Episodes 690 Side Projects With Marcus Burnette
Show Highlights
In this episode of The SDM Show, host Rob Cairns sits down with good friend Marcus Burnett to dive deep into Marcus’s latest side projects, the realities of building for the WordPress ecosystem, and where WordPress core is headed next.
Marcus shares the latest updates to The WP World, including real-time AI-powered multilingual messaging and a revamped job board designed to connect community members with new career opportunities. The conversation also explores Well Played WP, Marcus’s unified plugin library model that solves plugin licensing headaches, the build-vs-buy dilemma facing developers in the era of AI, and a candid debate on what truly belongs in WordPress core versus feature plugins.
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Show Notes
Key Discussion Topics
- Managing Time & Side Hustles: How Marcus balances a full-time role at Bluehost and family life with hands-on development projects.
- The Evolution of The WP World:
- How the platform grew from a global directory into an active community networking hub.
- Adding real-time translation messaging to break down language barriers across the global community.
- The newly revamped job board and hiring directory aimed at helping developers and agencies navigate industry layoffs and downsizing.
- Marketing for Tech Professionals: Why great technical skills aren’t enough, the importance of treating client pitches like job applications, and simple habits like capturing public client praise.
- Well Played WP & The Single-License Model:
- Moving away from the hassle of managing individual licenses and separate zip downloads.
- Delivering an entire suite through a single dashboard library plugin for seamless one-click installs.
- Creating targeted utilities rather than bloated mega-plugins.
- Build vs. Buy in the AI Era: Calculating the true cost of billable hours versus buying an off-the-shelf solution that already handles edge cases, security, and maintenance.
- WordPress Core, Security & Feature Scope:
- Why both Rob and Marcus favor a stripped-back, performant core supported by official canonical plugins.
- Where features like collaborative editing, 2FA, and passkeys fit into the platform’s future.
Notable Quotes
“My hobbies are all side projects. I enjoy playing with tech and seeing what I can accomplish with the tools that are available.” — Marcus Burnett
“Building a website is nice, but if you don’t market yourself, it doesn’t matter how good your skills are.” — Rob Cairns
“Life’s too short to do the things you don’t want to do if you have a way of taking care of it otherwise.” — Marcus Burnett
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