Built on Borrowed Ground: Lessons From Add-on Creators  ## Metadata - Author: [[YouTube]] - Full Title: Built on Borrowed Ground: Lessons From Add-on Creators - Category: #articles - Document Tags: [[partnerships]] [[product]] [[research]] - Summary: Built on Borrowed Ground: Lessons from Add-On Creators - URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10 ## Document Notes > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: [wordpress, addon-business, platform-risk] > author: WP Product Talk > source: YouTube > reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10 > date created: 2024-12-19 10:30 > > # 🏷️ Title: Built on Borrowed Ground: Lessons from Add-On Creators > <!-- deep-read:sections start --> ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Research platform stability and funding before building — evaluate team structure, roadmap, community vibe #research - [H2] Focus on customer needs you're personally experiencing — if it annoys you as a power user, others need it too #product-development - [H3] Build relationships with platform team — get access to roadmap, developer channels, early releases #partnerships ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) - [📚 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#️-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🛡️ DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### 🔗 References - [WP Product Talk Channel](https://www.youtube.com/@wpproducttalk) - [Freemius Growth Partner](https://freemius.com) ## 📝 Summary - What happened: Three WordPress product owners discussed strategies for building successful add-ons on top of other plugins - Why it matters: Building on platforms like WooCommerce, Gravity Forms, and Cadence can accelerate growth but introduces platform risk - Key stakeholders: Plugin developers, platform owners, WordPress ecosystem - Risks and tradeoffs: Platform dependency vs. faster market entry and built-in customer base - Bottom line: Success requires choosing stable platforms, building excellence, and maintaining good relationships ## 📖 Main Content The conversation explores the nuanced world of building WordPress products on top of other plugins. Melissa from StarCloud builds themes for Cadence, Zach from Gravity Kit creates add-ons for Gravity Forms, and Katie from Barn2 develops WooCommerce extensions. Each represents different approaches to platform partnership - from formal certified developer programs to independent development on massive platforms. The discussion reveals that success depends on careful platform selection, understanding customer willingness to pay, and building products that solve genuine problems the core platform doesn't address. ## 🗒️ Notes #### ⏱️ [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=0) — [H1] Introduction to Building on Borrowed Ground - Key idea: WordPress plugins often extend other plugins, creating multi-layered ecosystems - Evidence: Examples include WooCommerce, Gravity Forms, and Cadence extensions #### ⏱️ [02:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=150) — [H2] Melissa's Journey from Divi to Cadence - Key idea: First person to sell third-party Divi products, now building on Cadence - Evidence: "People were like, I can't believe you're selling something. Does Nick know about this?" #### ⏱️ [05:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=345) — [H3] The IKEA Analogy for Add-On Products - Key idea: Add-ons provide middle ground between custom development and basic tools - Evidence: "I could go and build a beautiful custom table... or I could try and get some wood and make it myself... or there's IKEA" #### ⏱️ [09:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=552) — [H1] Platform Selection Criteria - Key idea: Research funding, team structure, roadmap transparency, and community vibe - Evidence: "We interviewed... looked at their teams, how well funded they were, how they were structured, what their road maps were" #### ⏱️ [13:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=808) — [H2] Gravity Forms Certified Developer Program - Key idea: Formal partnership provides early access to code changes and promotional opportunities - Evidence: "We have access ahead of time before they release it to the public and make sure that our own plugins work" #### ⏱️ [18:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=1095) — [H3] WooCommerce: Building on a Giant Platform - Key idea: Large platforms provide built-in customer base but may lack partnership opportunities - Evidence: "WooCommerce one has had way way way more sales than the generic one... WooCommerce stores earn money" #### ⏱️ [22:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=1360) — [H1] Customer Base Willingness to Pay - Key idea: Platforms with paid users indicate customers willing to purchase add-ons - Evidence: "Gravity Forms... has always been a paid-only plugin... I knew it was proven that people... are willing to pay" #### ⏱️ [26:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=1615) — [H2] Balancing Free and Paid Platform Compatibility - Key idea: Building for free versions expands market but requires careful feature boundaries - Evidence: "All of the 20 odd themes... is completely compatible with free cadence" #### ⏱️ [31:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=1880) — [H3] Platform Leadership Changes Impact - Key idea: Founder departures can be opportunities for better structured partnerships - Evidence: "In the wake of his departure... we now have a new group and we have a monthly call" #### ⏱️ [35:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=2145) — [H1] Managing Platform Risk and Feature Conflicts - Key idea: Platforms adding features can threaten third-party developers but focus on basics - Evidence: "When they are adding features to core, those are meant to be basic features" #### ⏱️ [40:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=2410) — [H2] Competitive Advantage Through Excellence - Key idea: Threats are managed by superior execution, documentation, and customer care - Evidence: "We deal with threats by being excellent... We really really care" #### ⏱️ [44:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=2670) — [H3] Exit Strategy Considerations - Key idea: Acquisition opportunities extend beyond platform owners to adjacent businesses - Evidence: "If you're a robust successful business... why wouldn't they [other acquirers]?" #### ⏱️ [48:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=2895) — [H1] Future WordPress Predictions - Key idea: WordPress needs more intuitive, drag-and-drop interface to compete with Canva/Wix - Evidence: "There will be some sign solutions where on the front end it truly is drag and drop" #### ⏱️ [52:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFowIRaL-10&t=3120) — [H2] Best Practices for Add-On Success - Key idea: Research platform longevity, understand deal-breakers, target large enough markets - Evidence: "Do your research... know your deal breakers... make sure that there is that level of interest" ## 📚 References - [Barn2 Plugins](https://barn2.com) - [Gravity Kit](https://gravitykit.com) - [StarCloud](https://starcloud.com) - [Cadence Theme](https://kadencewp.com) - [Freemius](https://freemius.com) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - Building add-ons for other WordPress plugins can accelerate growth by leveraging existing customer bases and solving unmet needs - Success requires careful platform selection based on stability, developer friendliness, and customer willingness to pay - Platform risks exist but can be managed through excellence, strong relationships, and understanding core platform priorities ## 📰 Newsletter WordPress product builders, there's a growing opportunity in the add-on ecosystem! This week's WP Product Talk explores how developers like Melissa (StarCloud), Zach (Gravity Kit), and Katie (Barn2) built successful businesses on top of platforms like Cadence, Gravity Forms, and WooCommerce. Key insight: customers using paid WordPress plugins are proven buyers, making them ideal target markets for specialized add-ons. The "IKEA approach" - providing designed solutions that are easier than custom but more powerful than basic - resonates strongly with users. Before building, research your target platform's funding, roadmap transparency, and developer ecosystem. Look for platforms focused on core functionality that leave gaps you can fill, rather than those building comprehensive feature sets themselves. Resources: [Learn WordPress](https://learn.wordpress.org/), [Developer Docs](https://developer.wordpress.org/), [WP-CLI](https://wp-cli.org/) ## ✅ Action Items #### DevRel - Developer advocacy: create case studies of successful platform integrations, showcase developer partnership programs - Education: workshop on platform selection criteria, technical integration best practices - Developer experience: improve documentation for third-party developers, create integration templates - Developer marketing: highlight ecosystem success stories, promote certified developer programs - Community management: facilitate platform owner and add-on developer communication channels #### OSPO - Policy & Governance: establish guidelines for platform dependency risk assessment - License Compliance: review third-party platform license compatibility requirements - Security Management: assess supply chain risks from platform dependencies - Software Inventory: document platform dependencies and integration points - Developer Support: provide training on platform partnership negotiations - Community Engagement: support ecosystem development through platform relationships - Strategic Alignment: align platform choices with long-term business objectives #### Community - Maintainers: support development of platform integration standards and best practices - Contributors: encourage contribution to platforms your products depend on - Sponsors: consider sponsoring platforms critical to your ecosystem success - Ecosystem: facilitate collaboration between platform owners and third-party developers #### WordPress - Core: improve extensibility APIs to support rich third-party ecosystems - Core Performance: optimize plugin interaction patterns for multi-layered architectures - Core Program Team: coordinate platform partnership standards across teams - Community: support platform-specific developer communities and meetups - Training: create lesson plans on building sustainable platform partnerships - Documentation: document best practices for platform integration and partnership - Plugins: establish guidelines for platform compatibility and dependency management #### The WPCC - Programs: create fellowship opportunities for ecosystem integration projects - Projects: support governance frameworks for platform partnerships - Funding: provide grants for critical ecosystem integration improvements #### FAIR - Technical independence: assess platform dependency risks and mitigation strategies - Policies: establish transparency requirements for platform relationships - Governance artifacts: create templates for platform partnership agreements ## 🧪 Hypotheses - Platforms with paid user bases generate higher revenue opportunities for add-on developers than free-only platforms - Formal certified developer programs provide measurable business benefits beyond informal relationships - Platform leadership changes create opportunities for improved developer partnerships when managed proactively - Customer willingness to pay correlates more strongly with platform choice than market size alone ### 📊 Methodology - Comparative revenue analysis between paid vs free platform add-ons - Survey certified developers about program benefits and revenue attribution - Track partnership evolution during leadership transitions at major platforms - Analyze conversion rates and customer lifetime value across different platform ecosystems ### ❓ Questions - How do formal certified developer programs impact long-term business sustainability compared to independent development? - What percentage of platform feature additions actually threaten existing third-party solutions significantly? - How can add-on developers influence platform roadmaps without compromising their independence? ### 🔮 Future Research - Quantitative analysis of platform dependency risks across WordPress ecosystem - Best practices framework for platform partnership negotiations and management - Impact of AI tools on add-on development complexity and market dynamics ### 💡 Implications - Practice: Platform selection becomes critical strategic decision requiring thorough due diligence - Policy: Need for clearer guidelines on platform partnership risks and governance - Security: Platform dependencies create supply chain risks requiring assessment and monitoring - Education: Developers need training on partnership negotiation and platform relationship management - Funding: Investment decisions must factor platform dependency risks and partnership quality ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment Reading level estimate: Grade 12 #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: Screenshots of platforms, partnership structures described - Improve: Flow charts of platform selection criteria, ecosystem relationship diagrams #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: Full audio podcast discussion available - Improve: 5-minute audio summary of key platform selection criteria #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: Clear definitions of certified developer programs, platform terminology - Improve: Glossary of ecosystem terms, analogies for different partnership types #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: Real-world examples and case studies from active businesses - Improve: Checklist for platform evaluation, hands-on partnership assessment worksheet #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: Decision frameworks for platform selection, risk assessment criteria - Improve: Decision trees for platform choice, ROI calculation templates #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: Discussion format with multiple perspectives, community examples - Improve: Facilitated discussion guides for developer groups, peer review frameworks #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: Individual business owner experiences and strategies - Improve: Self-assessment tools for platform readiness, personal strategy worksheets #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: Ecosystem metaphors and organic business growth patterns - Improve: Platform lifecycle thinking, sustainable partnership principles ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: Clear heading structure, descriptive timestamps - Improve: Enhanced alt text for any visual elements, better landmark navigation #### Keyboard navigation - Present: Standard YouTube player controls accessible via keyboard - Improve: Custom transcript navigation, keyboard shortcuts for key topics #### Contrast and readability - Present: Standard video player interface meets basic contrast requirements - Improve: High-contrast transcript options, customizable text sizing #### Text resizing and reflow - Present: Video description and transcript reflow appropriately - Improve: Responsive transcript layout with zoom support up to 200% #### Media and captions - Present: Auto-generated captions available on YouTube - Improve: Professional captions with technical terminology, downloadable transcript #### Forms and interactions - Present: Basic YouTube interaction elements accessible - Improve: Accessible comment form enhancements, better error handling #### Standards reference - Video player meets WCAG 2.2 AA for media controls, transcript availability addresses success criteria ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: Global WordPress perspective, international business examples - Improve: Non-Western platform examples, diverse geographical case studies #### Inclusive language - Present: Gender-neutral business terms, defined technical jargon - Improve: Plain language alternatives for complex concepts, cultural context notes #### Neurodiversity support - Present: Clear segment structure with timestamps, consistent format - Improve: Content warnings for business risk discussions, summary cards for key points #### Representation - Present: Mix of male and female business owners, different business models - Improve: More diverse platform examples, varied business size representation #### Psychological safety - Present: Respectful discussion of business challenges and failures - Improve: Content warnings for platform risk discussions, supportive framing of challenges ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - Deductive strength: Platform selection criteria logically derived from business requirements - Inductive strength: Success patterns generalized from multiple case studies appropriately - Causal reasoning: Clear links established between platform characteristics and business outcomes - Analogical strength: IKEA analogy effectively illustrates value proposition positioning #### Fallacies - Survivorship bias: Discussion focuses on successful add-on businesses, may underrepresent failures <!-- deep-read:sections end --> ## Highlights - current this current project. >> Nice. Well, congratulations on your second birthday. Uh that's exciting. And we had a similar thing with Gravity View when we launched. Uh people were they often would like make fun of me a little bit and say, "Huh, must be tough selling a product on top of another product. That's kind of weird, don't you think? Isn't that a weird business?" And uh now it seems like most of the businesses in WordPress kind of uh are built on top of Elementor and Divvy and like all the all ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kahc8nbdk07zqa8qafc21f5b)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - building Divvy themes, we were wanting to just as an agency build faster, build quicker, um, and have a really good and we also wanted to be more efficient and more profit driven. So instead of building custom sites, we wanted a product which we could sell, but also which we could use as part of our build process to accelerate it and make our kind of our our our agency building side more more profitable. So that was the first time I thought actually plus there's also a need out there. You know, my primary audience is photographers and ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kahc8nbv8rd99qkgzj5dq4q3)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - that that was a good way to find plugins that you would be monetized. But I was really interested in what you were both saying about the partnership side of having add-ons because we haven't consistently had that with Woo. When we started, we didn't build any relationship with them at all. We didn't get any promotion from them. We were just building on top of a giant basically. So, we were doing our own independent marketing. We were selling ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kahc8ndbbrvxbbz8nzapgty4)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - features um like the new checkout blocks that are very very difficult or impossible to extend in the ways we need for our plugins. And that's frustrating. But at least they do listen to feedback. And there is a point of discussion now which they didn't really used to be. You made a great point, Katie, about um the the that you knew that there was a market of people who would pay for things because there's it makes people money and people are already paying for ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kahc8nf118mp1q2ambt6skvw)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - and it's it's it's actually interesting. We stepped into a gap. Our biggest competitor was a company called Flow Themes um closed unexpectedly about two years ago which is how we happened to have a big explosion in growth. They had about 40,000 active users. So we were perfectly poised. I mean it it was a horrible difficult few months as we suddenly had to pivot and get our product ready to be more appealing to that market. But you know we hung on by the by our fingernails and everything was held together with sticky sticky tape and string. But um we we emerged ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kahc8nh7j7hy6awpr8qtfxkx)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - mastermind was doing evaluations. I was like, "All right, well, what are we talking about here?" And I reached out to the company who was doing it and they said, "Okay, so you're not only built on WordPress, you're built on another product." So, outside of the WordPress space, maybe it's um an area of concern, but maybe inside WordPress where people actually know how things work and that things are okay, uh maybe it doesn't actually matter. >> Yeah. And Brian says, "Third party acquisitions do happen." Sha Box, creator of Foodie Pro theme for Genesis, ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kahc8nnbp1a6t1jvtkem5p9h)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - that's building on top of a platform that's on top of WordPress is inherently more risky than a normal WordPress plug-in. And I say that because our co-host Matt Cromwell is often very negative about the add-ons model and he feels >> Come on. Matt Matt is often wrong and he's wrong in this case as well. Oh yeah. >> He feels that people like the three of us are outliers in finding success building on top of somebody else's product whereas he would much rather have a product like give WP say which is ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kahc8nsbq5qaqt57xnejvttp)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - to go a long way. It's got a great ecosystem. You know, that that wouldn't give me give me any pause because I'd feel like there was longevity. There's lots of installs. You know that they're a serious company. They are a very serious company and they're a good example of a company I wouldn't want to build on top of because they're filling all the gaps themselves. They're doing an incredible job. Like every it seems like every six months they've got a new product that is like full fully baked and and uh like nice to use. >> Um I'm impressed with Fluent. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kahc8nxwrkrzs6tndrwyd1fa)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - your best advice for anyone thinking about selling add-ons to other plugins? So, in a nutshell, what should our audience take away from this conversation today? >> Um, we've covered a lot of it, but obviously do your do your research on what you think of the longevity of the company, how well it's funded. Um, and you know, I've also talked about the vibe has to be good. You have to like the people involved, which, you know, I I very much do with the company I'm working with. But I think the biggest thing for me, I also had a list of kind ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kahc8p4y79z76g2qb3kzw40r)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - of future deal breakers. like I really wanted to know that cadence was going to be moving towards full-sight editing. So I wanted to know that the direction that WordPress was going to go, cadence were going to go that that was already something they were talking about. So that's just one example of some of the deal breakers I have. So my advice would be to kind of know know your deal breakers. Yeah, that's a good one. Mine is about the size of the platform that you're looking at building on. So with Woo Commerce, it made it really easy for us ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kahc8pam7w29yv6pn0y7ft90)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted