Lessons from web developers, designers, and writers I quoted $95 for a WooCommerce setup last year. The client paid immediately, requested two minor changes, and left a positive review. I felt smart until I realized the same work would’ve been $285 if I’d positioned it differently. Not because I underestimated hours, I tracked those correctly. … Read more
You’ve been watching people with half your skill launch things you could have built in a weekend. They’re posting screenshots of Stripe notifications. The gap isn’t technical. You know WordPress. The gap is that you’re treating AI like a new framework to master, when AI hustles for WordPress developers, is really just another layer you … Read more
You’re switching between two tabs: an AI Engineer posting requiring 2 years of experience, and an Upwork gig to automate customer onboarding. You close the laptop without applying to either. The confusion isn’t technical it’s structural. You don’t know which version of yourself the market actually wants. When people say “AI Engineer vs AI Automation … Read more
It was 7:42 a.m. The kitchen light was still off. My phone sat face down on the counter while I poured water into the kettle. It buzzed once, then again. A voice note. From a number I recognized instantly. Someone I talk to every week. “Can you send it now? I’ll explain later.” I stood … Read more
The failure didn’t announce itself. Nothing broke. No one complained. No metric dipped far enough to trigger a review. The work moved forward. Deadlines were met. Decisions landed on time. That’s usually where failure is supposed to end. But a few weeks later, while rereading a short internal note I’d approved with help from an … Read more
