From WooCommerce Code Snippets to Checkout Summit Sicily

From WooCommerce Code Snippets to Checkout Summit Sicily ![rw-book-cover](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JUUkS65U8KI/maxresdefault.jpg) 🔗 **Source:** [From WooCommerce Code Snippets to Checkout Summit Sicily](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUUkS65U8KI) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: #woocommerce #e-commerce #conferences #italy #web-development > author: Within WordPress Podcast > source: YouTube > reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUUkS65U8KI > date created: 2025-01-03 12:00 > > # 🏷️ Title: From WooCommerce Code Snippets to Checkout Summit Sicily (with Rudolfo Melogli) >  ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Register for Checkout Summit Sicily (60 tickets left) — April 23-24, 2025 #conferences - [H2] Consider building personal brand through consistent content sharing — AI disruption strategy #content-marketing - [H3] Explore breakout session format for networking at events — business connection optimization #event-planning ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [[#📝 Summary]] - [[#📖 Main Content]] - [[#🗒️ Notes]] - [[#📚 References]] - [[#🗣️ Paraphrase]] - [[#📰 Newsletter]] - [[#✅ Action Items]] - [[#🧪 Hypotheses]] - [[#📊 Methodology]] - [[#❓ Questions]] - [[#🔮 Future Research]] - [[#💡 Implications]] - [[#🧠 Learning Styles Assessment]] - [[#📊 Accessibility Assessment]] - [[#🌍 DEIB Assessment]] - [[#✅ Logical Validity]] - [[#🛡️ DARVO Analysis]] - [[#🎯 Conclusion]] ### 🔗 References - [Checkout Summit Sicily](https://checkoutsummit.com) - [Business Bloomer](https://businessbloomer.com) ## 📝 Summary - Civil engineer turned WooCommerce developer shares journey from career change to organizing first dedicated WooCommerce conference in 9 years - Rudolfo Melogli built successful business through consistent weekly code snippet blogging from 2014-2024 until AI disrupted traffic - Checkout Summit Sicily (April 23-24, 2025) aims to rebuild WooCommerce community with intimate 150-person conference - Last official WooCommerce conference was 2017; community has lacked dedicated gathering despite plugin's massive market share - Strategy shift from SEO-driven content to personal brand building and in-person community events ## 📖 Main Content Rudolfo Melogli, a civil engineer who transitioned to web development in 2011, accidentally chose WooCommerce as his e-commerce platform and built a decade-plus career around it. His journey illustrates both the opportunities and challenges facing WordPress developers in the AI era. Starting as a complete beginner, Melogli leveraged WooCommerce's "5-minute install" promise and began reusing code snippets across client projects. In 2014, he started documenting these snippets on his blog primarily for personal reference, only to discover massive organic traffic and lead generation potential. For 12 years, Melogli maintained a weekly publishing schedule of simple code snippets with minimal text, generating consistent business leads. This content strategy worked until AI disrupted search traffic patterns around 2022-2023. Facing this disruption, Melogli chose to "go against AI" rather than embrace it, pivoting to personal brand building and community events. This led to organizing Checkout Summit Sicily, the first dedicated WooCommerce conference since 2017's WooCommerce events ended. The conference reflects Melogli's philosophy of intimate, business-focused networking. With 150 attendees maximum, all-inclusive tickets, and structured breakout sessions, the event aims to generate real business connections rather than surface-level networking. ## 🗒️ Notes #### ⏱️ [00:00](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=0) — [H1] Civil engineer to WooCommerce developer transition - Key idea: Career pivot happened organically through client work necessity - Evidence: "I'm a civil engineer. Nothing to do with it, nothing to do with development" #### ⏱️ [05:30](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=330) — [H2] WooCommerce selection was accidental success - Key idea: Chose WooCommerce randomly among limited 2011 options - Evidence: "I just picked WooCommerce out of the hat. So it was if you want, you know, a lucky decision" #### ⏱️ [08:45](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=525) — [H3] Ireland experience shaped entrepreneurial mindset - Key idea: Irish business culture influenced transition to independent work - Evidence: "In Ireland because there was loads happening from local entrepreneurs" #### ⏱️ [12:20](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=740) — [H2] Sicily move limited local business opportunities - Key idea: Geographic location forced international client focus - Evidence: "0% Sicily and 0.5% Italy. It's always been like that" #### ⏱️ [18:15](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=1095) — [H1] Code snippet blog discovery moment - Key idea: Personal documentation accidentally became major traffic source - Evidence: "Google Analytics like skyrocketed the day after I said hold on what's going on" #### ⏱️ [22:30](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=1350) — [H1] Twelve-year content machine success - Key idea: Simple weekly snippets sustained entire business model - Evidence: "This little machine...basically kept me in business...during those 12 years" #### ⏱️ [28:40](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=1720) — [H1] AI disruption forced strategy pivot - Key idea: Traditional SEO content model collapsed with AI advancement - Evidence: "That was my business up until AI they arrived" #### ⏱️ [31:50](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=1910) — [H2] Personal brand building as AI counter-strategy - Key idea: Chose community building over AI adoption - Evidence: "I need to build my personal brand. I need to build a community" #### ⏱️ [35:20](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=2120) — [H1] Nine-year WooCommerce conference gap - Key idea: No dedicated WooCommerce events since 2017 despite growth - Evidence: "Since then there hasn't been a single WooCommerce conference anywhere in the world" #### ⏱️ [42:10](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=2530) — [H2] Intimate conference philosophy - Key idea: 150-person limit prevents overwhelming networking scenarios - Evidence: "I tend to get super overwhelmed when I go to...5,000 people, 50,000 people" #### ⏱️ [47:30](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=2850) — [H3] All-inclusive venue strategy - Key idea: On-site everything eliminates logistics friction - Evidence: "They can have breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, coffee at the venue for two and a half days" #### ⏱️ [52:40](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=3160) — [H2] Building in public accountability - Key idea: Public documentation maintains motivation and progress - Evidence: "It keeps myself accountable. I have to post stuff every day" #### ⏱️ [58:15](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=3495) — [H3] Speaker selection criteria - Key idea: WooCommerce must be in talk titles, focus on case studies - Evidence: "The WooCommerce keyword must be in the title" #### ⏱️ [63:20](https://youtu.be/JUUkS65U8KI?t=3800) — [H2] Exclusive content strategy - Key idea: Unrecorded talks create scarcity value - Evidence: "Talks will not be recorded or live streamed" ## 📚 References - [Checkout Summit Sicily](https://checkoutsummit.com) - [Business Bloomer](https://businessbloomer.com) - [WooCommerce](https://woocommerce.com) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - A civil engineer accidentally became a successful WooCommerce developer by choosing the platform randomly in 2011 and building a business around code snippet blogging - For twelve years, simple weekly code snippets generated consistent leads until AI disrupted traditional SEO, forcing a pivot to personal brand building - The first dedicated WooCommerce conference in nine years aims to rebuild community connections through intimate, business-focused networking ## 📰 Newsletter **WooCommerce Community Gets Long-Awaited Conference Revival** After nine years without a dedicated gathering, the WooCommerce community finally has a conference to call home. Checkout Summit Sicily (April 23-24) represents more than just another event—it's a response to how AI has disrupted traditional developer marketing and community building. Rudolfo Melogli's journey from accidental WooCommerce adoption to conference organizer mirrors many developers' experiences. His decade of success through simple code snippet blogging demonstrates the power of consistent, helpful content—until AI changed the game. The intimate 150-person format, all-inclusive venue approach, and structured breakout sessions offer a fresh take on developer conferences. With speakers flying from Australia and South Africa, the pent-up demand for WooCommerce community connection is clear. **Key Takeaways:** - Personal brand building becomes crucial as AI disrupts content marketing - Small, focused conferences may be more valuable than massive gatherings - WooCommerce's market share justifies dedicated community investment Resources: [Checkout Summit](https://checkoutsummit.com), [WooCommerce Developer Docs](https://developer.woocommerce.com/), [Learn WordPress](https://learn.wordpress.org/) ## ✅ Action Items #### DevRel - Developer advocacy: Document conference format innovations for future WooCommerce events - Education: Create case study content from successful career transition stories - Developer experience: Analyze code snippet content strategies pre and post-AI - Community management: Study breakout session effectiveness for business networking #### WordPress - Community: Support emergence of niche conferences within WordPress ecosystem - Documentation: Archive successful long-form content strategies for historical reference - Marketing: Analyze personal brand building as response to AI content disruption - Core: Consider WooCommerce community needs in broader WordPress strategy #### Community - Maintainers: Learn from 12-year consistent publishing model for project communication - Contributors: Understand transition from individual content to community building - Sponsors: Evaluate intimate conference sponsorship models vs mass events ## 🧪 Hypotheses - Small, niche conferences (150 people) generate better business outcomes than large general events - Building in public creates stronger community accountability than private planning - Geographic scarcity (Sicily's first tech conference) increases attendance motivation - All-inclusive venue models reduce networking friction and improve connections ### 📊 Methodology - Survey attendees pre/post conference on business connection quality vs quantity - Compare lead generation from intimate vs mass conference formats - Track social media engagement during public planning vs traditional conference marketing - Measure ROI correlation between conference size and attendee business outcomes ### ❓ Questions - Can the intimate conference model scale while maintaining networking quality? - How do unrecorded talks affect knowledge sharing vs exclusivity value? - Will WooCommerce officially restart their conference program after observing community events? ### 🔮 Future Research - Study optimal conference size for developer community business networking - Analyze effectiveness of all-inclusive venue models for international attendees - Research impact of AI on niche developer content strategies and pivots ### 💡 Implications - Practice: Personal brand building becomes essential survival strategy post-AI - Policy: WordPress community may need more niche sub-community event support - Education: Career transition stories provide valuable guidance for developers - Funding: Intimate conference models may offer better sponsorship ROI than mass events ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment Reading level estimate: 9th grade #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: Sicily venue photos, conference layout diagrams - Improve: Timeline graphics of WooCommerce conference history, speaker lineup visuals #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: Podcast format delivers conversational learning - Improve: Audio clips of key conference planning decisions, speaker previews #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: Career transition narrative, detailed explanations of strategy shifts - Improve: Glossary of conference terminology, comparison analogies #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: Step-by-step conference planning process - Improve: Interactive timeline, registration walkthrough, travel planning checklist #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: Clear cause-effect relationship between AI disruption and strategy pivot - Improve: Decision trees for conference planning, ROI calculations #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: Community-building discussion, networking strategies - Improve: Discussion prompts about conference experiences, peer planning advice #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: Individual journey narrative, personal reflection opportunities - Improve: Self-assessment questions about career pivots, conference planning worksheets #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: Sicily location emphasis, travel experience integration - Improve: Environmental impact considerations, local ecosystem connections ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: Clear heading structure, descriptive timestamps - Improve: Alt text for venue images, transcript formatting optimization #### Keyboard navigation - Present: Standard podcast player controls - Improve: Skip-to-section links, keyboard shortcuts documentation #### Contrast and readability - Present: Standard text contrast in notes format - Improve: High contrast mode support, customizable text sizing #### Text resizing and reflow - Present: Responsive text formatting - Improve: Mobile-optimized timestamp links, flexible layout #### Media and captions - Present: Full transcript provided - Improve: Subtitle timing marks, audio description of visual content #### Forms and interactions - Present: Basic link interactions - Improve: Form labels for newsletter signup, error handling ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: Italian/Irish cultural context, international perspective - Improve: More diverse geographic examples, multilingual resources #### Inclusive language - Present: Gender-neutral conference terminology - Improve: Plain language explanations of technical terms #### Neurodiversity support - Present: Clear section structure, consistent formatting - Improve: Content warnings for career transition anxiety, varied learning formats #### Representation - Present: Individual entrepreneurship story - Improve: Diverse career transition examples, varied conference speaker backgrounds #### Psychological safety - Present: Honest discussion of business challenges - Improve: Resources for career transition support, community guidelines ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - Deductive strength: If AI disrupts SEO, then personal brand building becomes necessary - well-supported - Inductive strength: 12 years of blogging success predicts conference success - reasonable but limited sample - Causal reasoning: Geographic isolation caused international client focus - clearly established - Analogical strength: Sicily conference compared to larger events - relevant comparison #### Fallacies - Survivorship bias: Success story doesn't account for failed WooCommerce developers - Appeal to novelty: Assumption that new conference format is inherently better - Post hoc reasoning: AI timing correlation may not be sole cause of strategy shift #### Tone of voice - Overall tone: Conversational, honest about challenges and uncertainties, practical focus on business outcomes ### 🛡️ DARVO Analysis - Deny: No denial patterns present - Attack: No attacks on accusers or critics - Reverse victim/offender: No victim/offender dynamics - Emotional cues and rhetoric: Positive, solution-focused discussion without defensive patterns ## 🎯 Conclusion Rudolfo Melogli's journey from civil engineer to WooCommerce entrepreneur illustrates both the opportunities and disruptions facing WordPress developers. His pivot from SEO-driven content to community building represents a broader shift in how developers must adapt to AI-dominated search landscapes. Checkout Summit Sicily emerges not just as an event, but as a model for intimate, business-focused conferences that prioritize real connections over scale. The nine-year gap in dedicated WooCommerce conferences highlights how community needs can outpace official support, creating opportunities for individual initiative to fill critical gaps. ## 🧱 Refactor Appendix ### 📚 Literature Split Pad Purpose: Stage --- ## Full Transcript [00:00] Welcome to Within WordPress, the podcast [00:03] about people uh people inside of [00:05] WordPress, people outside of WordPress. [00:07] And in this particular case, uh I have a [00:10] guest who is not only inside of [00:11] WordPress, but also very much inside of [00:14] WooCommerce. [00:15] Welcome Rulfo. [00:23] Hello Ram. Uh thanks very much. Yeah, [00:25] definitely. I would say I'm more inside [00:28] WooCommerce than WordPress actually. I'm [00:31] pretty [00:32] I put all my eggs in, you know, in one [00:35] basket. So that's me since 2011ish [00:41] basically working exclusively on, you [00:44] know, WooCommerce website. So yeah, [00:46] that's that's basically what I've been [00:49] doing for the last what is it 14 years? [00:51] >> Yeah. Yeah. [00:52] >> 15 years. Yes. When did world commerce [00:55] start be being a thing? Uh the fork from [00:57] Jooko shop was 2011. [01:00] >> 11. [01:01] >> Yes. [01:01] >> Yeah. [01:02] >> I came just a few months after [01:04] thoroughly randomly like I was doing my [01:08] first websites for clients. But I'm a [01:12] I'm a civil engineer. Nothing to do with [01:15] it, nothing to do with development, [01:16] nothing to do with websites. [01:18] >> I just switched careers on stage. And uh [01:22] as I was searching for some e-commerce [01:25] solutions, you know, the ones that were [01:27] available in 2011, early 12 [01:32] um I just picked WooCommerce out of the [01:35] out of the hat. So it was if you want, [01:39] you know, a lucky a lucky decision. [01:41] >> Yeah, there was I think three three main [01:44] ones. You had shop with double P. You [01:46] had jiggle shop and then you had the [01:49] fork that is now known as WCommerce. I [01:53] think there's more ED. Was ED there? [01:56] >> No, I think probably at that time it was [01:59] Magento. [02:00] >> Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [02:01] >> Against more or less [02:04] >> WooCommerce and there was some other [02:06] like open cards and all that kind of [02:09] stuff maybe. [02:10] >> Yeah. External stuff. [02:11] >> Yeah, I was in between the two. Uh maybe [02:14] don't remember if even Jumla could [02:16] handle e-commerce to be honest but [02:18] >> it could it could. Yeah. [02:20] >> Yeah. So I was trying to decide in [02:22] between these three or four and then I [02:25] said, "Oh, this looks cool. It's open [02:27] source and you can customize it. It [02:30] comes with template." So of course I was [02:32] buying templates on Tim Forest or [02:35] whatever it was. [02:35] >> Yeah. Yeah. at the very beginning and uh [02:38] and that you know the the websites were [02:41] ready in a week just I had to wait for 6 [02:44] months for the content. So that's that [02:47] was the thing that I definitely didn't [02:48] like about. [02:49] >> So [02:51] um you you have a um first of all uh [02:56] tell us a bit more uh where you're from [02:58] uh what you do dayto-day uh cuz we [03:01] really jumped into Woolcommerce really [03:03] fast but uh [03:06] tell us a bit more about yourself. [03:08] >> Yeah, so I am Italian born in Rome which [03:12] everyone says it's a beautiful place. [03:15] this beautiful city which it is but only [03:17] if you don't leave there. So as soon as [03:20] I could I escaped but so that was my [03:25] after degree I just uh found my first [03:28] job in Ireland. So I moved there in 2006 [03:33] or 7 and uh spent 11 years in Ireland as [03:38] an engineer and then in Ireland because [03:41] there was loads happening from local [03:45] entrepreneurs and chambers of commerce [03:47] and stuff that I could really see the [03:49] potential of working for yourself and [03:52] that's when I became a web developer [03:54] well so with no development skills [03:57] anyway let's say a web designer. [03:59] >> Yeah. [04:00] a wet person. [04:02] >> Exactly. So I got married. Yeah, that [04:04] that's that's a thing. Then I went back [04:06] to Italy but moved back south cuz my [04:10] wife is from Sicily from Palmo. So of [04:14] course in between, you know, 0° Ireland [04:17] and 45° Sicily, we picked Sicily. And [04:21] then, you know, I had to I had to make a [04:24] choice. But um, you know, it's not bad. [04:27] Nice food. the splice people. [04:30] >> Yeah, you got that going for yourself. [04:32] Nice food. [04:34] >> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, the [04:37] you know, Italians, they always chase [04:39] good food. So, I I can say that the lab [04:42] is quite decent in here anyway. Wherever [04:45] you go, it's it's going to be good. [04:46] >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, [04:48] I've been going to Italy on vacation for [04:55] 26 years. 27 years. hard. [04:59] >> No. [04:59] >> Very high standards then. [05:01] >> Yes. Yes. Uh quite enjoy it to the point [05:05] that um I can see myself uh living there [05:08] part-time at some point. [05:10] >> There you go. You're very welcome to [05:12] join me. [05:13] >> Well, 45° I I can handle it. I've done [05:16] it before. And for those who are living [05:18] in freedom units, that's 110. Um I I'm [05:24] if I have a choice I'm not going to make [05:26] that choice. So Abut that that region [05:30] >> that's uh from from abut to let's say [05:33] the Keianti region anywhere in that uh [05:35] that layer [05:37] >> still warm [05:37] >> central [05:39] >> little more central. Yeah I like uh I [05:41] like Rome um been there quite a few [05:44] times. [05:45] >> Mhm. [05:46] >> One time in an idiotic heat of 42 43. [05:50] Never doing that again. [05:52] >> Yeah. Know Rome is like, [05:54] >> you see the difference between Sicily [05:56] and the big city like Rome is like, you [05:59] know, in here we have the the sea. [06:01] >> Yep. The wind [06:02] >> very close by. So the the air is so [06:05] different in there is like cold concrete [06:07] and you know, ashilt and you know [06:11] Rome. [06:12] >> Side question. You say you're Italian [06:14] and you are from Rome. I know a few [06:16] people from Rome and they say they're [06:18] Roman first then Italian. Uh [06:24] >> yeah, I I kind of know that kind of [06:26] people anyway. [06:29] I wouldn't identify myself as a Roman, [06:32] you know, we go and conquer the the [06:35] word, you know, but uh yeah, there are [06:38] some funny people over there. Um, you [06:42] know, I I even I don't have a strong [06:45] Roman accent. So, whenever I I meet [06:48] someone from Rome, like I laugh because [06:50] they the accent is so familiar and so [06:54] strong and I can't like I feel like I I [06:58] don't want to use it, you know? It's [07:00] just uh just too funny. Uh, but if [07:04] you're familiar with maybe, you know, [07:05] Scottish people, like it's, [07:08] >> you know, it's fun just listening to [07:10] them. [07:12] >> But I feel like, you know, a Scott that [07:15] doesn't want to use the Scottish accent [07:17] because I feel I don't it doesn't feel [07:19] like me. [07:20] >> So that that's that's what I [07:23] >> my uh my friend Karim Maruki will uh [07:26] will make it very clear always all the [07:28] time that he is indeed Roman first, [07:30] Italian second. Oh, American bird. [07:33] >> Yes. [07:37] >> But yeah, so you live in Sicily. Um, [07:39] does that mean your clientele is based [07:41] in Sicily or [07:43] >> 0%? [07:44] >> Zero. [07:46] >> 0% Sicily and 0.5% Italy. Anyhow, [07:51] anyway, so yeah, it's always been like [07:54] that. um since the very beginning like [07:58] my clientele was international [08:02] and in Italy you know that like there's [08:06] not a lot of a lot of money going and [08:09] going going around uh we put them in the [08:11] in the wrong places and we we buy the [08:14] wrong the you know the wrong things. Uh [08:17] definitely business you know doing [08:19] business locally is really really hard [08:23] especially in Sicily where you know 80% [08:28] of the regional income comes from [08:31] tourism. [08:31] >> Yeah. [08:32] >> So you know this would be the perfect [08:35] place. I mean if if I were you know a [08:38] local counselor like I would do like [08:41] structures and buildings and investments [08:44] for digital. moments like this is the [08:48] perfect place. Y [08:49] >> like you have the food, the the sea, you [08:54] can ski on the volcano, you can you know [08:57] kite surf on you know on a very nice [09:03] place by the sea. You can you have the [09:05] hills, you have the lakes, you have the [09:08] I mean everything, the cities, the [09:10] history, the islands and like for [09:13] digital normal it would be perfect you [09:16] know every day you can change place and [09:18] you can enjoy different things and if [09:20] only we had super fast internet and you [09:24] know and if only we had you know some [09:27] investments and loads of co-working [09:29] spaces and you know stuff like that um [09:33] it would really truck. So why not? Maybe [09:36] in the next 30 years we will be here [09:38] talking about. [09:38] >> I was going to say there there seems to [09:40] be a change of wanting to attract a a [09:44] different type of expat crowd. [09:47] >> Um certainly if you want to make uh [09:49] Italy a permanent residence, there's uh [09:52] there's some tax benefits. [09:55] >> U there's some some some hyper niche on [09:58] one. If you live in smaller cities, you [09:59] have 20,000 and then you get like and [10:02] you earn your money from an external [10:04] outside Italian income 7% or some [10:08] something like that. I I know this [10:09] because uh friends of ours uh moved [10:11] there uh near [10:14] >> um and he explained me like uh we didn't [10:17] know this but now that we're here we got [10:19] a letter that we can apply for this. So [10:21] hell yeah we're applying for this. Uh [10:23] but then I looked into it and it seems [10:25] like there's there's actually a [10:26] concerted effort to to do this more for [10:29] Italy as a whole which which I guess is [10:32] good. [10:33] >> Um but it's interesting that you say [10:34] that there's like [10:36] 0% locally. That's I have low I have [10:40] maybe 10 15%. Uh when I started that was [10:44] maybe 50% but like uh a year year and a [10:47] half in I was at 25ish. [10:50] Uh but that low as low as zero that's [10:54] that's that tells a different story. [10:56] Would you would you say that the um [10:59] >> is it is it a business perspective a [11:02] business mind that holds [11:06] >> I don't know holding holding holding [11:08] people back to not pick up trades and [11:11] selling stuff and all that or do you see [11:14] a trend there [11:14] >> banging everyone [11:16] >> okay so there is one note that I must [11:20] make which is I started doing business [11:23] and being a a local web designer er when [11:27] I was in Ireland. So my website was in [11:30] English. I was doing business in English [11:33] language. I was building websites in [11:36] English language. So as soon as I moved [11:40] then back to Italy like I kept all my [11:43] clients that I you know made up over the [11:46] over the years [11:47] >> y [11:48] >> locally and online. So I wasn't really [11:51] interested in doing business locally and [11:54] I wasn't even bothering. and I had no [11:57] interest. Also, I would have had to [12:01] translate my website Italian because [12:03] yes, I am at a stage where I'm [12:06] translating from English to Italian and [12:08] not the other way around that like uh [12:11] you know I don't I can't speak Italian [12:13] almost any longer. It's like I'm so used [12:15] to speaking English that [12:17] >> I I find it really hard and I I dream in [12:20] English. I you know there there was a [12:22] period where I couldn't put one word [12:25] after the other in Italian after 11 [12:28] years abroad. Um but you know if I had [12:33] and if I were struggling then you know [12:36] probably I would go and seek some local [12:39] clients. But see the the Italian thing [12:43] is that there is not a a lot of money [12:46] happening. there is no tax breaks or um [12:50] ways for entrepreneurs to you know [12:54] recover the money in case they they lose [12:56] them or um it's really risky [13:00] >> to go and you know run your own business [13:03] in fact I remember whenever I moved here [13:06] to Sicily people were asking what do you [13:07] do like why are you moving to Sicily [13:10] because everyone is moving elsewhere to [13:12] you know go and get a job [13:14] >> I say why are you going you know the [13:17] opposite and say oh I already have a job [13:19] which is online oh amazing can you tell [13:22] us more so it's like we're 50 years [13:24] behind here and you know if I had the [13:29] energy and the motivation I would [13:31] probably change things but I can't I [13:34] just need to look after myself and my [13:36] little family but there is so much room [13:39] for improvement down here you won't [13:42] believe it [13:43] >> so I haven't been to Sicy but I have [13:45] been to the south of Italy and as the [13:47] more southern you go the more obvious [13:49] that uh that becomes. Yeah. Yeah. [13:52] Absolutely. Uh the north is entirely [13:55] different. The middle is entirely [13:57] different. And then [14:00] uh everything below Naples. [14:03] >> Yeah. No, I'd say below Rome with [14:06] >> I was I was trying to be friendly here. [14:09] >> Yeah. [14:11] there's a line and then it just starts [14:13] changing um the whole [14:15] >> I'd say that the northern [14:18] uh you know part of Italy they say that [14:21] anything below Milan is south to them so [14:25] you know what I'm saying they wanted to [14:28] >> you know become independent to some [14:30] stage and just say oh you're so [14:32] different that we should be two [14:34] different countries so [14:35] >> well not too long ago not too long ago I [14:39] mean uh what is 150 years. Italy 1860 [14:43] something. [14:45] >> Yeah. 1861 or something like that. Yeah. [14:47] >> Yeah. So, not too long ago they were [14:50] separate countries. It's [14:52] >> Yeah. Maybe there was a reason why. [14:55] >> Yeah. [14:57] >> Hey, so you you dived into e-commerce [15:00] real fast like Woo Commerce. Um for [15:04] those listening who who don't know where [15:05] Woo Commerce came from uh uh I think I [15:08] mentioned already uh there was a [15:10] e-commerce solution called uh Jigo Shop [15:14] uh and the two main developers of that [15:18] were um [15:21] I don't know what the right word is but [15:22] they started working for themes at the [15:24] time and then they [15:25] >> they say aqua hired [15:27] >> yeah yeah uh and then uh the fork of [15:31] jigshop became Woo Commerce and um [15:35] >> a lot has happened uh and it certainly [15:38] has grown a lot. [15:41] >> You said you were lucky to pick on this [15:43] one. Was it luck or did you see [15:45] something that you were cuz you [15:46] obviously looked at I'm I'm assuming the [15:49] uh the the various options there. [15:53] What what uh what drew you into [15:55] WooCommerce like Yeah. Yeah. I'm going [15:56] to I'm going to I'm going to use this [15:58] cuz all the other other ones are open [16:00] source as well. [16:02] Yep. So, um, you know, because I said I [16:05] wasn't really a developer. I wasn't [16:07] really into any sort of it except from, [16:11] you know, fantasy football websites and [16:13] front page and stuff like that. Um, I [16:17] was working on Google sites at the time [16:20] because I was building my own website [16:22] and my own board game club websites for [16:27] friends and stuff and I was using Google [16:29] sites. It was lovely and easy and lots [16:32] of manual HTML. Love that so much. Um, [16:36] and then as soon as I started, you know, [16:40] working, you know, getting paid by [16:42] clients, I had to look for something [16:44] more serious and more stable and easy [16:49] easy to manage. And you know this thing [16:52] is what WCommerce [16:55] kind of you know show me which was easy [16:58] enough. You know the there was this [17:00] thing the 5 minutes installed from [17:02] WordPress. You plug the extension called [17:06] WooCommerce and in one second you have a [17:08] fully working e-commerce website. Plus [17:12] apparently with a few lines of PHP you [17:15] can customize the look. You can change [17:18] the colors with a you know few lines of [17:20] CSS and that's it. That's the packaged [17:24] e-commerce website that you sell to a [17:26] client and you know on paper [17:30] even for someone who didn't have a [17:32] background of you know coding or [17:34] studying it in university or whatever [17:37] you know that was the easiest [17:39] way to [17:41] you know go to market basically [17:44] >> and that's it. I I told these clients, [17:47] these potential clients, oh, I can do [17:49] anything. And I had absolutely no clue [17:54] >> about technologies or strategies or [17:57] whatever. I just say, I'll do it. So, I [17:59] had to figure it out. I had to be fast [18:02] and talk to, you know, a few local [18:05] people that I knew from tennis or [18:07] whatever it was and I say, I'll pick [18:10] this one. Sounds cool. Went to [18:12] WooCommerce. Loved it. second client [18:15] WooCommerce, third client WooCommerce. [18:16] And I say this is amazing. I'm going to [18:18] stick with this. And and then that was [18:22] the second law, which was hold on, I'm [18:25] doing all these websites on WooCommerce. [18:27] I keep reusing all these code snippets [18:30] from website A to B to C to D. Why don't [18:33] I save these code snippets on my blog [18:37] >> so that I can copy and paste them for [18:39] the next project? [18:42] That was was 2014 and I created my first [18:47] blog post with a code snippet a [18:51] WooCommerce code snippet for myself and [18:54] then Google Analytics like skyrocketed [18:57] the day after I said hold on what's [19:00] going on like why am I getting so much [19:02] traffic and then suddenly lots of blog [19:05] comments and you know lots of people [19:08] following me they were signing up to the [19:09] newsletter I said hold [19:12] This is Sante. Let me post one weekly [19:17] code snippet for W covers. That was [19:20] 2014. And I think the last code snippet [19:25] uh I published was maybe a month ago [19:28] because now things have changed. But I [19:30] never stopped publishing [19:34] um WCommerce blog tutorial or code [19:37] snippet for the last you know 10 11 [19:40] years because I saw that it was working. [19:43] I saw that it was sending me leads and [19:47] my business became my only source of [19:51] leads and income up until AI they [19:56] arrived. But it was a sweet and lovely [20:01] 10 good years of just posting content [20:05] and getting business out of it. [20:07] >> Yeah. Yeah. That that game for sure has [20:10] uh has changed now with uh the rise of [20:12] uh of AI. [20:15] Um, I remember uh finding your site [20:18] probably 2014 15. Um, and just needing a [20:23] snippet like how do I and I I've seen [20:26] the filter. Uh, does somebody have it [20:28] already so I can just copy and paste it. [20:31] And I think that's probably the first uh [20:34] uh first time I I became aware of [20:36] business bloomer. [20:37] >> Incredible. [20:39] >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I've I've used many [20:42] many snippets over the years. Um um at a [20:46] certain point uh you have your own [20:48] little library of things you use and [20:50] reuse and stuff like that. [20:51] >> Yes. [20:52] >> Um but uh [20:54] >> well now it's feeding it's feeding AI [20:56] anyway. So they're still using it. [20:59] >> It it is it is. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's [21:02] it's interesting how the how how that [21:04] has changed. But um you're saying for 12 [21:10] years, so let's call it 12 years, you've [21:12] been sharing something weekly. [21:14] >> Yes. [21:15] >> Uh and essentially making a living off [21:17] of that. I think I think that's pretty [21:20] amazing. That's it is. But like from you [21:23] know my house they're just posting you [21:27] know one little code snippet there they [21:29] weren't you know one,500 [21:32] words tutorials you know 10 lines of [21:35] code a little intro a screenshot and [21:39] that was my business up until two years [21:42] ago. So it was unbelievable how this [21:47] little machine then of course I had to [21:50] you know be consistent. I had to stick [21:53] to my plan. I had to put lead magnets in [21:56] it. I had to follow up with you know um [22:00] email marketing. I had to you know keep [22:03] nurturing my lead. That's a different [22:06] story. But still this blog post is what [22:09] basically kept me in business and well [22:14] you know during those 12 years [22:17] and and it's it's incredible like like [22:20] you can do that. [22:22] >> No no like I said that that that that [22:24] world has changed. Um I I see my traffic [22:27] on my sites change in a similar fashion. [22:30] Like uh there's a few posts that I have [22:33] that are ranking uh number one for uh [22:37] some of them intentional, some of them [22:38] absolutely just just happened. Um and [22:42] the one the positions one and two [22:44] roughly stayed the same. [22:45] >> The rest is just like it's being picked [22:49] up or whatever. Yeah. [22:52] >> Um I have a and uh probably my my most [22:56] uh most popular post is not on [22:58] WordPress. It's on um when you are in a [23:02] call and your camera freezes, [23:04] >> which on a Mac every now and then [23:06] happens. Uh I have uh I had figured out [23:09] that there's a snippet that you can [23:11] modify a little bit and if you put that [23:13] into the terminal and you hit enter, it [23:15] refreshes the camera [23:18] uh in Zoom or or or in Google Meet or [23:21] whatever. Uh your uh your connection [23:24] stays alive and all you have to do is [23:27] just hit that and enter. Uh and I was so [23:29] frustrated that I kept forgetting what I [23:31] had figured out. I thought, oh, you know [23:33] what? I have this blog. Why don't I just [23:35] put it on the blog? And it turns out [23:36] that's my most popular post in there is [23:39] >> gets uh uh dozens of hits every single [23:42] day. [23:43] >> So it's a it's a popular pro problem but [23:46] >> yeah that that that whole dynamic has [23:49] changed for sure. [23:51] >> Um which leads me to the to to my next [23:55] question. Um we will be seeing each [23:58] other uh come April. [24:02] >> Yep. Uh now I can share why that is but [24:04] maybe you want to share why that is. [24:06] >> Yes apparently. So the let me complete [24:11] for one second what we just said which [24:14] is my website worked for 12 years on its [24:17] own and I had to do nothing [24:20] >> and then I had to switch strategy. Yeah, [24:25] >> the only way that I could find was [24:26] either embrace AI, but remember I'm not [24:31] a developer. [24:33] So, you know, if you if today you talk [24:35] to me about, you know, cloud code or CLI [24:40] or open claw, whatever it is, like I go [24:43] crazy that that's beyond my skills. So, [24:47] I either embrace AI or go against AI. [24:51] and and that's what I did. I said if I [24:55] had to basically stay alive and survive [24:58] in business. Uh if I'm not embracing AI, [25:02] then I need to build my personal brand. [25:06] I need to build a community whether it's [25:09] online or in person. And that's why at [25:14] the end of April, check out summit will [25:17] happen in Sicily, which is my way of [25:23] bringing humans back [25:27] inside WCommerce. So we haven't met. I [25:31] mean the last WCOM which was a [25:33] conference by WooCommerce [25:36] uh which happened in North America was [25:40] 2017. there were only three of them and [25:43] since then there hasn't been a single [25:47] WooCommerce conference anywhere in the [25:49] world. Uh there's been something online [25:52] like woo sash or you know some other you [25:56] know online meetups or you know one day [25:58] events. Uh there have been war camps but [26:02] the WooCommerce coverage has gone to [26:05] basically zero in the last few years [26:08] because war camps are about community [26:11] about you know the software of WordPress [26:13] and therefore they can't really put too [26:17] much effort onto a single plugin such as [26:20] WooCommerce. So I said, you know, one [26:24] way to bring the community back, one way [26:26] to for me to also stand out and uh [26:30] continue, you know, doing business and [26:34] uh using what I've, you know, gained in [26:38] the last few years, which is loads of [26:40] people, loads of contacts, loads of [26:42] email addresses, loads of followers. the [26:45] only thing that I can do is actually [26:47] doing a live inerson conference and this [26:51] is you know the backstory of why I went [26:54] with this. So yes, we're meeting in [26:57] Palmo on April the 23rd and 24th [27:00] apparently and you know check out summit [27:05] is a small conference on purpose. [27:09] >> What a small [27:10] >> yes 150 people max. [27:13] >> Okay. I tend to get super overwhelmed [27:17] when I go to, you know, the web summit [27:21] or, you know, flagship work camps with [27:23] like 3,000 people, 5,000 people, 50,000 [27:27] people. Like, I tend to go there and [27:29] hide in a corner. Um, maybe because this [27:33] is me or because I, you know, there's [27:36] too much energy going on. Like, I tend [27:39] not to enjoy those. Instead, I wanted to [27:43] be laidback, [27:45] uh, you know, spread out over two days [27:48] and with enough time to actually talk to [27:51] people. Could be about business, could [27:53] be about Sicily, could be about Italy, [27:55] could be about traveling. I don't really [27:58] care. But I wanted to have the time to [28:01] actually chat to people because we [28:03] haven't done forever. Like, no one knows [28:07] anyone in the WooCommerce community. [28:10] apart from those little faces on social [28:13] media or in a Slack channel and that's [28:16] not fair because WooCommerce is alive [28:20] thanks to the community. So we need to [28:23] give something back to the community. [28:26] >> I think that's a I think that's a [28:27] wonderful thing that you're doing there. [28:29] Uh, and I agree it's um, so Woolcom has [28:33] been organized by Wool Commerce and I [28:38] probably everybody was still waiting [28:39] that when are they going to pick the [28:41] pick it back up? Uh I I don't know the [28:44] answer to that why that didn't happen. [28:45] But uh what's interesting is since the [28:49] last time uh Woolcom was a thing and now [28:54] and you look at the market share that is [28:56] there and you look at the actual the [28:59] community that is around uh basically [29:02] that plugin [29:04] uh and you look at the impact that that [29:06] has and how many indie defs or small [29:10] deaf um [29:12] uh agencies there are that are producing [29:15] excellent WooCommerce content in terms [29:18] of solutions, plugins, uh all that sort [29:21] of stuff. It's kind of wild to think [29:23] about that the only location where you [29:25] could get some were in fact the the odd [29:29] talk at a local uh word camp uh perhaps [29:33] a e-commerce section of the track at uh [29:37] work camp Europe or work camp US but [29:39] nothing dedicated for um yeah nine years [29:44] now [29:45] >> close to nine years when [29:46] >> when you look at it from that way. Um I [29:50] have to say I have to add one little [29:52] thing which is the Bo Evans was on [29:57] dudu I think couple of weeks back and uh [30:02] when about why is there an old [30:05] conference and you know we've seen check [30:08] out summit for example this year coming [30:10] up what's the story with w company say [30:13] oh I can't say anything yet but they're [30:17] thinking about it. So [30:20] >> well is correct. They are thinking about [30:23] it but it's been nine years. [30:24] >> Yes. Yes. I know. But you see my idea [30:27] with checkout summit was also to [30:30] motivate WooCommerce into thinking about [30:34] this again because they will see the [30:38] results. They will see how helpful it [30:40] is. And it's a small event. Imagine if [30:43] there were, you know, 1,000 people wuko [30:47] in London and then one other in whatever [30:51] else in Tokyo and then another in South [30:55] America. Like it will be unbelievable. [30:56] >> Oh, there's a there's a there's a huge [30:58] opportunity there. Yep. [31:00] >> Um there's there's zero doubt in my [31:03] mind. Um I mean I get for uh the what [31:07] happened in the 2020 to 2023 that blip I [31:11] get that we had to come back from that [31:13] and then you know organize ourselves [31:16] again. Uh sure but in all fairness that [31:20] had been already 3 years at that point [31:22] and now it's been uh a few more years on [31:25] top of that. [31:26] >> Yep. [31:27] >> It's time. It's time. when when I [31:29] learned of you organizing this, I was [31:31] like, "Yes, finally someone's picking [31:33] this up." Um, if you see the chatter on [31:37] just on X, right? I'm I I I'm on Blue [31:40] Sky as well. I'm on Facebook as well and [31:41] on LinkedIn, [31:43] but of out of all of the places where [31:46] the chatter around Woo Commerce is the [31:48] most active, it's on X. [31:50] And there's a lot of discussion, there's [31:53] a lot of sharing, there's a lot of [31:54] learning, there's there's people from [31:56] Kestrel, from Barn 2, from Woo Commerce [31:59] themselves, developer advocates, James, [32:02] uh, Brian, uh, there there's a lot of [32:07] information and and direction shared [32:09] now. And I love seeing this. And the [32:12] only thing that was missing was the when [32:14] are we when are we getting together? [32:16] Cuz, you know, I went to work camp US. I [32:18] see James there. I seen Brian there. I [32:19] see, you know, uh Katie, um uh Ian, you [32:24] you know, all of the names. I see them [32:26] there. [32:28] But it's not enough. [32:29] >> Yeah. [32:30] >> So, I was very very happy to see that [32:32] you picked up that and went like, "All [32:34] right, I'm I'm going to do this." And um [32:38] the way you're doing it by sharing the [32:40] steps and asking for feedback and and [32:42] going through the motions uh it it it [32:45] reminds me in a way of what Katie is [32:47] doing from Barn 2 where she is also join [32:50] um um moving into the Shopify world. [32:52] >> Yes. [32:52] >> Uh and she she essentially logs the the [32:55] decisions and the and the pain points [32:56] and the questions and all that with a [32:59] dedicated hashtag on X. Uh but you're [33:01] doing that for the whole conference and [33:02] I like that. I like that. That's [33:05] >> um for someone who has organized uh [33:08] dozens of word camps [33:11] >> uh it's it's nice and refreshing to see [33:14] this being done in this way. I like it. [33:17] >> Yeah. Um I was saying because I'm [33:20] organizing this whole thing on my own, I [33:24] also need [33:26] a way to get some feedback from some [33:29] people. is like I have a full [33:33] uh crowd there that is able to help me. [33:37] Like I post stuff and then I get DMs [33:40] say, "Are you doing okay? Did you sleep [33:42] last night?" And then I get I get [33:45] someone else saying, "We should hop on [33:47] the call. I'll help you with some [33:49] sponsorship stuff." And then I get some [33:53] other people telling me, "Oh, I like [33:56] that idea. Where did you get it from?" I [33:57] say, "I don't know. just came up with [33:59] this and then you know it's amazing to [34:03] build this in public because I get that [34:07] motivation that I need that I wouldn't [34:09] have otherwise because I'm working on my [34:11] own. So this is why I'm doing it. Once [34:15] again back to that 2014 [34:20] uh way of why I was sharing my [34:22] WooCommerce blog posts. It was for me. [34:26] I'm doing this mostly for me because it [34:29] keeps myself accountable. I have to post [34:32] stuff every day which means that I have [34:35] to show it to myself that I'm making [34:38] progress or not. Maybe a you know there [34:42] are some days where I wasn't feeling [34:44] great or where where I thought Le was [34:46] going to was going to be a big failure [34:49] and but I write it. It's for me because [34:52] at least if I put things down, it's like [34:54] when you take notes, you empty your [34:57] brain and you're fine with that after [35:00] that. [35:00] >> Super powerful. [35:01] >> And I do the same on on Twitter and [35:04] LinkedIn as much as I can. It's [35:06] marketing at the end of the day, of [35:08] course, as well, but it also it's a big [35:13] it's a big help for me. [35:16] >> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, yes, it is [35:19] marketing. I like that you said that. [35:20] Um, but I think it's the right kind of [35:23] marketing. So, um, [35:26] the the the the things you share are are [35:29] So, first of all, uh, I should I should [35:31] preface by saying this and and I've [35:33] somewhat publicly said this before. Um, [35:36] but, uh, it is my ambition to organize [35:38] an event as well. Uh, one of my own. [35:42] >> Great. [35:43] >> Uh, not a word camp. I've done, like I [35:45] said, dozens of work camps. Uh I have an [35:48] idea of how to do an event in a [35:50] different way for a different crowd very [35:52] specifically designed and I'll I'll [35:54] share about that later uh not in this [35:57] podcast but uh on my blog. [36:00] >> But seeing you do this is inspirational [36:03] because I like the questions you have. [36:06] Uh I I see you cover interesting angles. [36:11] Um, I was going to ask you cuz I didn't [36:13] I didn't think of many questions I had [36:15] in advance, but here's here's one that I [36:17] do have. We're going to have speakers. [36:20] We're going to have an event where the [36:23] normal things happen. We're going to [36:25] have um, you know, hallway tracks uh, [36:29] people uh, interacting with each other [36:31] outside of the the the the presentations [36:34] and whatnot. [36:36] from aside from the normal stuff [36:38] happening at any event, what are you [36:41] most proud of of having thought of as [36:45] this is what I'm going to add to this? [36:47] This is this is what makes it unique. [36:50] >> That's you share a lot of these [36:52] examples. [36:53] >> Yeah, that's a great question. I would [36:55] start in the first place by saying that [36:57] the location it's a place where people [37:00] usually go on holiday. So, it's not a [37:03] city, it's not [37:06] um some random place, you know, in the [37:09] middle of Europe. No offense. Uh it's [37:12] >> Well, I'm not in the middle, so that's [37:13] fine. [37:15] >> Um it's, you know, on the beach, uh [37:18] which is a a typical uh place to go for [37:22] a conference. In fact, I mean, if you [37:24] search for conferences in in Sicily, you [37:27] probably if you find hit zero. But [37:31] that's that was my first goal. And the [37:33] second is [37:35] I want people to make a return on the [37:39] investment. So if they come here the [37:42] flight year they you know spend lots of [37:45] money on flights uh [37:47] >> or drive is [37:48] >> or driving. Yes. Even even crazier. Uh [37:53] but um you know I want real connections. [37:57] I want business to happen and that's why [38:00] we will have a lot of as as opposed to [38:04] just random networking uh or speed [38:07] networking whatever we have breakout [38:09] sessions. [38:10] I like that thing but this is something [38:13] that came up while I was building in [38:15] public. Someone said oh instead of just [38:18] networking you should be having breaker [38:20] sessions. I said let's do it. So you [38:24] know it'll be kind of you know the the [38:26] room will be divided into topics AI [38:29] performance [38:31] uh designers developers and you know [38:33] marketplace wherever it is there would [38:36] be totems and you can just go there if [38:38] you want to break the ice and you're [38:40] introvert like me you don't know what to [38:42] talk about you just go there and show [38:43] off and and um you know basically share [38:48] your expertise and ask questions and you [38:50] know this is a sort of a a way for, you [38:53] know, to allow people to rotate in [38:55] between these sessions and make sure [38:57] that they get [38:58] >> know as many people as possible. Um, and [39:02] this is the second thing that I'm most [39:04] proud of. Uh, the first thing is [39:07] probably [39:08] the fact that the ticket um, it's [39:14] basically all inclusive. So, I didn't [39:17] want people to have to go outside the [39:20] venue and look for a restaurant and then [39:22] come back and then see you later and [39:24] then um you know go out for a cafe and [39:28] then come back and then exit, get a [39:30] taxi, come back. I just want to wanted [39:34] them to, you know, get the full [39:37] experience if they want to. They can [39:39] have breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, [39:42] coffee at the venue for two and a half [39:45] days in a row without spending a single [39:48] scent. Uh, and that that's something [39:51] that I was able to do first because it's [39:53] quite affordable where we are. We're not [39:56] in London or Rome or Milan or whatever. [40:01] And uh second because my idea for a [40:05] conference is that well I should be [40:08] there and relax. I don't want to waste [40:11] time going outside or searching for [40:14] things on on the phone for [40:17] recommendations and so it's all there [40:19] right so you can go there relax and do [40:22] business. So these two things is really [40:25] something that I wanted to to achieve. [40:28] So fingers crossed. [40:31] >> Well, um I think um I think the fingers [40:36] crossed is u I don't think it's [40:37] necessary from what I can see. Uh and [40:41] obviously I've booked, I have a ticket, [40:43] I am coming, I am driving, not flying. [40:46] Um, [40:48] the location looks absolutely wonderful [40:52] and if it's just that and I'm pretty [40:55] sure the talks are also going to be [40:57] lovely, then everything else is just [40:58] gravy on top, right? So, it's just it's [41:01] already wonderful, but what's above [41:03] wonderful? I don't know. [41:04] >> Yeah. Um, and it seems like you're [41:06] nailing that. [41:10] >> Yeah. I mean, you know, the the [41:11] location, they have a very good [41:13] photographer, so I can't guarantee that [41:15] it's as beautiful as for the photos. [41:18] >> Also, those photos were like during [41:21] amazing sunsets and during the summer. [41:24] >> Yeah. Yeah. [41:24] >> We're in love season, but still, you [41:28] know, you can, you know, walk 5 minutes [41:30] on the beach. You want to go for a walk [41:31] in the morning. Then this another thing [41:35] the first talk [41:37] in, you know, both days is going to be [41:39] at 10:15, 10:30. So I want people to [41:43] chill out, relax, go for a walk, go to [41:46] the gym, [41:47] >> have a great breakfast, maybe a chat or [41:50] two before we actually start the event. [41:53] >> So it's very laidback, relaxed, and um [41:57] >> it's very southern Italy. [41:58] >> Yes. Yes. We we might get a siesta as [42:01] well after lunch. Who knows? Yeah. [42:06] >> Yeah, that's funny. [42:07] >> And uh and yes, hopefully proper coffee [42:10] as well. So I'm actually, you know, [42:12] copies on me. So I I basically asked [42:15] >> I I I couldn't care less. [42:17] >> Yeah. [42:18] >> I don't I don't I don't drink coffee, so [42:20] it's fine. It's fine. [42:22] >> You'll survive. [42:24] >> I I will I will. Um I don't go to Italy [42:27] because I like the coffee. I don't even [42:29] go to Italy because I like pasta. I just [42:31] I love Italy because of Italy. Um the [42:34] best Italian food for me is um you know [42:38] um uh Florentino steak. That's doesn't [42:42] get any better than that. That's that's [42:44] all I need. Not that you have to provide [42:46] that. I'll I'll find something along the [42:48] way as I'm driving down. But uh um since [42:53] technical difficulties you'll be driving [42:54] through Tuskact. So uh I'll I'll find my [42:58] way. That's the place. [43:00] >> Since we're having technical [43:01] difficulties all the time, uh, for those [43:03] of you listening, I don't know how much [43:05] it's going to be evident, but, um, [43:08] connection every now and then, uh, just [43:10] drops and then has to refresh. Um, so I [43:14] think we have a 10-minute window now um, [43:17] for my final question. [43:20] Um, actually two questions. First of [43:22] all, are there tickets left still? [43:27] Yes, there there are. Um, so there are [43:31] about [43:33] 60 tickets left at the moment. In fact, [43:37] here that some sponsors still have to [43:40] redeem their tickets and some stickers [43:42] as well and some volunteers. So, I'd say [43:44] 60. So, the last 10 would be at a [43:48] discounted price and then the full price [43:50] kicks in in a few days. Um but yes, so [43:55] um you know pretty happy with how sales [43:58] have you know gone so far. Um and uh I [44:03] hope to you know sell out effective [44:06] >> in the next few weeks. [44:07] >> It's my experience that the last 6 weeks [44:10] is where most tickets are sold period. [44:13] Um, out of all the events that I've [44:16] done, yes, some are being sold up front, [44:19] but it's like it's like 7 6 weeks before [44:23] something happens, people go like, [44:25] >> should we go? Should we go? Yeah. Yeah, [44:26] probably probably we should. Okay, let's [44:28] let's let's go. It's kind of [44:30] >> there's some more than the exact same [44:32] thing. [44:33] >> I've not seen it any different. Um, I've [44:35] organized work camps in three months. [44:37] I've organized work camps that almost [44:39] were 10 months ahead. It's the same [44:41] thing. It's in the last couple of weeks, [44:44] >> everybody jumps in, goes, "Yeah, you [44:45] know what? I'm going to do this." Um, [44:48] >> I don't know, maybe it's because people [44:49] can't can't or won't or don't plan that [44:51] far ahead. [44:53] >> Um, [44:54] >> my travel has been planned until the end [44:56] of June already. So, [44:58] >> but uh that was my first question. The [45:01] the last question I have for you is um [45:04] you have an interesting uh uh collection [45:07] of speakers. [45:10] Did you have any particular idea of [45:14] uh how you wanted to approach finding [45:16] the right speakers [45:18] and who is the right speaker for you? [45:22] >> Right. So, [45:25] first of all, we only have 12 12 [45:28] speakers. We're not going to have 50 or [45:30] 70 or 100. So, I had to be super [45:34] selective. [45:36] And you know thankfully all the the [45:40] speakers that were not selected are [45:43] staying as backup speakers or will speak [45:47] at some of my online classes afterwards [45:49] cuz they're amazing amazing topics. [45:51] >> That is cool. Second, I said, "Folks, [45:56] just one requirement. The WooCommerce [45:59] keyword must be in the title because [46:02] this really upsets me. Whenever I go to [46:05] work camps and I wanted to change that, [46:08] say where a WCommerce conference, your [46:11] title must contain the word of [46:13] WCommerce." and that was already you [46:16] know kind of um self selecting most of [46:21] the speakers and second this is a [46:25] conference for developers founders and [46:28] makers so of course I wanted [46:33] speakers that could share case studies [46:36] things that haven't been told online uh [46:40] things that can only be you know [46:42] answered you know in person. Um I wanted [46:47] you know people I mean there are people [46:50] speakers flying from Australia to you [46:52] know to come to Palmo which to me it's [46:54] like crazy [46:57] >> I [46:58] I [46:59] >> I'm just driving for that's [47:02] >> yeah I asked them and I said I wasn't [47:06] expecting definitely you know nothing in [47:08] return and then they said we'll do it [47:10] say what cool like what are we going to [47:12] do about it and then South Africa and [47:15] then west coast. That's wonderful of the [47:17] US and you know from all over the places [47:20] >> and I wanted big names but especially [47:25] great stories. So whether it's someone [47:29] moving to Shopify and failing, someone [47:31] moving to Shopify and succeeding, [47:34] someone talking about amazing [47:36] performance [47:38] or penetration testing that they run at [47:41] their company, whether it's someone who [47:44] spent years in WooCommerce, now is doing [47:47] their own thing, but they have, you [47:49] know, 10, 15 years experience with the [47:52] marketplace or things that they would [47:54] have done differently. [47:56] But this is what I want to have there. [47:59] Then [47:59] >> if I if I were to translate it, it [48:01] translates to learnings. [48:04] >> Yes, exactly. And also because talks [48:08] will not be recorded or live streamed, I [48:12] really wanted to, you know, some [48:14] speakers that they could deliver in [48:18] public that people that have followers [48:21] on social, you know, people that are [48:23] well known and that can actually put one [48:26] word after the other and come up with a [48:28] great story uh that, you know, is going [48:31] to be told in Polmo and that's it. So, [48:35] you know, they're they can reuse it [48:37] afterwards, but you know, I really value [48:41] the fact that people have to come here [48:45] because I live here uh to listen to [48:48] these amazing case studies and um only [48:52] 12 of them, plenty of time to talk to [48:54] them afterwards and and that was my my [48:57] goal with with selecting these speakers. [49:01] >> I like it. I like it a lot. In fact, I [49:04] like it so much I'm coming. [49:08] >> Really looking forward to it. [49:10] >> As am I. I mean, the the not going to [49:12] lie, I'm going to really enjoy the [49:14] journey as well, but um yeah. Um [49:19] it's um yeah, like like I've said [49:22] before, I'm repeating myself, but I [49:24] think it's important to repeat this one. [49:26] I think it's high time this happens for [49:29] this particular niche inside of the [49:31] WordPress community. Walcommerce is big. [49:34] Most people don't realize what that [49:35] actually means, what the what the market [49:37] share is, what that translates into [49:39] compared to the, you know, the the big [49:43] money machine that is Shopify. Um, [49:46] WCommerce is huge. So, we we need this [49:49] and um [49:52] yeah, I mean, I think I want to end this [49:53] with by saying uh thank you for [49:55] organizing and um looking forward to [49:57] seeing you. [49:59] >> Yeah, I hope I get there alive. That's [50:01] my first goal and then my second goal is [50:05] to finish it and uh start thinking about [50:09] here too if if I can. [50:11] >> Yeah, I'm sure I'm sure that'll happen. [50:13] Um [50:15] very uh very happy for you to be on the [50:17] podcast. Thank you so much. Again, the [50:19] technical difficulties were uh [50:21] interesting. Um but uh we'll see how [50:23] much we can smooth this out. Uh thank [50:25] you so much for joining. And um uh where [50:28] can people find tickets? Uh yeah, that's [50:31] on checkoutsummit.com [50:35] and um you know there's a website and [50:38] the ticket page and um the the last few [50:43] you know the last 60 tickets are are [50:45] there available. [50:47] >> Excellent. [50:48] Thank you so much. [50:50] You're very welcome and it was an [50:52] amazing pleasure to you know meeting you [50:55] in almost in person and we we'll [50:59] complete that in about two month two and [51:03] a half months. [51:04] >> Yep. Soon enough. See you there my [51:06] friend. [51:07] >> Yeah. Take care man. Bye-bye. Ciao for [51:09] now.  📄 **Full text:** ![[Full Document Contents/Articles/From WooCommerce Code Snippets to Checkout Summit Sicily|From WooCommerce Code Snippets to Checkout Summit Sicily, YouTube]] ## Highlights - and talk to, you know, a few local people that I knew from tennis or whatever it was and I say, I'll pick this one. Sounds cool. Went to WooCommerce. Loved it. second client WooCommerce, third client WooCommerce. And I say this is amazing. I'm going to stick with this. And and then that was the second law, which was hold on, I'm doing all these websites on WooCommerce. I keep reusing all these code snippets ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kkvv2ffa06ffgbsrn883e2zf)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - then I need to build my personal brand. I need to build a community whether it's online or in person. And that's why at the end of April, check out summit will happen in Sicily, which is my way of bringing humans back inside WCommerce. So we haven't met. I ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kkvv2fjbbr7nyjs0c8kpbvmn)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - continue, you know, doing business and uh using what I've, you know, gained in the last few years, which is loads of people, loads of contacts, loads of email addresses, loads of followers. the only thing that I can do is actually doing a live inerson conference and this is you know the backstory of why I went with this. So yes, we're meeting in Palmo on April the 23rd and 24th ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kkvv2fmpcyr0qbkkjtka3exv)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - actually chat to people because we haven't done forever. Like, no one knows anyone in the WooCommerce community. apart from those little faces on social media or in a Slack channel and that's not fair because WooCommerce is alive thanks to the community. So we need to give something back to the community. >> I think that's a I think that's a wonderful thing that you're doing there. Uh, and I agree it's um, so Woolcom has ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kkvv2fs0x9a8f43f0zxh0jc5)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - motivate WooCommerce into thinking about this again because they will see the results. They will see how helpful it is. And it's a small event. Imagine if there were, you know, 1,000 people wuko in London and then one other in whatever else in Tokyo and then another in South America. Like it will be unbelievable. >> Oh, there's a there's a there's a huge opportunity there. Yep. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kkvv2fw2pb3qy73rp7ay7jaz)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - like, "Yes, finally someone's picking this up." Um, if you see the chatter on just on X, right? I'm I I I'm on Blue Sky as well. I'm on Facebook as well and on LinkedIn, but of out of all of the places where the chatter around Woo Commerce is the most active, it's on X. And there's a lot of discussion, there's a lot of sharing, there's a lot of learning, there's there's people from Kestrel, from Barn 2, from Woo Commerce themselves, developer advocates, James, ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kkvv2fzypsevngypj2q66m4a)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - build this in public because I get that motivation that I need that I wouldn't have otherwise because I'm working on my own. So this is why I'm doing it. Once again back to that 2014 uh way of why I was sharing my WooCommerce blog posts. It was for me. I'm doing this mostly for me because it keeps myself accountable. I have to post ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kkvv2g2w8y0s5k2e2sfy801g)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - And uh second because my idea for a conference is that well I should be there and relax. I don't want to waste time going outside or searching for things on on the phone for recommendations and so it's all there right so you can go there relax and do business. So these two things is really something that I wanted to to achieve. So fingers crossed. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kkvv2g5vzqdb3x1n8g5peawr)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - WordPress community. Walcommerce is big. Most people don't realize what that actually means, what the what the market share is, what that translates into compared to the, you know, the the big money machine that is Shopify. Um, WCommerce is huge. So, we we need this and um yeah, I mean, I think I want to end this with by saying uh thank you for organizing and um looking forward to seeing you. >> Yeah, I hope I get there alive. That's ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kkvv2gac1sx66wwed533179w)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted