Blair Williams is a Software Developer and Online Entrepreneur. Blair has been developing websites, web-apps, and plugins for almost 20 years. Some of his past clients have included Raytheon, AMC, and FranklinCovey. For the last ten years, Blair has been focused on developing software and businesses around WordPress. He’s the creator of several popular plugins for WordPress including MemberPress, Pretty Link & Affiliate Royale and currently runs a full-time business that supports them.
We’re thrilled to have Blair onboard as a speaker at WordCamp Sacramento 2018 asked a few questions to help you get to know more about him. Check out our mini interview with Blair below:
What is the topic of your WordCamp talk?
So You Want To Create A Membership Site
Why do you think this is important?
Membership sites are a great way to make money online. You can create a membership site that teaches people a skill you have or build a community. If you’re interested in building a membership site business then this is one session you shouldn’t miss!
What’s your WordPress origin story?
I started using WordPress in 2008 (I don’t really remember where I heard about it) as a way to speed up the development of custom websites for clients. In 2009 I released my first plugin, Pretty Links (the free version in February and then the Pro version in July) to solve the issue I was having of tracking links.
I was still freelancing at the time and had built custom membership sites for several clients but started looking at WordPress plugins to accelerate that process as well. While most of the plugins at the time worked for some people… they didn’t work for my needs. These plugins didn’t protect content fully and several encrypted their code so extending their functionality was difficult if not impossible.
That’s when I decided to write MemberPress. I launched MemberPress in 2013 — now it’s supported by me and an awesome team of developers — it’s been helping people make a living from membership sites ever since.
How has WordPress impacted your world?
WordPress has enabled me to create websites quickly and to deliver products to a large audience of people to help them make a living online. WordPress has been a fantastic platform for us to utilize for our applications and has enabled me and my team to make a living selling our plugins online.
You can connect with Blair further at:
@memberpress | @blairwilli | Facebook
Get Your Ticket ASAP!
WordCamp Sacramento 2018 sold out in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and we do expect it to sell out again. Be sure to get your WordCamp Tickets asap to secure you spot at this awesome event! Tickets are only $40 (thanks to our generous sponsors) and include:
- Two full days of Beginner Tracks, walking new users through how to use WordPress.
- Two mixed tracks of sessions on Saturday.
- Two mixed tracks of sessions on Sunday.
- A Happiness Bar — our version of a help desk, open throughout the event so you can get help with your site and get your questions answered.
- An opportunity to network with and meet sponsors, speakers, and other WordPress community members, including business owners, designers, developers, agency owners, bloggers, copywriters, freelancers, site owners, and more.
- Refreshing drinks throughout the entire event.
- A WordCamp Sacramento 2018 t-shirt.
- A catered lunch on Saturday.
- A networking reception Saturday immediately following the event.
- Snacks on Sunday.