From a plugin built for a local baseball team to one of the most trusted tools in the WordPress ecosystem, TablePress is a story of steady growth, community focus, and user-first development.

Its creator, Tobias Bäthge, didn’t start as a software engineer. He studied control engineering and stumbled into plugin development while helping his sports team with their website. What began as a side project has grown into a full-time business now used by over 700,000 websites worldwide.

In our interview, Tobias shared lessons from nearly two decades of plugin development—why steady support, thoughtful features, and doing less (but better) lead to long-term success.

“The most important thing right now isn’t actually coding—it’s finding a product idea and bringing it to the people.”

Tobias Bäthge – Creator of TablePress

Keep reading to learn how Tobias turned a free plugin into a thriving business, without losing sight of the people who use it every day.

Video Interview with Tobias Bäthge

If you’d like to watch the complete video interview with Tobias, then you can check it out here:

Or you can use the links below to see what we covered in the interview (and more):

🙋 Meet Tobias Bäthge: From Baseball Fan to Plugin Creator

Tobias Bäthge didn’t plan on becoming a WordPress developer. He was studying control engineering at university when he joined a local baseball team and offered to help with their website.

They needed a way to publish schedules, stats, and player info, but there weren’t any suitable plugins available.

“In baseball, what do you need tables for? Schedules, rosters, statistics… the plugin I found didn’t have all the features I was looking for.”

Tobias Bäthge

This kind of origin story—solving a personal need without a bigger plan—is one we see often at WPBeginner. It’s how many of the most useful WordPress plugins get their start.

Tobias found that WordPress was easy to use, but it didn’t have a good solution for managing tables. So he took matters into his own hands.

That plugin became WP-Table Reloaded, and it quickly found an audience beyond the baseball field. Other WordPress users started installing it, offering feedback, and asking for new features.

What started as a personal project turned into something much bigger, used by thousands of people who needed a better way to manage tables in WordPress.

It’s a pattern we’ve seen across many successful WordPress plugins: start small, stay useful, and let real-world use guide your growth.

📈 From WP-Table Reloaded to TablePress: Building for Real Users

As more people started using WP-Table Reloaded, Tobias found himself spending more time in the WordPress forums answering questions, fixing bugs, and helping users get the most out of the plugin.

When users take the time to give feedback, it’s a sign they believe in your plugin’s potential. Tobias recognized this early and made sure to be attentive to his users.

“I think people valued that they received fast and prompt support… I think that’s really one key element that people realized: if they get stuck, they can always approach me.”

Tobias Bäthge

In fact, Tobias has posted over 50,000 times in support forums.

That level of commitment built his plugin’s reputation as a trustworthy, well-supported tool.

He also made a conscious decision to keep the plugin focused. Instead of adding every feature request, he used his own needs as a filter and carefully weighed the long-term impact of each change.

“I always tried only doing things that I thought I would need myself… because if you add something, you can’t really remove it later.”

Tobias Bäthge

Around the same time, he also started digging through the code of other popular plugins, studying how they used WordPress APIs and structured their files.

At WPBeginner, we often recommend this kind of hands-on exploration. For many developers, real-world examples are the fastest way to level up.

By 2011, Tobias realized that WP-Table Reloaded needed a fresh start. The original codebase had grown too limiting, and some of the early design decisions were holding the plugin back. So he started over—and TablePress was born.

“I realized it’s hard with the current technical setup of the plugin… if I start fresh, I can set up a better foundation.

Tobias also made sure the transition from WP-Table Reloaded was seamless, building automatic import tools to prevent users from losing any data.

The result? TablePress kept the clean, user-friendly experience people loved while becoming far easier to maintain, extend, and support. That’s why we still believe it’s one of the best WordPress table plugins on the market.

🚀 Going Full-Time With TablePress: Business, Balance, and Motivation

For years, TablePress was something Tobias worked on in his free time. But in 2022, he made a major decision: to leave his job as a research assistant at a university and focus on TablePress full-time.

It wasn’t easy, especially without a business background or entrepreneurial role models to follow. “I didn’t have a role model. Everybody around me had jobs, no one was self-employed. So I had a lot of respect for the business side,” he said.

The transition meant learning everything from tax laws to payment systems, on top of building new premium features and maintaining the free version. But it also required something deeper: learning to say no.

“Learning to say no is what helped me to start doing TablePress as a profession.”

Tobias Bäthge

That meant saying no to a steady job, no to distractions, and even no to certain feature requests, so that he could build something sustainable on his own terms.

One of the biggest rewards? The freedom to design his day around what really matters.

“I actually take the freedom of taking my kids to kindergarten first in the morning. It gives me energy.”

That balance is also what keeps him motivated, along with the opportunity to keep learning as WordPress evolves.

“What keeps the motivation high is I can learn while working.”

Tobias Bäthge

For Tobias, going full-time wasn’t about going fast. It was about focusing on what matters, building sustainably, and staying connected to the community that helped him get started.

💡 Real Talk: Advice for Aspiring WordPress Plugin Developers

Tobias didn’t build a successful plugin overnight. TablePress grew slowly, through consistent improvements, user feedback, and a strong foundation of trust. That’s also where he thinks every plugin developer should start.

“In the very beginning, providing fast, helpful support can go a long way.”

In Tobias’s case, those early interactions built momentum. Answering questions, fixing bugs, and simply being available created word-of-mouth buzz and trust, long before making money came into play.

We’ve seen time and again: strong support is often a plugin’s best marketing.

But support isn’t the only piece of the puzzle. Tobias recommends starting with a real need—ideally, one you have yourself.

That way, you’re solving a problem you understand deeply, rather than guessing at what users might want.

“You have to kind of do the research first… you need something that separates you from existing solutions.”

Tobias Bäthge

He also sees the freemium model as one of the best ways to build and validate a plugin business, but cautions that it requires careful balance.

“The free version has to provide value on its own… but you can’t give away too many features or people won’t upgrade.”

For Tobias, it’s not about building something flashy. It’s about staying grounded, solving real problems, and doing it in a way that users genuinely appreciate.

💥 Related Post: Looking for more inspirational content? Check out our interview with Ionut Neagu, the founder of Themeisle.

🧠 Staying Focused and Productive as a Solo Founder

With over 700,000 active installs and no full-time team, TablePress is a solo operation at scale. That means Tobias has to be extra intentional with his time, tools, and energy.

One of the first lessons? Learning to say no, not just to feature requests, but to himself.

“Learning to say no—to yourself and to others—is key to setting priorities.”

Tobias Bäthge

Tobias breaks up his day into blocks of time focused on different areas of the business, including support, development, marketing, and documentation. That helps him avoid context-switching and make real progress without burning out.

Another key to his workflow is automation. Over the years, Tobias has built systems that handle everything from plugin releases to syntax checks to version testing. This has freed up time for more important work.

Many solo developers in our community tell us the same thing: automating routine tasks is the only way to scale sustainably.

“Those tasks should be automated… they just work in the background and free you from so much stress.”

Tobias Bäthge

He remembers when pushing a new version of the plugin was a stressful, manual process, and how that stress sometimes delayed releases by weeks.

“Now I have the testing set up in the background… I can much quicker and easier say, okay, new plugin release, click, boom.”

It’s a reminder that good systems don’t just make you more efficient. They make you more confident, too.

🔮 Looking Ahead: TablePress and the Future of WordPress

Tobias is optimistic about where WordPress is going, especially with the ongoing evolution of the block editor and a shift toward more interactive, browser-based experiences.

“There’s a major change happening in the editing experience—it’s an entirely new programming paradigm.”

Tobias Bäthge

That change presents new opportunities for TablePress, from improved interfaces to richer interactions inside WordPress itself. And for Tobias, it also brings new motivation.

But he’s also cautious not to change things just to get people’s attention. In fact, one of the most important lessons he’s learned is how overwhelming updates can be for less technical users.

To get his point across, he shared a relatable anecdote from his own life. He talked about seeing his grandparents, who are in their late 80s, navigate new technology. Tobias, the careful observer, notices when they struggle with updates on their smartphones.

When things move or change unexpectedly, it’s easy for users to feel lost. That has shaped his design philosophy.

“Ironing out wrinkles and making things easier to use is sometimes more appreciated than a big new feature.”

Tobias Bäthge

As WordPress continues to grow and change, Tobias is focused on keeping TablePress intuitive, consistent, and reliable for beginners and advanced users alike.

💭 Final Thoughts

Tobias Bäthge didn’t set out to build a business, but he did set out to build something useful.

Nearly two decades later, TablePress stands as a model of focused development, user-first design, and long-term sustainability in the WordPress ecosystem.

His story is a reminder that you don’t need to move fast or make a lot of noise to be successful. Instead, consistency, clarity, and community support can take you a long way.

For Tobias, what matters most is building something reliable—something that solves a real problem and keeps working over time. That means saying no to change for change’s sake and putting user experience first.

“Sometimes too much change is too much… especially for less technical users.”

Tobias Bäthge

Whether you’re building your first plugin or trying to turn your side project into a full-time venture, Tobias’s journey is proof that thoughtful, steady progress can still help you win.

📚 Bonus: Expert Resources for WordPress Plugin Developers

Want to follow in Tobias’s footsteps and build your own successful plugin? Here are some helpful WPBeginner resources that can help you out:

• How to Learn WordPress for Free (Step by Step)
• Best WordPress Developer Job Sites
• How to Submit Your Plugin to the WordPress Plugin Directory
• How to Track Plugin Engagement With Analytics
• WordPress SEO Tips for Plugin Pages
• WordPress Career Options – How to Make a Living With WordPress

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post From Side Project to 700K+ Active WordPress Installs: Tobias Bäthge on the Organic Growth of TablePress first appeared on WPBeginner.

• After taking a career break, I had to jump back into the job market.
• I used ChatGPT to find open roles, write my résumé and cover letter, and prepare for interviews.
• I landed my dream job in AI, making it a full-circle moment.

After a well-deserved career break, I decided it was time to look for a new job. The only problem was that I had last done this 10 years ago, and job hunting was a completely different game then.

In 2025, everything has changed, from how roles are advertised to how candidates are evaluated. LinkedIn isn't just an optional platform anymore. It's seemingly essential. Companies are using automated systems to screen résumés, and social media presence matters more than ever. The landscape has drastically changed, becoming more digital and competitive than ever before.

Facing this entirely new scenario was daunting. The old rules didn't apply, and the anxiety of navigating this new environment quickly set in. I realized I needed help, something or someone, to guide me through these uncharted waters.

I decided to adapt using the very technology shaping the new job market: AI.

Embracing AI to redefine my career path

After years of working as a lawyer, embracing AI felt like venturing into foreign territory, but it also felt exciting. I'd read countless stories about people using AI for everything from meal planning to writing novels, but I wondered how effective it could be for finding a job.

My first step was to have an in-depth conversation with ChatGPT to help identify exactly what I wanted next in my career. After a much-needed career break, I knew I wanted something that bridged my interests in technology and law, but the specifics were blurry.

Through a lengthy dialogue with the AI, during which we discussed my strengths, interests, and professional goals, I was able to clarify exactly what I was looking for. ChatGPT helped me pinpoint roles that sat neatly at the intersection of legal practice and emerging technologies, creating a tailored shortlist of companies and positions that genuinely excited me.

Leveraging AI for résumés, cover letters, and interviews

Armed with this newfound clarity, it was time to get practical. I turned again to ChatGPT, this time for help with polishing my résumé, crafting standout cover letters, and preparing for interviews.

Starting with my résumé, I fed ChatGPT my old document alongside descriptions of the roles I was targeting. Within minutes, it transformed my résumé into a crisp, impactful summary of my professional achievements. It suggested action-oriented language and quantified outcomes, things I hadn't thought to highlight on my own. My previously bland document suddenly felt dynamic and compelling, accurately reflecting my experience and capabilities.

Next, I tackled the dreaded cover letters. Each application felt like writing a small autobiography, a tedious task I usually procrastinated endlessly on. With ChatGPT, the experience transformed. I provided basic details about the role and why I was interested, and the AI-generated, polished, tailored cover letters genuinely sounded like me, only better. Minor tweaks aside, the AI-driven drafts were ready to send out immediately, saving me countless hours of stress and editing.

Then came mock interviews. ChatGPT proved invaluable here, simulating realistic interview scenarios and offering insightful feedback on my responses. It didn't just spit out generic interview questions. It tailored them specifically to each role, asking about industry trends, hypothetical scenarios, and even personal motivations. The AI coached me through my answers, helping me refine my responses to ensure they were concise, authentic, and impactful.

Landing the ideal job: Full circle with AI

The impact of these preparations was swift and substantial. Within just two months of starting this tech-driven job hunt, I secured a role at a cutting-edge tech company developing AI specifically designed for lawyers. It felt surreal yet perfectly aligned. After all, my journey began and ended with artificial intelligence.

This role wasn't just a paycheck. It was a full-circle moment, merging my long-standing passion for law with my newly sparked enthusiasm for technology.

Would I use AI to job hunt again? Absolutely. In fact, I can't imagine tackling such a stressful process without it. AI didn't just streamline tedious tasks. It empowered me to present myself authentically and strategically in a fiercely competitive market. It took the overwhelm out of job hunting, making the process not only manageable but surprisingly enjoyable.

In a world increasingly defined by technology, leveraging AI in your career search isn't just clever. It's becoming essential.

Whether you're pivoting careers, re-entering the workforce, or just exploring new opportunities, AI could be the ally you never knew you needed. For me, embracing AI was the smartest professional decision I made in years, proving that sometimes the best way to adapt to change is to lean into it fully.

• Preparing for a job interview often involves workshopping answers to questions you might be asked.
• But it's just as important to plan the questions you'll ask your interviewer.
• A global talent leader at EY shared with us two questions she loves to be asked by job applicants.

"So what questions do you have for me?"

Just as recruiters and hiring managers have favorite things to ask candidates in job interviews, you should be prepared with questions of your own.

Asking questions during your interview helps convey your interest in a role and employer, and it can give you insights into the job, company, and colleagues you'll potentially have.

Irmgard Naudin ten Cate, global talent attraction and acquisition leader at EY, told Business Insider two of the questions job candidates ask that always make an impression on her.

One is, "What does success look like when I'm doing this job?"

Naudin ten Cate explained why it's such an effective question.

"I always really love that question because when you hear the answer, you hear what's important to people, and then you can follow up with all sorts of questions around that," she said.

It can open up ways to learn what your prospective colleagues do, what kind of work you'd be performing, and where the role fits into the larger picture. You can get more granular by asking what success would look like in the first 90 days, or the first year, Naudin ten Cate said.

Having been at EY for over 20 years, Naudin ten Cate also loves being asked why she's stayed and what she likes about the company. It gives you "a much more personal view of the work," she said.

Posing this question can help build a more personal connection with your interviewer, Naudin ten Cat said, and uncover more about career growth opportunities.

Whether you ask those two questions or others, Naudin ten Cate advises applicants to try to get answers that speak to the company's values so you can see how well they do — or don't — align with yours.

"Those are the questions that always resonate with me," she said.

When fans nervously tuned in to watch HBO's adaptation of one of their favorite video games, there was one familiar presence that immediately calmed their nerves: the mournful guitar of Gustavo Santaolalla. As certain story beats changed and beloved polygonal faces were replaced with new actors, the beating heart of The Last of Us - its mesmerizing, tension-ridden score - survived the transition to TV intact.

"[Series creator] Neil Druckmann has said that my music is part of the DNA of The Last of Us," Santaolalla says. "I think the fact that we kept the sonic fabric - that we didn't do an orchestral score for the series - has been instrumental in keeping those fans of the games fans of the series, too."

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Santaolalla first started releasing music when he was 17. Loving both English rock bands and the traditional Argentine folk music that he was raised on, Santaolalla melded both into his own unique sound, part of a genre called rock nacional. Before he could fully make his mark, Santaolalla's family fled the Argentine junta dictatorship in 1978, moving to Los Angeles, where his unique sound soon caught the attention of filmmakers. Snapped up to sc …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Arguably the highlight of Epic's State of Unreal keynote was the opening: a sprawling technical demo that showed just how good The Witcher 4 looks in Unreal Engine 5. It showcased a bustling market in a port city, a beautiful forest landscape, and a horse that looked and acted like, well, a horse. Even more impressive was the fact that the demo was running at 60 frames per second on a base model PlayStation 5. According to Julius Girbig, a senior technical animator at Witcher developer CD Projekt Red, the choice of hardware for the demo was very intentional.

"Everyone has the idea of how fast a PS5 is and what kinds of games it can run," he tells The Verge. "That's why we specifically wanted to go that route of: let's start with the consoles, let's show how much we can optimize this engine together with Epic and make it work on current gen, instead of running it on some high-end hardware."

Now, to be clear, the UE5 demo is not actually a slice of the final game. Girbig describes it as "a demonstration of the tools that we are currently building that will eventually power The Witcher 4," and something that "does show the style and direction that we're going for, and the fidelity …

Read the full story at The Verge.

More than 25 years after the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater put skateboarding games on the map, developers are still finding new ways to explore skating in video games, especially in 2025. Skateboarding fans are about to have some promising new games to play, with Activision's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 remake releasing in July and EA is set to launch its online-only, free-to-play Skate revival this year.

In 2022, my colleague Andrew Webster wrote that we're in a golden age for skateboarding games, and things haven't really slowed down. So what is it that makes skateboarding so good for video games, and allows so many different expressions of the sport from different studios?

"I think skateboarding is one of those things that's just always cool," THPS 3 + 4 game director Kurt Tillmanns tells The Verge. "It's an evergreen fantasy, in both real life and games. Being a skateboarder is a sign of what and who is cool." He says "there's a reason that we're all in awe of what these people can do." Part of what makes skateboarding cool is the music, fashion, and art, and video games let people experience that skateboarding culture, too, Tillmanns says.

Also, "it's safer," jokes Andrew …

Read the full story at The Verge.

From freelancer to successful co-founder, Ionut Neagu has worked with WordPress for 13+ years. Along the way, he has grown his company, Themeisle, into one of the most respected names in the WordPress ecosystem.

Their flagship products, including Neve and Hestia, are helping shape the future of website building and WordPress theme development.

Like many scrappy entrepreneurs, he started with little more than determination and a desire to learn. What makes Ionut’s story unique is his strong persistence and focus on creating genuine value.

In this interview with the WPBeginner team, Ionut shares his journey and offers valuable insights for anyone looking to build a lasting business in the WordPress space.

“I think intentions kind of matter… if you have the intention to create value through this process – for employees, for clients, for everyone that you work with… I think that also matters… my advice would be to be persistent, to try to focus on creating value and things will compound in time.”

Ionut Neagu – Co-Founder of Themeisle

Keep reading to learn how Ionut built and grew Themeisle into a household name. Whether you’re a brand-new WordPress freelancer or an experienced entrepreneur, his expert advice can help you grow.

Video Interview with Ionut Neagu

If you’d like to watch the complete video interview with Ionut Neagu, then you can see it here:

Or you can use the links below to see what we covered in the interview (and more):

🙋 Meet Ionut Neagu: WordPress Pioneer and Themeisle Co-Founder

Before we share Ionut Neagu’s valuable lessons, we have to revisit his beginnings as a web developer, before Themeisle existed.

Fresh out of college in 2010, armed with a computer science degree and a deep curiosity for learning, Ionut entered the tech world during an interesting time.

While the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis meant there were fewer traditional job opportunities, it also created space for innovative thinkers to create their own paths.

When chatting with Ryan Priddey from the WPBeginner team, Ionut reflected on these early days with his characteristic humility and a sense of humor.

“Someone took a chance on me and said, ‘Okay, we just need someone to help.’ I said, That’s me. I don’t know anything.”

This eagerness to learn and grow, even without immediate rewards or recognition, defined his early career. “I just knew I wanted to learn and prove myself,” he shared.

He even recalled how he once told a potential employer he didn’t need a salary—just the metro fare to come to work. That still didn’t get Ionut the job, but it also didn’t discourage him. He just laughed it off and kept on moving, which is an example of his persistence and resilience.

“What worked for me was curiosity and persistence and not thinking about necessarily the results.”

Ionut Neagu

At WPBeginner, we’ve seen many successful entrepreneurs start with this same combination of humility and determination.

Ionut’s story stands out because he has maintained this learning mindset throughout his 13+ year journey with WordPress, even as his company became a major force in the ecosystem.

Today, Themeisle’s WordPress themes and plugins power hundreds of thousands of websites worldwide.

As co-founder and product strategist, he’s involved in everything from theme development to exploring new acquisitions and future directions for the business.

His approach has never been about following a predetermined path or copying others’ success. Instead, he’s always focused on understanding problems and finding ways to solve them effectively.

Ionut’s story reveals how staying true to your core values can transform a simple freelance career into something much bigger.

👨‍💻 The WordPress Journey: From Freelancing to Themeisle

In his early days with web development, Ionut started by building one freelance project at a time. His first breakthrough came with a modest $30 jQuery slider project that took three days to complete.

Like many developers starting out, he was less driven by the money at this time, and more focused on building his portfolio and expertise.

Through persistence and dedication, he began to establish himself as a freelancer, although he knew there had to be a more sustainable path forward.

Around 2012, Ionut co-founded Themeisle, marking a shift from freelancing to product development. The early days brought important lessons about building a business.

“I had a lot of misconceptions because I thought by having a company, printing business cards, making the company website, we will get clients… but none of this contributed in any way.”

Ionut Neagu

These struggles are acknowledged outright on the ‘About Us’ page of the Themeisle website, which says they quickly learned to adapt because “three years without a sale will do that.”

In our opinion, Ionut’s humble and lighthearted attitude comes through here, as the team jokingly celebrates their early failures.

When asked about mistakes he’d learned from, Ionut acknowledged he has always been a bit risk-averse. He casually quoted one of his inspirations, Charlie Munger, who famously said, “All I want to know is where I’m going to die so I’ll never go there.”

But upon further reflection, Ionut also recognized that sometimes mistakes are just part of the learning process:

“A mistake, a little bit for me, is when you have all the information and you do some wrong judgment. I mean, for me back then, I had no information… I was just learning and yeah, finding my way.”

Ionut Neagu

The lesson here? It speaks to the importance of not being too hard on yourself when learning something new. Everyone has to start somewhere!

As the Themeisle team grew, they faced new challenges. After working on a lot of different projects, from SEO to Java and PHP, Ionut realized they needed to laser focus on something. And that something was WordPress development.

The timing proved perfect – soon after, they released Zerif, their first theme in the WordPress repository.

“When we released Zerif… we saw early signs of success. That was a pivotal moment because then we stopped worrying about money and could focus on how to grow the business.”

This financial stability allowed Ionut and his team to think strategically and make long-term investments. They began developing Themeisle’s blog, knowing it might take two years to see results. The focus shifted from immediate gains to building lasting value.

At WPBeginner, we’ve seen that this kind of patient, long-term thinking often separates successful WordPress businesses from those that struggle to gain traction.

By 2015, Themeisle had established itself as more than just another theme company. Instead, it was becoming a team dedicated to pushing WordPress innovation forward. Plus, the Themeisle blog started to earn a reputation as a valuable resource for WordPress tutorials, roundups, and more.

But transforming successful product launches into a thriving business required more than just good code. It also needed a solid business strategy.

🔍 Business Growth Strategies & Themisle Products

As Themeisle grew, Ionut realized that sustainable growth required more than just great products. He needed systematic approaches to running the business.

A significant milestone for the team came when Ionut started using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Our founder, Syed Balkhi, uses this model for all of his businesses, so we’re huge fans of it.

In our interview, Ionut even fondly recalled discussing EOS with Syed and how meaningful those conversations were.

After that, Ionut talked about the importance of learning how to manage while scaling. “It was another meaningful moment when we started to work with an implementer that actually showed me how I can have the team more involved and not me deciding and telling different things.”

Around this shift in management style, Themeisle also made major changes to its operations. It moved from gut-feel decision-making to data-driven strategies.

“Before that, it was a lot of guesswork. We knew like everything goes fine, we make more money than we spend, and it looks good. And that was basically all the knowledge that we had on the business.”

“Now we have quite detailed P&L (profit and loss) for the business, for the product. We understand very well where are our costs, where we invest, how that investment is working or not.”

Ionut Neagu

At WPBeginner, we’ve seen how this systematic approach to business management can transform a WordPress company. It’s not just about creating great products—it’s about building sustainable processes that support long-term growth.

This strategic approach also helped Themeisle maintain focus on their core mission: creating value for users. They concentrated on understanding and solving real problems for their customers.

The result? They developed and launched some of the most popular WordPress themes and plugins today, including Neve, Hestia, and Optimole.

But building a successful WordPress business isn’t just about strategy and systems. Ionut also has some valuable advice for others looking to follow a similar path.

💡 Advice for Aspiring WordPress Entrepreneurs

When asked what advice he’d give aspiring WordPress entrepreneurs, Ionut emphasized the importance of genuine value creation over surface-level business tactics.

His own experience taught him that traditional approaches, such as polishing resumes or printing business cards, often matter less than solving real problems.

“You need to reflect and try to think what are your skills and adjust the people you work with, adjust the industry you go to, adjust your product to suit your skills,” he explained. This self-awareness, he believes, is crucial for long-term success.

“My advice would be to be persistent, to try to focus on creating value and things will compound in time.”

Ionut Neagu

“The skills you gain, the people you meet, the clients you work with, the employees that grow with you – it all compounds over time,” he explained.

At WPBeginner, we’ve seen this compound effect in action. The most successful WordPress entrepreneurs aren’t usually those who chase quick wins, but those who focus on building value consistently over time.

When it comes to technology and tools, Ionut is particularly excited about AI’s potential. “I feel AI will bring monumental change to how we do things, how we live, and how we work,” he said.

His advice? “Just using it and trying to involve AI in everything that you do.”

He talked about how his team is experimenting with using AI tools like Cursor, but also about how every aspiring entrepreneur should focus on how to most effectively use AI.

“It’s more to build the mental models, right? So it’s not to kind of just see what’s the latest cool and trick and so on. I think just to rewire a little bit and to create mental models, because after a couple of weeks, for example, what I noticed is that I start to think differently.”

Ionut Neagu

“So when I get into a problem, I would say, okay, for that problem, I would need to use this deep research. For that problem… I need to create the flow with agents and et cetera to handle it… for this problem, I would need to ask a reasoning AI… because they work differently and are helpful in different ways.”

“I would say that people are not spending enough time on this… this is the one thing I would be focusing on.”

💥 Related Article: Surprising AI Statistics – Everything You Need to Know

This focus on creating genuine value while embracing new technologies has served Themeisle well in the past. But what does the future hold for the company and its co-founder?

🔮 Looking Ahead: The Future of Themeisle

Rather than making grand predictions about the future, Ionut prefers to focus on the fundamentals that stay constant regardless of how technology evolves. “I have a hard time to think and to plan in terms of what’s the goal in five years,” he admitted.

Instead, he said he always concentrates on two key areas: maintaining strong relationships with existing customers and nurturing a capable team.

“We have those clients that are paying their yearly subscriptions. What I can do for them? How I can make sure they are happy?”

“Now and even in five years, whatever, it would be important to have smart people around you and to grow yourself and grow as well as a team. To be able to tackle any opportunities or challenges or markets.”

Ionut Neagu

This approach of focusing on fundamentals while remaining adaptable has served Themeisle well. When Ionut spots something truly promising, he’s ready to invest fully. “When I spot something unusual, then I will go all in on that,” he explained.

His current focus is exploring how AI can enhance WordPress development and user experience. He sees it as a tool to deliver more value to users.

“I’m trying to use it for everything pretty much… trying to map it with real needs that people have or businesses have.”

As WordPress itself evolves, Themeisle’s commitment to both innovation and fundamentals positions them well for continued success. But for Ionut, success isn’t just about business metrics. It’s also about creating lasting value for the WordPress community.

💭 Final Thoughts

Ionut Neagu’s journey from a curious computer science graduate to co-founder of Themeisle offers valuable lessons for anyone looking to build a lasting WordPress business.

His story shows that success isn’t about following a predetermined path but staying true to core values while remaining adaptable.

What stands out most is his consistent focus on creating genuine value. From his early freelancing days to leading Themeisle today, Ionut says that business success follows naturally from helping others solve real problems.

We also appreciated how Ionut seems to strongly value the potential of each unique individual and how that should be embraced on any entrepreneurial journey.

“No entrepreneur is the same… all the stories are different… so I think in terms of skills, it’s a great opportunity to craft your own journey that suits your strengths.”

Ionut Neagu

At WPBeginner, we’ve watched ThemeIsle grow from its early days to become a significant force in the WordPress community. Their success story reminds us that in WordPress, sustainable growth comes from combining technical excellence with a genuine desire to serve users.

Through economic challenges, technological changes, and evolving market demands, Ionut’s approach has remained consistent: focus on fundamentals, invest in people, and create real value.

💥 Bonus Guides and Resources

Looking to learn more about building a business around WordPress? Here are some helpful WPBeginner resources:

• WordPress Career Options – How to Make a Living With WordPress
• How Ben Rojas Rose From a Developer to the President of AIOSEO
• How Zac McDonald Grew Into the Top-Rated WordPress Freelancer on Upwork
• Blogger Turned WordPress VIP Partner: How WordPress Continues to Inspire Rahul Bansal
• The Future of WordPress: What to Expect (Our Predictions)

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post From Freelancer to Founder: Ionut Neagu’s Journey to Building a Successful WordPress Business first appeared on WPBeginner.

In an interview with Digital Trends, Carl Lumbly talks about Captain America: Brave New World and his decades-long career in both Marvel and DC projects.

---

At TED 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman faced tough questions on AI ethics, artist compensation, and the risks of autonomous agents in a tense interview with TED’s Chris Anderson, revealing new details about OpenAI’s explosive growth and future plans.Read More

Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza spoke with Digital Trends about their new film, Warfare.