“The web looks different today.” That was a cancellation reason from an agency customer recently. At first I thought… what does that even mean? But the more I considered it, the more it’s been stuck in my head ever since. For years, our target buyer at PMPro was a developer helping someone without tech skills (more…)
When we built Paid Memberships Pro, I thought I understood the ecosystem we were creating.
Our target was (mostly) clear: people building their own thing. A WordPress site with memberships, all aimed at building a recurring revenue stream they owned and controlled. A DIY-er that preferred to get their hands dirty vs. hire out. Not only because funds were tight, but because “knowing how it worked” mattered more than the time it took to get there.
What I did not anticipate is what would happen after these creators found success.
Treating Eden’s Cushing’s Disease
Excessive thirst. Increased appetite. Becoming more reactive to people and other animals. Who know all of these small changes would lead us to a Cushing’s Disease diagnosis for our dog, Eden, in August 2023.
Jason and I have keep a log of all of Eden’s tests, treatments, medicines, and diet changes since the diagnosis. This post is designed to help anyone actively battling Cushing’s or who suspects their pet has a positive diagnosis.
February 2024 TL;DR: Eden is doing really well. We’ll have to manage this disease for the rest of her life, but she is happy, energetic, and should have many years ahead of her.
December 2025 TL;DR: Eden had a minor setback with pancreatitis and tore her CCL. Overall, still doing really well. We added an additional supplement (Six Flavor Rehmanni / Liu Wei Di Huang) and are now sourcing her Si Miao San (Four Marvels) from a holistic vet in Washington state.
Warning: There are some graphic photos of some of Eden’s wounds in this article.
The Whammy Bar: Product Development Lessons from a Missing Guitar Piece
The other day, Jason was hunting for the whammy bar that came with his newest guitar.
After a bit of searching, he found the missing part. I heard him yell out “found it!”. Then, “oh cool there’s an allen wrench in here that’s the exact size I need.“
A seemingly mundane event that sparked a big thought.
CaboPress, Returning to Work, Managing Change
Entrepreneurs are curious by nature. We seek to solve problems. We seek business opportunities in everything we do: no small hobby is safe when it pops into the mind of a creator.
So what happens when you put 45 of these individuals together for a week? What happens is change.
Add UTM Parameters to WordPress Menu Items
We’re working on use case-focused documentation and getting started guides over at Paid Memberships Pro.
For this effort, I also needed to add direct links to our most popular use cases in our site’s footer—and I need these links to have unique UTM parameters so I can track which use cases are getting the most interactions.
Here’s a quick code recipe to demonstrate using the nav_menu_link_attributes filter to extend a wp_nav_menu.
Weeks 3 and 4 Recap [Sitewide Sales Sabbatical]
A little life travel and WordCamp Montclair distracted me from posting an update on Sitewide Sales progress last week. So here’s a better late than never update on weeks 3 and 4 progress.
For those new to this series, I’ve been exclusively focused on our new product SitewideSales.com (on a 6 week sabbatical from PMPro).
Week 2 Recap [Sitewide Sales Sabbatical]
It’s the end of week 2! I finally unleashed myself from strictly marketing and sales to focus on some coding.
For those new to this series, I’ve been exclusively focused on our new product SitewideSales.com (on a 6 week sabbatical from PMPro).
Week 1 Recap [Sitewide Sales Sabbatical]
It’s the end of week 1! I kicked off this sabbatical fully focused on content and website improvements.
For those new to this series, I’ve been exclusively focused on our new product SitewideSales.com (on a 6 week sabbatical from PMPro).
SaaS Tools & Site Builders vs. Self Hosted WordPress
I’ve been ruminating on the key differences between streamlined website builder tools like Squarespace or Wix vs. the boundless possibilities with WordPress.
As a 100% biased person that makes their living on WordPress products, I firmly believe that WP is the right tool for almost every website project. No other tool gives you the power of WordPress.
Here comes the big BUT: there are stark differences between SaaS and self-hosted WP if you’re considering our platform.
So here’s a list of my top “shockers” you might find when you switch from a site builder tool to self-hosted WordPress.