{"id":51372,"date":"2022-04-11T15:11:02","date_gmt":"2022-04-11T12:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/?p=51372"},"modified":"2022-04-15T12:55:24","modified_gmt":"2022-04-15T09:55:24","slug":"vova-feldman-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/vova-feldman-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Vova Feldman Interview – “If an Influencer Promotes Your Product, There\u2019s an Opportunity to Make a Lot of Money Quickly”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hello again and welcome to another Themeisle interview! This month, our special guest is Vova Feldman – the CEO and founder of Freemius<\/strong>. We talked about efficient marketing techniques for a new business, WordPress, productivity, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you missed last month’s interview with Tom Zsomborgi from Kinsta, you can read it here<\/a>. Also, if you’re interested in learning more about various topics and jobs that involve the web, you can check our full collection of interviews<\/a> with experts from the WordPress community and beyond.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\"Vova<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Vova Feldman<\/a> is an entrepreneur who loves his job so much that he never feels like he’s working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While most teenagers don’t have the slightest idea about their future careers, Vova was already committed to making a living as a professional web developer at the age of 14. Around the same time, he also flirted with the entrepreneurship world by co-starting his first company. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Fast-forward, after many experiences of founding several businesses ever since, he’s brought together a cool team and community to form Freemius<\/a> – the company that makes selling premium WordPress plugins and themes hassle-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a WordPress product that you want to bring to market, but you’re not particularly crazy about putting together your own checkout, licensing mechanism, payment processing, automatic updates, EU VAT handling, and other headache-inducing things, then Freemius might be for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s hear it from Vova himself! <\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t

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\n\t\t \t\tVova Feldman (@vovafeldman) interview with @Themeisle - on #WordPress and #marketing<\/a>\n\t\t \t<\/div>\n\t\t \t
\n\t\t \tClick To Tweet \n\t\t \t\t<\/span>\n\t\t \t<\/a>\n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n
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Vova Feldman Interview – “If an Influencer Promotes Your Product, There\u2019s an Opportunity to Make a Lot of Money Quickly”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When and how did you start working with WordPress? Is there an interesting story here?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vova Feldman:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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My WordPress origin story begins in 2010. Around then I was doing things related to Computer Vision, which is a field of AI focused on how computers can attain high-level understanding from digital images or videos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stuff is really interesting to me and I wanted to share my learnings with others and get their feedback. I wasn\u2019t aware of WordPress or any other similar platforms back then, but I did know that my blog needed a mechanism to kickstart the feedback loop. Because it takes time to build traffic and all of that, my first thought was to find a rating solution that let people cast their votes with a click. When I couldn\u2019t find one, I did what most devs would do: I built it myself. The result is a service called Rating-Widget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2011, my previous business partner and I were accepted into a startup accelerator program called TechStars, and Rating-Widget was basically shelved. Even so, I still received support and feature requests for it, with many of them asking how they could add the service to their WordPress website. To make it easier, I eventually decided to wrap it into a plugin and put it on the WordPress.org repo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those were the initial steps \u2014 but I still wasn\u2019t directly involved in WordPress until three, maybe four years later. After leaving the company and starting to look for my next opportunity, I discovered that Rating-Widget had a lot of users. This was reason enough to develop it into a commercial solution with subscriptions with two of my former colleagues. You could say that while the plugin was in active development for another year or so, I wasn\u2019t actively involved in the WordPress ecosystem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over that period, the core Rating-Widget product didn\u2019t change much \u2014 the regular story, right? So most of our time was spent on commercialization and eCommerce. This is when I said to myself: \u2018You know, there are tons of product makers out there building their side projects, their development projects, but most of them can\u2019t leave their day jobs to grow a business out of these passion projects\u2019. <\/em>With Rating-Widget, my teammates and I had learned so much from a commercial perspective, and this knowledge\/experience along with our background in SaaS startups put us in a good position to create a solution that could drastically reduce the go-to-market time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developers in the WordPress space were now our target audience, so it became really important for me to be more active in the community. I wanted to see what was happening in the business ecosystem, meet the makers and shakers, and hear about their experiences firsthand. I started attending conferences<\/a> and being more active on online forums, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These choices would eventually lead to Freemius, but I\u2019d say that it was during this initial research phase that I officially invested in WordPress on a professional level.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What’s your technique for staying productive throughout the day?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vova Feldman:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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When I wake up, I don\u2019t open my phone and all notifications are turned off to avoid external distractions. After some light exercise, I plan my day based on rollover tasks and stuff that\u2019s already on the roadmap. Only after this is done do I check my notifications to see if there are surprises that need to be dealt with. If something\u2019s urgent and can\u2019t be pushed out a day or so, I slot it in and allocate a specific time to action it. The key here is to be proactive instead of reactive, to control my schedule rather than giving others control over it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to have a strong mission behind everything you do and to see the \u2018north star\u2019 of where you\u2019re headed. This is why controlling your schedule is so important. It gives you the ongoing satisfaction of achieving stuff, which builds momentum and keeps you moving forward. It\u2019s a kind of energy that feeds off of productivity and sustains itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Positivity is also a big deal to me and I use a simple methodology to rewire my brain in the morning and evening. I discovered it through Tim Ferriss, who is an entrepreneurial lifestyle guru of sorts. The app is called the 5 Minute Journal<\/a> and it helps you to appreciate your life and what you\u2019ve achieved instead of beating yourself up over things that you didn\u2019t finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reframing your life through a positive lens is especially important for high achievers like entrepreneurs and business owners, who are always looking ahead to see what the next big thing is. We have so much to achieve, so many milestones to reach, and it can be difficult to appreciate the smaller things that eventually get you there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At work, I optimize my day by minimizing distractions. I don\u2019t have an email tab open, and unless something is critically urgent, I postpone it until there\u2019s an opening in my calendar. Some things solve themselves, so don\u2019t feel bad about pushing those tasks out by three, even four days. Obviously, there will be urgent tasks that you can\u2019t ignore: \u2018How much can I realistically take on every day without it affecting higher priorities and the \u2018bigger picture\u2019?\u2019<\/em> That\u2019s the question you need to answer before incorporating critical task time into your calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another productivity technique I use is to avoid reacting when emotions are running high. Let\u2019s say a customer talks sh*t about you online. It\u2019s so easy to type out an accusatory\/defensive response in return, isn’t it? But you\u2019re being reactive and driven by (negative) emotion \u2014 you\u2019re unintentionally breaking the pattern of being organized and following your schedule. Take a step back, evaluate the situation calmly, and determine whether the issue is important enough to shift your own tasks for the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you like to dive deeper, I’ve recently written an in-depth article covering all the productivity practices I utilize every day. You can check it out here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How do you define “being successful”?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vova Feldman:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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For me, success is meeting your goals. In life, in business, in everything you aspire to do. Of course, you won\u2019t always meet them, but it\u2019s the intent to be aspirational about your life that\u2019s so integral to personal growth. Success in life looks different to everyone, but for me, it\u2019s setting up your goals and meeting them while acquiring new skills and resharpening existing ones.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What does “a good day at work” mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vova Feldman:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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This is related to the last answer. A good day for me is when I manage to complete everything I\u2019ve planned for that particular day. I\u2019ll add to that by saying an extra good day comes with the addition of getting positive reinforcement or feedback from whoever you serve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the context of Freemius, this would be something that reinforces our mission. For example, receiving a note from a developer to let us know they\u2019ve managed to quit their job and start a plugin business with our help. Those extra good days tell me the company is moving in the right direction and that I\u2019m managing my time effectively.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Describe the WordPress community in one word.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vova Feldman:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Empowering.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What’s the no. 1 thing a new business entering the WordPress space should do?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vova Feldman:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Market research. And I\u2019d like to expand on that because it\u2019s quite a broad term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First off, you need to know your audience. If you don\u2019t know who you\u2019re serving, that\u2019s a problem, and this relates to any business sector. For WP specifically, who influences your target audience? Who do they listen to and respect? Where do they hang out? Getting an understanding of the dynamics at play in the ecosystem is critical when you\u2019re new to the space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next is to understand your numbers. During my time at Freemius, I\u2019ve had conversations with developers whose aspirations for their businesses are bigger than what can be achieved. There needs to be a realistic convergence of numbers and dreams, you know? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What type of company do you want to create? How big do you aspire to be? Is the audience large enough and are they willing to pay the money you\u2019d need to achieve\/sustain your growth? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on those answers, you can determine whether it\u2019s reasonable or unreasonable. But you have to be honest with yourself \u2014 you can\u2019t aspire to build a $10 million business if you plan to sell a plugin for $50 and there are only 5,000 potential customers for it. And look, I\u2019m totally okay with getting involved with smaller businesses, but the math has to work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What’s your favorite\/must-have WordPress plugin and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vova Feldman:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Damn, you can\u2019t ask that \ud83d\ude05 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, there are too many to mention and it would be unfair to single out a specific one. But I will say it\u2019s kind of like a 3D moving puzzle, right? Remove a single piece or mechanism and there\u2019s a very good chance the puzzle will be worse off because of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, if you don\u2019t have a good security plugin your site\u2019s in danger of being hacked. No backup plugin? Goodbye data. And accessibility? Page builder plugins are changing the game and bringing in more people to the community (many of whom can\u2019t code). That\u2019s a great thing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What do you think is the most efficient way to market a product at this moment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vova Feldman:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Influencer marketing is a big one. We\u2019re in a place now where some WordPress influencers have 100, 200, or even 300K subscribers on YouTube, and they\u2019re able to wield this power by targeting specific buyers and users. If you can collaborate with one of them for product promotion, it can have a major impact on your reach, influence, and bottom line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I haven\u2019t experienced this type of partnership myself, but I\u2019ve known people who have done it through Freemius and I\u2019ve seen firsthand how it can boost your revenue. If an influencer promotes your product strongly, there\u2019s an opportunity to make a lot of money fairly quickly. Guys like Paul Charlton and Adam Preiser come to mind. They have a lot of authority\/credibility in the space and I\u2019ve seen the results that partnering with them can yield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you know, I\u2019m still a strong believer in content marketing. By that, I mean providing real, actionable value that\u2019s relevant to your target audience. Admittedly, it\u2019s much harder to pull off these days. In the past, you could build a list of subscribers \u2014 a community \u2014 around your content fairly easily (if your content was valuable). Now, there is tons of content available online, covering almost anything you can imagine. We were lucky at Freemius in that no one was focused on the business side of selling plugins and themes, so it was easier to cater to a niche and grow a community through our blog<\/a> and YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still believe it\u2019s a good strategy, but it\u2019s a long-term commitment that will only bear fruit in a few months, or more likely a year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is driving you to keep doing what you\u2019re doing? What\u2019s your personal mission?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vova Feldman:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019m really excited about Freemius and our mission. I\u2019ve had to transition from being a developer\/engineer into being a business owner. It\u2019s a shift that many solopreneurs are going through now, or will go through in the future. I don\u2019t develop as much anymore but I\u2019ve still got those experiences and learnings, plus insights into the business side of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It gives me a deep sense of satisfaction to know that Freemius is sharing our \u2018playbook\u2019 with developers so that they can expedite their own successful journeys in WordPress. I guess it\u2019s human nature and not unique to me, but it\u2019s really fulfilling to know that I\u2019m helping others achieve their goals in life. It\u2019s a win-win that keeps me going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a personal level, I\u2019m trying to get better all the time, personally and professionally \u2014 I\u2019m trying to build a better version of Vova every day. It\u2019s interesting to be able to track that progress and see my growth, to know that I\u2019m moving forward in my life positively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I had to summarize, my mission is to be healthy and happy while helping others achieve the same.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

That sums up our Vova Feldman interview. If you enjoyed it and want to learn more, please leave your comments in the section below. Also, if you have any ideas for who we should talk to next, feel free to share your suggestions with us!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t

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\n\t\t \t\tVova Feldman (@vovafeldman) interview with @Themeisle - on #WordPress and #marketing<\/a>\n\t\t \t<\/div>\n\t\t \t
\n\t\t \tClick To Tweet \n\t\t \t\t<\/span>\n\t\t \t<\/a>\n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n