Why I Launched Roots & Fruit: A Conversation with WP Tavern About the Future of WordPress Products

A few weeks ago, I joined Nathan Wrigley on WP Tavern’s Jukebox podcast to talk about what I’m building next and why.

It could have been a simple career update. I co-founded GiveWP, helped grow it, stayed on through the acquisition into StellarWP leadership, and then stepped away. But the real conversation was about something bigger.

WordPress product businesses are in a different era now. The habits that worked ten years ago are no longer enough.

The WordPress Gold Rush Is Over. That’s a Good Thing.

For a long time, WordPress product growth was closely tied to distribution.

When GiveWP launched, the directory was crowded but still generous. You could build something useful, list it, and gain traction without a fully formed growth engine behind it.

That environment has matured.

Customers compare outcomes, not platforms. They evaluate SaaS tools, AI tools, plugins, and custom builds side by side. That forces WordPress product companies to operate like disciplined product businesses. Distribution helps, but it no longer carries the weight it once did.

That shift raises the bar. It also rewards clarity and focus.

“We used to depend so much on the wordpress.org plugin directory as a primary outlet for discoverability… Now, we’re not just competing WordPress to WordPress, we’re competing WordPress to the rest of the whole world.”

Code Isn’t the Product. The Experience Is.

Nathan described the normal buying journey. You search for a solution, land on a website, decide whether you trust it, pay, install, and hope it works.

This was the line that mattered most:

Customers do not evaluate repositories. They evaluate messaging, positioning, checkout flow, onboarding, documentation, and support. Every step shapes their confidence.

Code enables that journey. The customer experiences everything wrapped around it.

Many WordPress builders still anchor their identity in development. That made sense when feature velocity alone could drive growth. Today, durable growth depends on the full experience. The companies that design that experience intentionally are the ones that stand out.

“All of the things that convinced you to use that product had nothing to do with the code at all…A product experience is the whole entire customer journey that happens from discovery, to purchase, to adoption.”

Growth Is Prioritization, Not Activity

When growth slows, founders often respond with business and noise. They create more channels or experiments. In the end that’s just more surface area to be accountable to.

I described the trap this way:

“Sometimes… we see a million opportunities. And so then we start dabbling in all the things… But that doesn’t lead to growth.”

Reddit, LinkedIn, ads, SEO, partnerships, webinars. Each one has potential. Pursuing all of them at once spreads attention thin and makes results harder to interpret.

Growth requires sequence. It requires choosing one lever, working it deeply, and measuring it honestly before moving on. That discipline feels slower at first. Over time, it compounds.

Why Roots & Fruit Exists

Throughout the conversation with Nathan, I just kept being reminded of why I built Roots & Fruit in the first place: I believe in these crazy creators who keep choosing WordPress to build their tools and businesses.

I work with two types of builders. Solo founders who have shipped something meaningful but feel pulled in too many directions. Small product teams that are stable and profitable yet uncertain where their next stage of growth will come from.

They need structured ownership around growth. They need someone focused on prioritization, sequencing, and process.

Near the end of the interview, Nathan asked a direct question about the future of WordPress. He asked whether I think there still is fruit to be harvested in the WordPress space in 2026?

My answer was direct:

“Absolutely I do.”

I believe there is real opportunity in WordPress. I also believe that opportunity favors teams who adapt to the current environment. Growth is still available. It simply requires stronger positioning, clearer prioritization, and disciplined execution.

Roots & Fruit exists to help product teams build that structure.

If You Want the Full Conversation

Check out the full episode on The WP Tavern. The full discussion goes deeper into the ecosystem shifts, the pandemic surge and correction, the role of AI in WordPress, and what product maturity looks like now.

If you are building a WordPress product and thinking seriously about growth, I think you will find it worthwhile. If you hear your own pains and growth needs there, then reach out, I’d love to be able to help.