The
WebsitePlanet team reached out to Brad Williams (Co-Founder and CEO, WebDevStudios) to find out more about how he built a website agency.
What was the inspiration behind WebDevStudios?
I first started learning HTML in the mid-1990s, and my passion grew from there. I knew that I would be working on the internet the rest of my life.
Eventually, I was exposed to WordPress in 2006 while attending a Search Engine Strategies event in Chicago. Everyone I met had a blog, but I didn’t. So that night in my hotel room, I downloaded WordPress and launched my first blog.
Because I’m a developer, I couldn’t help but examine the codebase behind WordPress and my proficiency in WordPress development evolved as a result. I launched a few websites for friends, and that’s when I knew I could build a website agency around these services.
Along with my co-founder and COO, Lisa Sabin-Wilson, we established WebDevStudios to help enterprise-level corporations and other organizations increase their online visibility and meet their digital strategy goals.
What has been the biggest challenge for you as Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of WebDevStudio?
Immediately, the biggest challenge I faced was leaving the comfort of a stable job with an employer and taking a risk by starting my own company. It took a lot of hard work and a huge investment of time to get to where we are today, but it has been very rewarding.
What are you most proud of regarding WebDevStudios?
There are quite a few things I’m proud of when it comes to our web agency. First, there’s our team. The team at WebDevStudios is made up of top technologists, strategists, and project managers. They’re passionate, dedicated, and service-oriented. Plus, they always strive to learn more about our industry, and it’s incredible to watch their talents grow and evolve.
I’m also very proud of our client base. From NBA, to Microsoft, to Campbells, we work with impressive clients who have amazing brand stories to share. It’s an honor to build the platforms they use to achieve that.
I’m also proud of the books both Lisa and I have written about WordPress, and our website agency’s involvement in the WordPress community. We actively give back to WordPress, and our team members are often speaking at or organizing WordCamps.
Why should customers choose WebDevStudios?
Clients should choose WebDevStudios as their website agency of choice because we remove the worry from complex website projects. We do this by focusing on security, accessibility, and performance.
Every website project should be coded with security in mind. Making code as secure as possible from the start is how you ensure your site is safe from security threats.
Accessibility and performance are also imperative to the success of any website. Anyone and everyone should be able to access your website and enjoy a performant experience from any device they’re using, no matter their abilities, disabilities, or how heavy your traffic is. If your agency can’t promise you that, walk away and find one that can.
What do you see as the main advantages of open source software?
We love open-source software! It’s the key to democratizing website technology by keeping it flexible, agile, and low-cost.
Additionally, I appreciate the varied solutions that open-software offers developers and designers. There’s never just one way to solve a problem or customize a function. So, it really offers the opportunity to be creative, collaborate with others, and foster communities.
How does WebDevStudios give back?
At WebDevStudios, we definitely believe in giving back. First and foremost, we are committed to consistent participation in the WordPress initiative known as Five for the Future.
This effort calls for WordPress companies, such as our own, to donate 5% of company time to the WordPress core and community. WebDevStudios does this by dedicating the last Friday of every month to Five for the Future. That means that our team members come to work and focus on however they choose to contribute, and we pay them for it.
Second, every holiday season we host a charity fundraiser. Oftentimes we choose to divide into two teams and compete to see who can raise the most money for their selected charity. Sometimes, however, we choose one charity and raise funds together. We haven’t yet decided how we’re going to conduct it this year, but we know it’ll be fun and rewarding.
