Kyle Maurer is a speaker at WordCamp Chicago talking about Disastrous Deals to Profitable Projects: Comparing My Best and Worst Client Experiences. Get to know him below!
Bio
Kyle is the co-founder of a Jackson, Michigan based firm called Real Big Marketing which specializes in using WordPress to solve complicated problems for businesses. He is also the author of and a contributor to dozens of WordPress plugins, is the co-organizer of the Jackson WP meetup, is a co-organizer of WordCamp Ann Arbor, plays in a band and is an aspiring beer snob.
WordCamp Mini-Interview
When did you first become interested in WordPress?
I had a passing interest in WordPress as a tool for powering a previous employer’s corporate blog when it was first introduced to me in 2011. Shortly after, I decided I’d rather run my own agency then work for those bums so I got more serious about web development and attended the first gather of the Jackson, Michigan WordPress Meetup. After that, no consideration was given for alternatives. WordPress or nothing.
What motivated you to speak at WordCamp?
Public speaking has been a passion of mine for quite a few years. I enjoy very much any opportunity to share my experiences with others in a way that helps them progress like so many helped me before. Plus, I’ve been so deeply immersed in WordPress for the past five years that I have a lot of lessons learned to pass on. Oh, and because WordCamp Chicago is always a total blast.
Why do you think WordPress is different from other web platforms?
Shoot, answering why WordPress is the way it is could take a long time and I’m unqualified. There’s a book though which is pretty awesome. As for what stands out to me personally that is different, there are numerous things. But some of the important ones include: the sheer size of the WordPress ecosystem which means finding help, tools and resources is pretty easy and clients are asking for it all the time. When I started making websites, no client ever came asking for a specific platform. They didn’t care! Now I have customers calling me all the time asking if I can build them something using WordPress. Crazy.