Get Practical With WordPress Pro Matt Medeiros

We’re starting a series of interviews with WordPress professionals, exploring some of the practical tools they use every day. Today we’re talking with Matt Medeiros. Matt is the co-founder of the WordPress design and development agency Slocum Studio. He’s also the creator of two WordPress commercial product companies, Slocum Themes and Conductor Plugin. In addition, Matt hosts The Matt Report, a podcast that explores the world of digital agency and product businesses.

WordPress isn’t a piece of software, it’s a movement. – @mattmedeiros

We’re going to talk about the power of WordPress and some of Matt’s favorite tools:

Why do you love WordPress?

Where do I begin?! WordPress means so much to me because of the overwhelming impact it has had on me and others around me. As a tool, WordPress allows people to publish content and connect with the world like no other piece of software I’ve come across. Most importantly, it does this as your content, unfiltered and devoid of platforms seeking to monetize your hard work. As an open-source project, it lends us the opportunity to create a healthy business of products and services to a global audience. We’re able to offer professional services to universities and publishers that are otherwise locked into proprietary systems or seek to be more agile with their web properties. Because of its large install base, we’re able to carve out our own market of digital products in the form of themes and plugins. All of this filters down to the most important aspect of WordPress, the community. The connections and relationships I’ve made from being involved in the community are invaluable. This isn’t a piece of software, it’s a movement.

What are your favorite business tools?

Here’s the list that we use in our business:

• Slack
• Freshdesk
• Freshbooks
• Asana
• Pipedrive
• Wunderlist
• Mailchimp
• Drip
• Crazy Egg
• RightSignature

What are your favorite industry tools?

I’m not really a designer or a developer, but when I’m working in those areas or creating some marketing material:

• Sublime Text
• PhpStorm (my developers use it)
• Pixelmator
• Canva
• Zoommy
• Desk.pm (writing for WordPress)

Check out more interviews with successful WordPress freelancers in our series First, Best & Wish You Knew