Closing the GiveWP Chapter: Leaving Liquid Web and StellarWP

First off, I want to thank my friends, family, colleagues, and the WordPress community who have supported me over the last 10+ years. It’s with bittersweet emotions that I share I’ve stepped away from my role at Liquid Web, which oversees the StellarWP product line, including GiveWP, the product I co-founded more than a decade ago.

It’s Been a Heck of a Ride

WordPress has been nearly my entire career. From the first website I built (pre-CPTs), to my first plugin (Yelp Widget Pro), to the golden goose of them all: GiveWP, I’m humbled and proud of the journey over the last decade.

The idea for a fundraising plugin all started at WordCamp US 2014, when my longtime friend and business partner Matt Cromwell and I sat down at a bar after State of the Word. We had been building numerous nonprofit websites, and every single one needed a way to handle donations, manage donors, and view reports.

We tried WooCommerce. Square peg, round hole. We tried Gravity Forms. Missing core CRM features. Nothing was built from the ground up for nonprofits.

So we asked, “Why don’t we build it ourselves?” That’s exactly what we did through late 2014 and early 2015. We launched GiveWP at WordCamp San Diego 2015, and because we put everything into it, it quickly started gaining traction in the WordPress community and beyond.

Reflecting on that time will always be special to me. GiveWP has powered millions of donations for thousands of causes worldwide, large and small. The chance to empower those missions, build lasting community relationships, and contribute to the broader WordPress ecosystem is something I’ll always carry with me.

Even though I’m no longer officially part of the team, GiveWP will always be part of who I am.

Navigating an Acquisition by a Trusted Buyer

In 2020–2021, the world went through a wild time. Markets collapsed, rebounded, and tech took off. GiveWP soared during those two years, and at the same time, WordPress products were seeing an unprecedented wave of acquisitions.

We had several offers, but we held firm to three principles:

1. The buyer had to take care of our team, first and foremost.
2. GiveWP needed to remain a cornerstone product of the company.
3. The deal had to make financial sense for the partners.

That’s when Chris Lema, then an executive at Liquid Web, reached out. After months of discussion, negotiation, and due diligence, the ink dried, and my time at Liquid Web began.

Liquid Web and StellarWP

Transitioning from leading a company I helped start to joining a much larger organization took some adjustment. I have to credit Joe Oesterling and Zach Tirrell for making that transition as smooth as possible, not just for me, but for the entire team.

To their credit, they honored the commitments I outlined above. GiveWP kept growing, though the pace naturally shifted as the pandemic eased and markets normalized.

At Liquid Web, our team benefited from things we simply couldn’t provide before: better 401(k) options, healthcare, and clear career pathways. Personally, I was able to expand my focus beyond GiveWP and help lead and collaborate with other teams and brands, like iThemes, now SolidWP, and Kadence WP.

The experience I gained there is invaluable. I stayed nearly two years past my original contract, which says a lot about the people and the leadership. I worked alongside some incredibly smart, passionate folks who genuinely cared about building great products.

Why Now?

It’s never easy to make a big life shift, but sometimes you just know when the timing is right. Over the past few months, as changes unfolded within the organization, it became clear to me that my time was coming to a close.

Maybe it was turning 40. Maybe it was restlessness. Probably both. But eventually, I knew I had to make the call.

Rest assured, GiveWP is in good hands. The team has challenges ahead, as all great products do, but I believe they’ll rise to them and continue building on its success.

What’s Next?

I’m not leaving WordPress, entrepreneurship, or software. It’s my passion, it’s what I’m good at, and I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Outside of WordPress, I’m investing more energy into Rosemarie’s. We’ve got two locations in San Diego and are working on a third. I’m no restaurateur (that’s my partners’ arena), but I help where I can, even working the front of the house now and then.

Within WordPress, I’m continuing work on the pro version of WP Rollback, which hit version 1.0 last month and is off to a strong start. I’ve got a solid roadmap, and honestly, it’s refreshing to work solo again, developing, supporting, and marketing a plugin end-to-end.

Beyond that, I’m finally catching up on some household projects and exploring ideas (and partners) for whatever my “next big thing” might be. I’ve been fortunate to build a strong network of brilliant, driven people, and I’m excited to create something meaningful again.

Stay Tuned

Thanks again to my entire network: friends, family, teammates, mentors, and leaders. I’m grateful for the past, proud of what we built together, and optimistic about what’s ahead.

GiveWP and StellarWP will always be part of my story, and I’ll always cheer for their success. At the same time, I’m energized by the chance to build again, to explore new ideas, and to find fresh ways to contribute to the WordPress community and beyond.

This isn’t goodbye. It’s the next step, and I can’t wait to share more of the journey with you.