export default "data:image/svg+xml;base64,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"
Torque
Since
November 04, 2013

Troy Dean

Troy Dean is co-founder of Video User Manuals and WP Elevation, the world’s first business accelerator program designed specifically for WordPress consultants. He speaks regularly at WordCamps and is also a professional musician and voice over artist.

What I’ve Learned From Writing WordPress Proposals For Over 8 Years

Filed Under

Beginners, Business, Featured

Published

January 21, 2016

11 Comments

Over the last eight years, I have written hundreds of proposals for WordPress website projects. In the early days, most of them were terrible. Then I started paying attention to what I was putting out and the feedback I was receiving. I started making small incremental changes to my proposals until I found a formula that worked for me. In this article, I’m going to share everything I’ve learned from writing proposals over the last eight years to help you write better proposals for your prospects and win more projects. Disclaimer: my clients are predominantly small to medium-sized businesses. If […]

Do You Feel Guilty Using Premium Themes?

Filed Under

Community, Featured

Published

February 26, 2014

15 Comments

It’s time we have this conversation in public because I’m exhausted from having it in private at WordCamps, Meetups, and in forums. I know there are many WordPress “builders,”or “installers,” or “integrators” who feel the same way, and I think it has more to do with their insecurity about not being a “developer” than anything else. So, when a WordPress “consultant” (as I like to call them) asks me how to price projects when you’re “just” using a premium theme, here’s my usual response: A premium theme, no matter how good it is or what it costs, is not the […]

Stop Blogging About Plugins Already

Filed Under

Featured

Published

December 27, 2013

14 Comments

Somebody needs to build a dating site to match WordPress freelance designers and developers with agencies. Not a job board where you can merely post a job and have freelancers apply. Not a portfolio site where freelancers can post their work for agencies to browse. More like a dating site where you can connect based on common interests and philosophies—sniff each other out for a while and really get to know each other before climbing into bed. In the meantime, freelancers need to rethink what their job actually is if they are servicing agencies. The problem is not that there […]

7 Ways to a Better “Busy”

Filed Under

Community

Published

November 15, 2013

26 Comments

What Does “Busy” Mean? For most WordPress freelancers, business is good. And for some, it’s almost too good. When I was at PressNomics recently, I spoke to lots of WordPress freelancers who all said the same thing: I’m very busy, business is great! Just too much to work on…you know the deal. But at every conference or WordCamp, I also overhear a lot of complaints about clients changing the brief mid-project, dragging their feet on content deadlines, or generally frustrating the creative process. So I have to wonder, is it good to be “busy”—if that means more stress and less creative […]

How do you stay on top of your WordPress game?

A good way to start is to sign up for our weekly newsletter. We keep you up to date by bringing you the freshest WordPress content from the brightest minds in the industry.