Devrims: Thank you for joining us, Alex. You wear many hats, Fractional CTO, founder, and creator. Can you share how your journey into software development began? What sparked your interest in the field?
Alex: Computers have fascinated me since before I could read. I’ve always been interested in what they can do, and have a lifetime of experimenting with them, and understanding what they’re good at, and not so good at. I knew I was going to work with computers ever-since I was in junior high.
Devrims: From founding Novatorius to building Siren Affiliates, what inspired you to take the leap into entrepreneurship? Were there any pivotal moments that shaped your decision?
Alex: I think a lot of it stemmed from the 2007 housing crisis in the US. There was a big freelancer movement at that time because so many people had trouble finding jobs, and the gig economy started to show up. I was intrigued by the idea of owning my own business then, and have never stopped learning about how to run an effective business since then.
But more than anything, I believe strongly that people should be able to celebrate remote work. Many of us just moved our desk from the office to the home office, and never took advantage of the fact that we can be anywhere in the world with a remote job. I wanted to create a business that not only allows that, but encourages and celebrates that for everyone who works with me.
Devrims: Let’s talk about Siren Affiliates. What gap in the market did you identify that led to its creation, and how does it differ from other affiliate management solutions?
Alex: I believe that affiliate programs are just a stepping stone into other incentive program types. There are entire businesses that operate on a single, extremely effective, incentive program that is decidedly not an affiliate program.
I recognized that the tools on the market right now are so focused on creating a single very specific type of program, and I felt that there should be something that makes it possible to create different types of programs. This gives Siren the unique ability to create everything form a simple refer a friend program, all the way to a full-blown set of incentive programs that can be used to operationalize your entire business.
Devrims: As a WordPress plugin developer, you’ve seen the ecosystem grow significantly. What excites you about its current state, and where do you see it heading in the next 5–10 years?
Alex: I envision a world where we are working a lot more agnostically than we have in the past. I believe that the web is in the middle of a lot of changes, and the internet is going to look very, very different than it does today. I think WordPress will continue to be a part of that equation, but the result of this shift in how the web works, I envision that the most successful companies will be building their software so that it can run with, or without WordPress.
Devrims: How do you see the role of managed cloud hosting in supporting ecommerce businesses? Does it also influence the perception of a product/website?
Alex: Of course a good host is important. It’s the “managed” part that can be tricky though. Some hosts say they’re managed hosting but then don’t actually manage anything, they’re just using fancy software so they can charge a premium.
Look for a host that not only supports your business, and ensures it runs well at the scale you’re at, but also someone who has quick, direct support as well.
Devrims: Let’s do some quick rapid-fire questions
| Favorite WordPress plugin (besides Siren Affiliates) | OMGIMG. It’s such a simple idea but it’s saved me so much time over the last few months. |
| Coffee or Tea while working | Both! |
| Favorite vacation spot | LOL I traveled full-time in a camper for 4 years. That’s like asking me which of my kids is my favorite. |
Devrims: Collaboration between technical and non-technical stakeholders can sometimes be challenging. How do you bridge the gap as a Fractional CTO to ensure effective communication and project success?
Alex: The biggest gap I see in businesses is they don’t do a good enough job at setting up the systems and standards to properly define what success looks like. Most companies tend to hire technical people and let them define those things because they either don’t know how to do it themselves, or aren’t aware of how important it is.
The consequence of that is that technical debt inevitably increases, and knowledge about how the system works walks out the door when those developers leave.
Stakeholders don’t generally care about what platform you’re using, or if you’re using agile, scrum, or some other system. They don’t care if your code is nomadic, or reactive, stateless, or object-oriented. They care about results. If you want to bridge the gap, it starts by making sure you’re set up with the foundations to deliver on those results on-time, every time. That brings confidence, which makes the “gap” smaller.
Devrims: It would be great if you could share a glimpse of your workspace with us.
Devrims: What’s next for Siren Affiliates and Novatorius? Any exciting features, projects, or collaborations in the pipeline?
Alex: Siren is so close to launching an integration with North Commerce. I’m really excited about this because North Commerce is a really solid e-commerce solution for WordPress, and it has a very passionate community of people who use it regularly.
As for Novatorius, I’m continuing to look for more work as a fractional CTO for a few more companies this year. I expect that I’ll continue to develop the Novatorius brand, and you’ll likely start seeing content coming out of that site sometime this year, as well.
Devrims: Balancing career with personal life is also important. How do you maintain that balance, and do you have any self-care practices?
Alex: I believe the concept of “work/life balance” is misleading.
Instead, I strive for work/life harmony. Some of my most productive days happen in just 4-6 hours of focused, intentional work.
Interestingly, these days often coincide with having something exciting planned for the afternoon. Knowing I have plans after lunch and won’t be returning to work motivates me to make the most of my morning, turning it into a time of exceptional productivity.
Devrims: Lastly, name a few people that you recommend us to interview next.
Alex:
- Richard Kastl
- Matthew Laue
- Corey Maass
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