I am a true entrepreneur. I like to do things lean, mean, and quick. And I genuinely believe in an agile business model, especially in the WordPress world.
At Yoast, we used to call it ‘hup hup hup’. It means you start something, don’t make it too perfect, and try it out quickly. Then, adapt and try again. Don’t waste your time on expensive, lengthy marketing plans. Think carefully and try something. Learn from the results and adjust your next marketing campaign.
Especially in the WordPress world, with tens of thousands of plugins and the ecosystem constantly changing, it is essential to be agile. If WordPress core announces a significant change – you’ll have to adapt. If a big plugin grows very fast, your smaller plugin needs to be able to integrate with the big one.
Agile is essential because you never stay on the wrong track too long. As a startup entrepreneur, you are going to make a lot of mistakes. As a WordPress business owner, you see the ecosystem change and have to change with it. Staying agile will ensure you quickly recognize mistakes and correct them.
With an agile or ‘hup hup hup’ mindset, you’re just spreading the risk. You will continue to taste and evaluate whether you are on the right track with your product or service. And if it turns out not to be a success, you just take a different path!
Hey Marieke, great post and it’s interesting after all these years I never realized I also am “agile”. Looking back at the twists and turns, also dropping things quickly instead of beating them to death to try to make them work, has been my approach. Plus staying very, very flexible 🙂