Igor Benić @igorbenic Twitter profile

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Igor Benić

3 years

I worked for a $4 hourly rate as a Web Developer. Now, my freelancing brings me 5-figures per month. Here are some of the lessons I learned along the way

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

@OneJKMolina 1. "We're going to be rich" = vision 2. "Let's do a really good job cause they paid us first" = customer relations Great mindset. They're off to a great start and will learn some lessons from the beginning. And the excitement dance 😀 Wish you all to experience that!

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

@OneJKMolina Rewatched the video again. Watch from 0:50. They nailed it 😂 Summary: - these people are rich (in their view) = they have money - if I was rich, I wouldn't shovel = they don't have time for this We will save them time by shoveling = make money

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

9 months

@natmiletic Don't forget to give them a mouse with the broken right click

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

7 months

@TheJackForge Those were first to go 😅 I saw a twitter one and thought how the hack do they do any work.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

WordPress projects that will make you comfortable to start charging $60+/hour:

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

I firmly believe anyone can learn how to develop with WordPress. The problem is, there are only a couple of resources for beginners. And it can become overwhelmed. That's why I compiled this helpful list for you. 👇 Thread:

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

11 months

WordPress developer, if you have time allocated for learning on the weekend, use it to learn to extend WooCommerce. You'll learn much more than working with WooCommerce and be eligible for more quality jobs. Here's what you could try:

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

I was almost laughed at several years ago when I told 2 developers that I am developing with WordPress. They thought I was doing $500 sites, while I was already earning $2k+ on the side. Here is how you can get to $5k/mo as a WordPress developer:

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

@natmiletic Yep, just use this:

GitHub - kleampa/not-paid: Client did not pay? Add opacity to the body tag and decrease it every...

Client did not pay? Add opacity to the body tag and decrease it every day until their site completely fades away - kleampa/not-paid

github.com

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

Every WordPress developer: 1. Visit a site 2. "Hmmmm, I wonder..." 3. Opens Web Inspector 4. Checks body classes 5. Ha! Knew it.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

You might not like it, but jQuery still does a pretty good job.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

7 months

@levelsio Being bored also helps get ideas. So if you're in an environment without any chance of boredom, it's hard to get ideas. And nowadays, if people feel boredom, even slightly, they look at their phones. It's an environment thing. + You need a "trained" mind to get/look for ideas

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Will PHP be dead in 2023 as well?

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

If you want to be a WordPress developer earning $80k-100k/year, you must know how to code custom solutions. Here are a few types of projects I did or still do:

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

If you're building WordPress sites with Elementor, do yourself a favor and learn CSS basics.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

10 months

@iansvo I enjoyed deleting it after a project finished, does that count? 🤣

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

8 months

For now, WordPress helped me: 1. Get a better paying job 2. Move into freelancing 3. Buy a new laptop 4. Go to vacations 5. Buy a new car without a loan 6. Building a house without a mortgage Last 2 are pretty big. Especially nowadays. Learn WordPress & change your life 😄

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

WordPress developers can also have a $100k+ salary. That usually requires advanced knowledge of PHP and JavaScript.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

@natmiletic

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

Start a blog if you don't have one. Write about everything you've recently learned or done. This will be a great resume when applying to jobs or projects. I can't stress enough how big of a dealing sharing your knowledge is a big lead generator.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

Want to learn #WordPress development? - AJAX - Custom Theme - Custom Plugin - #WooCommerce & ACF I decided to offer my course for FREE to everyone. Not 5.x, but with these skills, you could start charging $50-60/hour or more.

Become a WordPress Developer

Learn how to develop WordPress themes & plugins in real world scenarios.

practicalwp.teachable.com

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

For juniors: Create a GitHub account. For each tutorial/course you go through, create a repository (or fork it) and work on it. Apply the knowledge there, right away. I would rather hire someone who has done that than someone without such account. It shows commitment.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

When starting out, it's ok to work on something for free to gain knowledge. But don't make it a habit. Once you've done a few, start charging (even $4/hr). If you don't trust yourself, start with $15/hr.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

WordPress will pay your bills while Laravel makes you a better developer.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

WordPress dev road-map: 🌱Junior - Child Theme (extend parent theme) - Theme dev - Customization with snippets 🌿 Mid-level - Custom Plugins - Extending popular plugins - Custom Tables 🌳 Senior - Laravel

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

9 months

It's official now. I became the owner of ZIP Recipes, a WordPress plugin for creating beautiful Recipes. It's been interesting moving everything and I've yet to do all, but website is migrated, new provider integrated and over 8000 users emailed 😱

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

10 months

@natmiletic Made it a bit better for those who can't read small numbers.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

It's not a shame if you don't know something. Own it. Tell that you aren't sure how to achieve X in the whole project. But the Y & Z, you'll deliver. Sometimes, you'll lose a project. But don't let clients lose trust in you.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

I turned 33 today 🎉 By this time I: - got married - earned 6-figures multiple times - bought a car - started to build a house - experienced financial freedom Here are 21 life/career lessons I got 👇

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

I learned jQuery before learning JavaScript.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

WordPress is the ultimate no-code tool.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Haven't felt like this for a long time. It's 3 a. m. & still have energy to work on my SaaS. Maybe it's the t-shirt from @acquiredotcom that gives me such power? 😂

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

Checked a domain. Damn it. It was available 2 days ago. Somebody bought it?! Checked my domains. Oh, it was me.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

The only no-code platform/tool where you own everything is WordPress.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

@natmiletic If you're a billionaire, you. If you're not, your friends, still. 😂

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

Use a buffer. Buffer is a 20-30% cost on top of your estimated cost. There will be always stuff that you or your client did not account for. @chrislema has a great guide on three point estimating

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Yesterday, my plugins brought in $200+. Wouldn't mind getting $200/day with my plugin business 😂

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

@TheJackForge The custom CMS: (does look like the admin area of my own first custom PHP+MySQL form to add posts)

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

WordPress can change your life. Last year I earned 14x the yearly salary I had when I started my career, 9 years ago. Yes, the whole freelancing part started because of WordPress.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

Learn to say No! Do you have doubts about being available for a project? Don't look at the revenue it might bring you. Look at your time. If it's a stretch, say no and let them know when you are available.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Being a WordPress developer means fixing other people's code.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

@TheJackForge Just learn WordPress. By that you learn: - PHP - SQL - JavaScript - React - fixing conflicts not caused by you

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

People like using Next.js because you use JavaScript on both backend and frontend. I like using jQuery & PHP together, because I see $ on both backend and frontend.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

You don't need a $4000 computer to start developing websites. I started on a $500 computer. I did not upgrade until I earned $500+ from web development.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

WooCommerce is installed on millions of sites. Some stores generate 5-6 figures/month of revenue. When working with such, you're most likely to customize checkout fields. Make sure to know everything you can when working with fields. Here is what I know about it 👇🧵

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Rate my setup

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Customizing WooCommerce Checkout is a skill worth thousands of dollars. Here is what you need to know to get started with it:👇

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Plugins for building simple WordPress sites using no-code: 1. Elementor 2. Yoast/Rank Math SEO 3. Wordfence 4. Fluent Forms 5. WP Rocket

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

I never thought I would be able to earn a passive income from my plugins. But, it happened. After shopping, on the way home, checking my phone, and seeing my plugin just earned me more than I spent on groceries. I want you to experience that!

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

I am embarrassed to say, but I didn't understand hooks at first. Started fully understanding hooks when I started working on my custom #WordPress plugins. I'll try to teach you everything about them in this thread. 👇 💻

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

8 months

Almost $600 in net revenue in January with my WordPress plugins. +23% than in January 2023. Not bad for the 1st month.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Really fast site on Elementor (WordPress): 1. Build pages with Elementor 2. Install Simply Static 3. Generate the Static Site 4. Download the ZIP and upload it where you want OR 4.1. Buy Simple Static Pro & deploy it to GitHub Pages/AWS with a click

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Want productivity? Get a MacBook or iMac. The amount of video games you can't play is massive.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

I might have saved me a few thousands euros today for the house. A builder needs a website. So I'll take care of it in exchange for some work on the house. This @acquiredotcom t-shirt gives me sales skills as well apparently 🤣

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Some clients will go silent when you give them an estimate. Don't wait on them for too long.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

11 months

@chris__sev

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

My eBooks brought more revenue than my course. Specifically my eBook "WooCommerce for developers". Niche ebook > WP development course (covering a lot of topics). Consider making shorter educational products. People like to progress sooner.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

Want to be a WordPress freelancer? You'll need to leverage every possible option you have. I've tried several and that helped me get to 5-figure/month freelancing. Here is what I've tried (or using) 👇

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

7 months

@natmiletic For all people thinking about real farm work (cows, horses), Nat thinks about a sheep farm where dogs do the work and you sleep for a few hours while they eat. Yes, you still have to bring water twice per day and check on them during storms.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

Easiest & fastest way to earn $100k/year as a developer is getting a $100k/year job.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

WordPress developer working with PHP? Give yourself a favor and learn to write raw basic MySQL queries. It will help you think further when scoping a project.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Did you know WordPress has a built-in Settings API to create options and fields? Learn how to create or extend settings pages:

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

So, you've done several projects, have a few years of experience. Want to define your hourly rate? Imagine working overtime or a client calls you for an emergency. You'll never be happy when that happens, but for what hourly rate you won't hate yourself.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Almost got a $150k WordPress project with a partner. At the meeting, they lowered their budget below $100k so the partner dropped it. When a client makes such sudden decisions, it might not be worth running after them, even if the $$$ looks like a dream.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

HTML + CSS = 💵 JS + PHP (+ DB) = 💵💵 WordPress / Laravel = 💰

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

I tried Upwork (Elance before) and didn't get a client/project for 2 years 😱 I changed my approach after reading guides and got a few projects within a short period of time. Here is how I approached projects on Upwork (or similar platforms) and got hired on them. 🧵👇

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

I scratched my own itch by creating a product (WordPress plugin). By doing that, I created an $8k/year product. Here is what I learned and did: 👇

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

jQuery is still a great library.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

11 months

@TheJackForge Not only UK. I mean, even in US/CA you'll find dev jobs with less than 6-fig. Europe will be less ofc, but this base salary might be the net salary, after taxes.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

WordPress Plugins can be as simple as possible and as complex as possible. If you have a SaaS, you might want to have a WordPress plugin for users to easily connect with your SaaS. Here are some basic tips when creating a Plugin:

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

If you're considering learning WordPress development, do yourself a favor and learn how actions & filters work. It's guaranteed you'll work with them.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

Who else is a "self-taught" developer? I did have one semester related to CS in my maritime college, but just basic if/else stuff. Had to learn everything by myself (reading or watching tutorials).

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

@natmiletic Clients with a budget of $450K for a website, don't care about WordPress. With such a budget, WordPress is only the CMS for the site. They care about ROI. If they presented the solution as something that has some evidence that it could 2-3x the investment, it's possible :D

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

It's just a tool, but WordPress can change your life for you. For real.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

10 years after trying it, WordPress is still relevant for making decent money. Grateful that I liked WordPress much more than Joomla and stuck with it to learn to develop with it.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

WordPress made a lot of PHP developers.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

@luciantartea For those thinking how: - tutorials - courses - selling templates - mentoring

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Today, I cowboy-coded and fixed a bug. 1. Didn't have the site setup locally 2. It was urgent 3. Had SFTP credentials 4. Knew I can revert it back in SFTP if a fatal error occurs 5. I am a señor WordPress developer Don't follow this advice.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

My first advice to any developer starting out: Create a Blog and write what you've learned and/or coded. In a year, you'll have content stronger than a CV.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

11 months

WordPress development can be learned by doing side projects. It's the best way to learn/improve various skills. Here is what you can learn from developing a Contact Form:

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Removed 4 domains from renewals. Realized I'll never actually work on it. $40+ saved 😅

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

WordPress developers, you can earn 4-5 figures/month. When I talk about 4-figures, I think about $4000+. When I talk about 5-figures, it's $10k+ (once I find a secret for $40k, I'll let you know 😂). Interested? Check: - My free course - @natmiletic courses (1 giveaway) 👇

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Want to develop with WordPress and have the skills to charge $50+/hour? I've made my course free. You'll learn: - Plugin development (PHP, JavaScript, AJAX) - Theme development (the old way) - Extending WooCommerce - Using ACF - @freemius integration

Become a WordPress Developer

Learn how to develop WordPress themes & plugins in real world scenarios.

practicalwp.teachable.com

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

It's easier to sell a $2k website dev/design than a $99/year plan.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

WordPress has 2 kinds of professionals: - Developers - those that use code to achieve a functionality - Builders - those that use no-code to achieve a functionality Both ways are great ways to help your clients! And in most cases, it's a combo of both.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

Is $20/month worth it for ChatGPT & how do you use it to make it worth it?

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

7 months

If you're a WordPress developer, do yourself a favor and learn how to write custom WP CLI commands.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

5 months

WordPress will make you a Laravel developer and/or a React developer.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Freelancing is about meeting deadlines, not working 8 hours every day.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

"JavaScript is all you can read about nowadays" PHP: Is it?

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

10 months

Passed 6.5k followers. For me, that's amazing! At the beginning of 2022, I had barely 1k. Decided to start sharing more WordPress and freelancing tips, followed @arvidkahl 's advice and here I am, really close to 10k. Thank you to everyone who decided to read my content!

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

@tunguz "That shouldn't take too much"

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

You might rest on the weekend. But, will you? 😅

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

1 year

@natmiletic Improved the UX by a bit: You get to see the Country by the international country code Let me know where to send the invoice.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

How to learn WordPress development: 1. Download an HTML template 2. Convert the layout into a theme 3. Convert features into plugins 4. Use actions/filters or shortcodes to add data from plugins to the theme

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

My 9-year web dev path: - C#, .Net. $9k/year - Product Design (HTML, CSS), WordPress $15k/year - Product Design, advanced WooCommerce $30k/year - Product Design, complex WP & WooCommerce $60k/year - Product Design, WP, WC, Laravel $100k+/year Inspired by @SimonHoiberg

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

3 years

Developing using WordPress? Learn WooCommerce development! Thank me in a year 😅

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

11 months

WordPress is: - a no-code tool - a web app framework It might not be the perfect choice for everything, but it can get you up and running in no time.

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Igor Benić

@igorbenic

2 years

Shaming developers because they use WordPress, is like shaming a great construction worker because they use a hammer from a different brand.

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