WordPress Services

[conorp]

Well a few days ago I was involved in the chat room where a few members were discussing the idea off Jeff starting his own consulting company. You know where he would do small theme stuff, install wordpress etc.

This got me thinking . Not meaning to pick on Michael Torbert (Hope thats right), but on http://semperfiwebdesign.com/wordpress-services/ , i could do allot of the services.

Even:

Basic WordPress Service

• Install the latest version of WordPress to use as a Blog or CMS
• Creation of database for use for WordPress
• Installation of theme of your choice on your hosting account
• Install standard Ping list
• Install our selected standard plugins to work with your theme

$245.00 $195.00 with purchase of Hosting services through one of our Preferred Partners

In reality most of us here could do that very easily, and i know I could do with an extra $250 (US $ btw so it would be more in AUS) every so often.

I could probably do the next package up from the one above to.

So i'm not at the stage that i can make a good looking theme from scratch, but I could easily modify and existing theme (from the repository or woothemes etc) to suit a clients needs.

Although this is already are very popular market, where there is a high chance i could fail, i think its worth the risk. After all, whats the worst that will happen, i make no money from the business.

Well my main two question are:

• Do you think I will fail, simply because i cant do the high end stuff like plugin development?

• What are some things i would need to start with? Like i was thinking of purchasing a skype phone number and voice mail.

I have heard that doing some non-profit websites first is a good way to build up your portfolio. How would I go about this?

Finally, sorry about the disordered/ messy post. I was just adding ideas as i thought of them .


Thanks Conorp

[Ryan]

I ended up doing client work because I was offering free help on SitePoint.com and when I did that people just started sending me thank you money and asking me to do paid work. I've also found that releasing solid products for download results in quite a few requests for custom work.

As a new developer you may struggle to charge the fees requested by some developers like Michael Torbert as they have a well known name and probably receive a lot of traffic to their site. But you can certainly earn considerably more than you would working at McDonalds even as someone new to the market.

It also helps to have at least one skill which is at a high level. If you can design well then you can get away with shonky coding. If you can code well, you can get away with shonky design. Or if you can't design to save yourself, but you have ninja coding skills then you can just handle the coding side of things.

[andrea_r]

Do you think I will fail, simply because i cant do the high end stuff like plugin development?

No, because there are newbies to WP every single day who are willing to pay someone to do simple things like show them around, install a theme - etc.

Keep an eye on the job boards and on the pro list, as unpaid jobs actually crop up there too.

[Martin]

Although this is already are very popular market, where there is a high chance i could fail, i think its worth the risk. After all, whats the worst that will happen, i make no money from the business.

I took the same sort of risk a few years back by hosting a couple WP sites, now I host quite a lot of sites and manage (maintain) a sh#t load of other peoples sites around the world. Few months back I decide to build a main site for hosting and WP related stuff like installations and I'm glad I took the risk.

Do you think I will fail, simply because i cant do the high end stuff like plugin development?

Depends how much effort you put in. The harder you work the more it will probably take off. For a lot of long term clients I do small things for free (theme mods, and other basic stuff) and charge for bigger jobs. Works out best for both parties, long term clients for me and less hurting on the clients pocket.

[dancole]

Do you think I will fail, simply because i cant do the high end stuff like plugin development?

Custom plugin development is a market within itself, which people specialize in. For what your doing, people are going to ask you questions that are relatively easy for someone who knows at least something about HTML, CSS, PHP, and WordPress.

Having good problem solving skills, such as the ability to find other code that has similar features to what your clients are asking, will create a buffer so that you can solve any problem the client comes up with. It's not likely that someone is going to come up with a totally original problem that you have to solve from the ground up.

[conorp]

@Martin How is your WordPress Installation Service going? I believe this is it here: http://www.premiumwphosting.com/word...ation-service/ . I obviously don't need an exact amount, i'm mostly interested in the amount of installation work you would do, in say, a month.

Also I believe your an Aussie aren't you? Have you found that you get any Australian customers or are they generally overseas?

[Martin]

@Martin How is your WordPress Installation Service going? I believe this is it here: http://www.premiumwphosting.com/word...ation-service/ . I obviously don't need an exact amount, i'm mostly interested in the amount of installation work you would do, in say, a month.

Installing WordPress is basically a side service I do but I do get quite a few over a months time, say 15 installs and up, some involve multiple installs etc.

A few of the installation jobs have lead to long term maintenance work also. Like doing database backups for some sites every week or fortnight, backing up the site files and keeping WordPress and all plugins updated. Most clients who I do installations for come back regularly wanting additional work done, theme mods / plugin mods etc.

Also I believe your an Aussie aren't you? Have you found that you get any Australian customers or are they generally overseas?

A large majority of clients are overseas, mainly in the U.S. Another reason why I have dedicated servers in the U.S. Some have jumped over to my hosting once their hosting have failed them etc.

[Jeffro]

i don't think you'll fail. The only thing I'd be concerned with is the bad publicity through word of mouth if you screw up badly. Also, depending on how bad you screw up, it could hurt your image in the WordPress community in the long run. To me, those are big risks but hey, if you can get around those big risks, you could have big rewards.

[conorp]

i don't think you'll fail. The only thing I'd be concerned with is the bad publicity through word of mouth if you screw up badly. Also, depending on how bad you screw up, it could hurt your image in the WordPress community in the long run. To me, those are big risks but hey, if you can get around those big risks, you could have big rewards.

I'm only installing WordPress how hard could it be

What do you think is the best way to market/advertise a service like this, since i am mainly going to do work for non web savvy company's/people? It would be pointless to advertise here, (Sorry Jeff ) as WP Tavern has quite an advanced group of readers. What do you guys think of adverting in the local paper or something?

Installing WordPress is basically a side service I do but I do get quite a few over a months time, say 15 installs and up, some involve multiple installs etc.

How many of these would not be connected to your hosting in the first place? Like outsiders.

Keep an eye on the job boards and on the pro list, as unpaid jobs actually crop up there too.

Sorry i missed this. Do you have any in mind. Obviously i could find some, but I'm not sure of ones with non profits on them.

Thank you all for your kind input.

Conorp

[Kit]

Many of us who offer services have found that word of mouth is a wonderful thing!

The first thing you may want to do is add a link into all your sigs. Then keep your eyes open for people asking WP questions on twitter, forums, ask(dot)com, freelance sites, etc.

I offered to help a couple of people (for free) and wound up with clients. So the moral of the story is...start helping with small tasks/info and you'll build a good reputation before they even buy.