Congratulations to TrueThemes, the most recent group to achieve Power Elite standing by promoting an unimaginable a million value of things. Since April 2009 they've amassed over 34,000 gross sales and 1,194 followers whereas touring the world, working in espresso outlets, and focussing on high quality quite than amount. Properly accomplished!
Completely happy TrueThemes Day!
We requested the person behind TrueThemes a number of questions concerning the journey to the $1,000,000 milestone. Learn on to learn the way he realized that one man wasn’t sufficient, the way to work successfully with out a “correct” workplace, and the way it feels to achieve 1,000,000 value of gross sales!
Are you able to inform us just a little bit about your self and the way you bought right here?
Positive factor. My identify is Sean Corey. I’m a 28-year-old (American) net designer presently residing in Thailand.
My profession as an internet designer began in 2003 as a scholar on the Artwork Institute of Philadelphia. I studied for 4 years, and graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor’s diploma in Multimedia and Internet Design.
Throughout my time at college I labored on a handful of freelance initiatives, and labored a six-month internship at a boutique design company. After commencement I landed a job at a Advertising and Promoting agency, the place I spent the following 4 years as their lead front-end developer and UI designer.
I found ThemeForest throughout my time working on the company. I’d by no means used WordPress at the moment, and actually wished to offer it a go. So I placed on my large boy pants, acquired elbow deep in code, submitted the (now retired) Sansation theme, and that’s the place this superb journey started.
I began off on ThemeForest as a one-man-band (FiveSquared). After about six months on the Market I found how a lot I really loved being a part of this neighborhood, and determined to make it my full-time profession.
I left the safety of my company job, and took the plunge into turning into a full-time ThemeForest creator. I launched our super-awesome Karma WordPress Theme and my ThemeForest profession took an enormous flip for the higher. Gross sales began pouring in, help tickets had been racking up, and I abruptly realized I might not do that alone. That is the place TrueThemes was born.
TrueThemes is a three-man group comprised of myself, Miguel Gomes, and Denzel Chia. Miguel is our help supervisor, and is an absolute rock star at conserving our day-to-day enterprise working easily and effectively. He’s fast on his toes, tremendous good, and leaves our prospects feeling all heat and fuzzy inside.
Denzel is our lead back-end developer and is absolutely the muscle on our group. He thinks in zeroes and ones, and may program practically every thing my loopy mind can throw at him.
I’m presently the jack-of-all group member, and do some little bit of every thing throughout the firm – UI designer, front-end programming, product advertising and marketing, and the oh-so-lovely enterprise and accounting aspect.
How does it really feel to have offered over $1,000,000 of things?
It feels completely superb. It was solely 4 brief years in the past that I wrote my first ever line of WordPress code. By no means did I think about that I’d be sitting right here at present writing about reaching the Highwp Energy Elite milestone. The cash itself is actually only a quantity to me, however the journey it took to get right here has been a really superb experience.
It implies that my payments will receives a commission and there'll nonetheless be meals on the desk. Lol. No, however actually, this milestone actually confirms to me that I’m on the fitting path in my skilled profession and that my superb group members are absolutely the proper males for the job.
What number of hours do you spend on designs for the Highwp market?
Hmm… robust query. The preliminary construct of our Karma WordPress Theme took roughly six months from idea to completion. I used to be solely a one-man present on the time, and was nonetheless studying the WordPress ropes, so this had a for much longer completion time.
Our focus nowadays is product enchancment and buyer satisfaction, so we don’t spend a lot time growing utterly new merchandise. Our enterprise mannequin could be very a lot structured round high quality over amount. With all of that being stated, “Excellence takes time.”
Really every certainly one of our merchandise has been rejected on the primary cross. Largely small tweaks had been wanted, however we took issues in stride and made the changes to obtain approval. We’ve gained invaluable perception having our merchandise reviewed by a very neutral third celebration, and the approval course of is one thing that we've got been actually grateful for.
What phrases of encouragement do you need to any budding authors who wish to make Energy Elite stage?
Don’t examine your starting to another person’s center.
Lots of the prime ThemeForest authors have years of business expertise being elbow deep in code, working face-to-face with shoppers, and studying from our previous errors.
Maintain placing one foot in entrance of the opposite and all the time do your greatest – you'll completely make it wherever you wish to go.
Imagine in your self. You are able to do it! 
What's your workplace house like?
Ah, the million greenback query (no pun meant). Today my workplace house typically comes with a beautiful barista serving up scrumptious caffeinated drinks, and my trusty MiFi gadget.
Espresso outlets are actually certainly one of my favourite locations to work. Simply me, my MacBook Professional and a trusty pair of headphones, and I’m off and working. Mix that with the seemingly limitless move of caffeine and the by no means ending people-watching materials, and it’s an surroundings the place I really thrive.
Again within the States I even have a ‘correct workplace’ which has a super-comfy workplace chair, 27″ Apple show, and a killer encompass sound setup.
Inside design is my favourite place to search out inspiration. There’s one thing about good inside design, with its highly effective mixture of colours, textures and patterns, that actually will get my design juices flowing.
What's the smartest thing about your job?
Right here’s a phrase from the entire group…
Miguel: One of the best factor about my job is the satisfaction we obtain from serving to our prospects obtain the utmost potential with our themes or any of our merchandise.
Denzel: One of the best factor about my job is that I can do what I like within the consolation of my house workplace, and on the identical time earn cash with out lacking out on watching my youngsters develop!
Sean: One of the best factor about my job is getting paid to do one thing that I completely love. I like the pliability and distant nature of the online design business. Being ‘wi-fi’ affords me the chance to collaborate with among the most superb expertise situated all throughout the globe.
In the event you might select any house on this planet and create a design for it, the place wouldn't it be and what would you make?
Branding and company identification have all the time fascinated me, however my profession solely provided me the chance to dabble little or no on this space. I might like to work alongside a branding/brand guru to develop an entire company identification bundle for a corporation.
How do you retain motivated and impressed?
Steadiness.
My early profession consisted of a each day overkill of energetic work hours adopted by my ‘down time’ of studying articles, following tutorials and furthering my coding and design abilities. After a number of years I used to be utterly burnt out.
Today I take a way more balanced method by together with a wide range of non-technical actions in my life. My favourite hobbies away from my pc display are drawing, yoga, browsing and swimming. It’s throughout these occasions away from the pc that I recharge my motivation and acquire new insights and concepts about no matter I’m engaged on in the meanwhile.
What's the hardest factor about your job?
Unplugging.
The stability I simply spoke about is really one of many hardest issues about my job. I like what I do, I can do it from wherever, and there’s no such factor as ‘regular enterprise hours’. This trifecta of awesomeness makes it very difficult to unplug, step away from the pc and actually get pleasure from all the wonder that this world has to supply.
Is there anything you want to add or say?
Thanks.
Thanks to each single certainly one of our prospects. It’s solely by your help that we’re capable of proceed on this superb journey. You completely rock!
Thanks Collis. Thanks Cyan. And thanks to the whole Highwp group.
Your imaginative and prescient, laborious work and persistence has made the Highwp Marketplaces what they're at present and also you guys have actually modified the whole panorama of my life. You guys are an enormous blessing in my life, and I really thanks for all that you simply do.
Keep true.
