Quay Morgan is a self-proclaimed science and data nerd who wound up in WordPress quite by accident. Quay graduated from college and went straight into teaching high school biology. He loved education, but took a chance on moving to a friend’s then-fledgling company to help out. He’s been with Ninja Forms ever since. Outside of work, Quay is dad to two teenage sons and a host to furry and feathered shelter adoptees. He fills his spare time with reading, PS and pen & paper gaming, and venturing out to the green spaces around him for exercise. Quay especially enjoys a good coffee or whisky, depending on the time of day!
What do you enjoy most about working in WordPress?
It’s a very different community than anything I’ve been a part of before. Educators tend to be a pretty closely-knit bunch, but WordPress’ community is degrees more vast and diverse than anything I’ve been a part of before. It’s filled with a uniquely supportive, entrepreneurial, and empathetic energy that I very much enjoy.
Ninja Forms has enjoyed the success it has in no small part thanks to the many supportive members of the community it exists in. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for all of the help, advice, and love we’ve received from others, and I know there are others that would tell that same story. I’m just not sure that’s normal in business outside of the WordPress space.
What do you love most about your Post Status membership?
I haven’t been a member that long, so I don’t know how in depth I can speak to this yet. My favorite part so far? Post Status very much feels like a distillation of the larger community, and the best parts of it at that. The Post Status Slack especially: watching conversations unfold between some of the sharpest minds in the WordPress space and hearing their candid thoughts in real time about everything from major acquisitions to relatively mundane technical questions to the pros and cons of playing Minecraft while floating in a pool… it’s unique and very interesting.
What business/web/WordPress advice do you have for others in our industry?
A rising tide lifts all boats. With some exceptions, each of our businesses are only as successful as the ecosystem we exist in. Our customers, ourselves, … we all have our struggles and adversities to overcome. With Ninja Forms, we’ve been successful focusing on the frustrations a typical WordPress user feels in their day-to-day, and when there’s an intersection between that and forms, offering a helping hand. That’s the part that directly keeps the lights on and the bills paid, right?
But in the big picture it’s about more than just customer acquisition and retention. We have a unique community in this industry, and from a position of leadership in it, no matter how small, an opportunity to help lift up others that is uncommon in many other industries. Maybe erring on the side of the idealist here, but looking out for each other will take us all a lot farther than just looking out for ourselves in the long run.