January 4, 2019 — The freelance world can be an exciting life of waking up unemployed every morning, having a different view every week, and finding interesting clients.

When freedom is important, WordPress can allow you to live the life of your dreams with some of the best clients in the world. We will talk about the ups and downs of life on the road, finding clients, mixing fun, travel and code, how we get paid on the road, how we stay connected to the internet, and much more.

January 4, 2019 — Do you struggle writing project proposals to clients? Not sure what to include? Your proposal should set you apart from the rest of the herd while providing the client with all the pertinent details of the project. It should outline discovery though solution while protecting you against scope creep, abandoned projects, countless revisions, etc.

I’ll walk you through the templates and tools I use to quickly write custom proposals that win me projects time and again.

January 3, 2019 — Project communications are tricky. That’s the bad news. The good news is you don’t have to figure it all out from scratch. I’ll share templates, email examples, and communication cheatsheets that’ll help you run your next project with confidence. All you have to do is listen.

Warning: May improve project outcomes.

January 3, 2019 — Choosing a Project Management system can be an overwhelming and daunting task. As a project manager, I get asked frequently which project management software they should use for their company, or even which system is my favorite.

This talk will discuss why I chose different setups for different companies I have worked with over the years, and the pros and cons to each.

January 3, 2019 — Some day you may need to make the decision to leave full-time work. Maybe it’s because of a chronic illness, or maybe you have become the caretaker for a family member. Whatever the situation, there are things to consider before — and after — turning in your resignation.

Two years ago, Kerry Putman stopped working full time as a web developer due to health issues. It was a huge change that she was not wholly prepared for. In this talk, Kerry will offer practical advice and self-care tips for dealing with the transformation from full-time employee to freelancer.

January 3, 2019 — Starting a business and running it profitably is a huge challenge. This panel features four of our business track speakers and will tap into their experience to tackle hard issues. Come prepared to ask your questions!

January 3, 2019 — If the fear of public speaking is greater than the fear of dying, the fear of asking for the sale cannot be far behind. Many business owners languish in low volume when, with a little bit of knowledge and practice, they can be kicking their sales into overdrive. We will cover classic sales techniques and update them for the digital age. We will also dig into the psychology that not only keeps some of us under-pricing but keeps us from closing the deal, at all. You don’t have to be cheesy, sleazy, or greasy to be a great salesperson. You will learn to sell with style and walk away with increased confidence to go out and make more money.

January 3, 2019 — I’ll be explaining what multisite is, why or why not to use it and why multitenancy is recommended when trying to set up verticals.

January 3, 2019 — I’ve been a internet marketing consultant for several years. Three on my own. Five within agencies before that. While working at an agency, I was the go-to manager for difficult clients. Over that time I’ve learned the most important thing clients need to hear: “No.” I’d like to share with fellow WordPress designers/developers why clients need to hear them say, “no”. I’ll explain how saying, “no” not only helps the client, but helps you provide greater value to them. I’ll also talk about strategies on how to say, “no” without coming across as an arrogant jerk.

January 3, 2019 — The new visual editor sure does inspire consternation in the WordPress community.

As with any disruption, there will be winners and losers in professional world – but what about the end-user? Can the new editor make life easier for them? And for professionals, how will Gutenberg change theme development? What about page-builders – things of the past?

Instead of focusing on launch and transition issues, I’ll describe how we think the fundamentals of the WordPress experience will change (for the better) for both the end-user AND the professional.