build Your Corporate Website
using WordPress

13. Create Your Online Store Using
WooCommerce
The most popular eCommerce Solution on the web. Powering 37% of all

14. WordPress as a Social Network
With BuddyPress
Download the BuddyPress plugin for free at https://buddypress.org/

15. …Or Use Our P2 Theme & O2
FrameWork
And say good bye to emails for your company’s internal
communication needs.
Yes, for free!
https://geto2.com
https://p2theme.com

16. Build Your Customer Support
Forum Using bbPress
Download for free at https://bbpress.org/

17. Create Your Own Media
Website/Blog
Learn from the most visited online media portals in the world!

18.
Building Advanced Web
Applications with
WordPress
That looks easy-peasy, right?

19. Who, me?
Your Temporary Solution / Permanent Engine

20. • Leverage the power of WordPress Plugins
to set up your product ASAP
• Custom Post Types For Advanced Content
Management
• JSON REST API - Singlehandedly making
WordPress SaaS Friendly!
• Easy Portability
WordPress: Da Real MVP!

21. Case Study
A SaaS Application Built Entirely Using WordPress in a month & later
acquired by CrazyEgg.

22. Adds a bar on top of your website to display custom messages.

23. • Chose WordPress for its powerful Content
Management Features
• Used the S2Member Plugin For Managing
Memberships
• Brute force login protection for security &
VaultPress for Backups
• Created custom plugins & Custom Post Types
to manage user data & for user experience.
The Hello Bar Story

24. • Set up a Custom Server Stack Using LNMP (Linux
nginx, MySQL & PHP-FHM)
• Employed Extensive Caching (APC for Object
Cache; Batcache & MemCached for public pages.
• Set up Replicated Database.
• SendGrid For SMTP Emails
• Followed Best WordPress Development Practices
Scaling Hello Bar

25. There’s More…

26. “All we did was we took a WordPress Blog and we skimmed it to say Groupon and
then every day we would do a new post with the points embedded. […] It was enough
to prove the concept and show that it was something that people really liked. “
- Andrew Mason, Founder of Groupon (Branded as NearBuy in India).
Groupon Started on
WordPress
Bet you didn’t guess that! Did you?

27. Providing WordPress
Services

29. WordPress
Development, today
is a multi million
dollar business.

30. Over 200,000 developers
owe their livelihood to
WordPress. *
* Including yours truly. ;)

31. • Creating custom, WordPress powered websites for clients. (A
standard WP website can get your agency $15,000/ 10 Lakhs from a
US client.)
• Creating advanced custom WordPress Themes/plugins (At least $30/
custom theme/plugin)
• Building online stores using WordPress - for clients/Advanced
WordPress development.
• Running WordPress-powered blogs on dedicated topics with
advertising revenue model.
• WordPress consulting services.
• Web Hosting Service optimised for WordPress
Key WordPress Revenue
Generation Options

32. Some WordPress plugins & The
Revenue They Generate

33. Case Study

34. 3 WordPress enthusiasts - Mark Forrester, Adii Pienaar and Magnus Jepson,
started selling WordPress themes in 2008. In a few years time, they started
generating revenue to the tune of $2 million/year. WooThemes became part of
the Automattic family in 2015.

35. 2015
WooCommerce powers 30%+ of all online stores. Hits 7 Million
downloads and the team grows to 55, spread across 19 countries.
Acquired by for $30 Million.
2013
WooCommerce hits 1 million Downloads! WooThemes
turns 5 and Sensei - a premier learning management
plugin is launched
2011
They work together to build many more themes - the
100th Theme is launched! WooCommerce is born!
2008
Mark, Magnus and Adii start WooThemes officially. They
start selling themes which became a roaring success
The Story
2014
The First WooConf is conducted and is a hit! WooCommerce hits 4
Million Downloads! Woo Turns six!
2012
WooCommerce gets popular! More extensions on WooCommerce
(including Subscriptions are launched). WooThemes also gets hacked.
:(
2010
Their most successful theme - Canvas was launched. More people are
hired, the mascot ‘Hiro’ is launched. The distributed company meets
at Austria.

36. • Stay Hungry, Stay Bootstrapped.
• Offer Services; but think of building a product
too.
• Open Source your code.
• Consider a Distributed Model of work.
• Focus on your employees - they are your BIGGEST
strength.
• Bring Customer Service to the top of your funnel!
Takeaways From The Story

37. DO’s
Bootstrap your own business
Get clients excited about
WordPress benefits
Encourage customer feedback
(using support forums/email)
Provide excellent support.
Get involved with the community
Research your market
Do-s & Don’t-s for WordPress
Startups
DON’T-s
Never do it all alone!
Your business is more
important than your product
There is no ‘Set it and forget it’!
Don’t Be let down by your
content.
Forget to delegate.
NEVER HACK THE WORDPRESS

38. On an entirely
lighter note…

40. Choose your clients wisely!

41. Questions?
hari.shanker@automattic.com
Tweet to me: @HariShanker
www.harishanker.net
Jai WordPress!