My Name is Nirmal Gyanwali. I am the founder of WP Creative, based in Sydney, Australia. I started my career as a website developer in the mid-2000s, worked in digital agencies for about 10 years, and then started WP Creative with my wife, Saba.
I grew up in a small village in Nepal, where my parents ran a farm and hustled every day to put food on the table. That’s where I learned entrepreneurship early, and the value of hard work and resilience.
From farm life to medical school, and eventually to a Master’s in IT in Australia, the journey has been anything but easy.
But it made me resilient, hungry, and adaptable. And honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Journey Began
I was 18, stuck in a medical degree, bored out of my mind. I didn’t know what I was doing, didn’t know where to go, and didn’t have the courage to change direction.
I felt lost. I just couldn’t build any passion for medicine. But boredom is the root of creativity. I started learning about computers — visiting public libraries and going online whenever I could, even though internet access wasn’t easy back then. It was around 2004.
I used to save my lunch money that my parents sent each month just to visit an internet cafe and download websites onto floppy disks. (It’s laughable now, I had about 5 or 6 of those 1.4MB disks as my storage devices.)
At night, I would study those files — learning how websites were built, writing code, and experimenting with new ideas.
Eventually, I built a health portal and an online store for medicine delivery — a perfect blend of my medical background and growing passion for IT.
The health portal gained good traction and was eventually acquired by a pharmaceutical company.
That was a major milestone in my career — and it gave me the confidence to double down on IT and leave medicine behind.
My WordPress Journey
I truly fell in love with the web. The idea that I could build something online and share it with the world felt empowering and fascinating.
As a kid from a farming village, it felt like discovering magic — something I never even thought was possible. I started with the basics — writing HTML in Notepad, line by line, building simple websites.
But I was always chasing faster execution — building, failing, learning, and improving. To move faster, I explored PHP and ASP.NET, trying to build more dynamic and powerful sites.
I even tried to build my own CMS — but nothing really worked the way I wanted. Then, around 2008, I discovered Joomla and WordPress — and that was a game changer.
I could finally build better websites faster — and I loved it. For the next five years, I built hundreds of websites for clients using Joomla. At that time, Joomla offered more built-in features, while WordPress was still growing beyond its blogging roots.
I saw WordPress mainly as a blogging tool — and so did most of my clients. I used WordPress to build my personal blogs, sharing everything I was learning.
That pushed me to read more, write more, and master the craft. The blog gained strong traction quickly helping me establish myself as a trusted developer.
It opened doors to working with global brands, not-for-profit organisations, and even a few celebrities .:)
At the same time, I was working full-time for digital agencies while completing my Master’s in IT from Sikkim Manipal University.
Most days, I worked multiple jobs from 6 am to 10 pm — juggling agency work, freelancing, and study — and I loved every minute of it.
Learning, building, and pushing myself every single day. In 2012, I moved to Australia to specialise further in web technologies and joined the Master of IT program at Macquarie University.
With my passion and long experience, I quickly landed a full-time, permanent role. Interestingly, I realised WordPress was way more popular here compared to other CMS — and it’s what clients really wanted.
So, I decided to double down on WordPress. And I never looked back.
The Need for “WP Creative”
WP Crearive logo
After working for almost 10 years in digital agencies, from developer to CTO level, I realised something critical: Websites had become the heart of marketing. They could make or break a business.
Yet the industry was broken. WordPress had exploded in popularity among marketers, but most WordPress devs or dev agencies didn’t understand marketing. And most marketing agencies didn’t understand code.
That gap became our opportunity. I decided to take the leap, leave a high-paying CTO job, and start WP Creative with my wife — Australia’s only web agency built specifically for marketers.
Today, WP Creative is Australia’s go-to web agency for marketing teams. We don’t just build websites; we turn them into powerful marketing engines.
Of course, starting wasn’t easy. We faced our share of hurdles — bad partnerships that almost broke the business, constant burnout, sleepless nights, $18,000 in credit card debt, and losing my mum to cancer that same year.
But thanks to the incredible support of my wife, we never lost faith in our vision. Today, WP Creative leads with our unique Marketechs™ approach — blending marketing insight with technical mastery.
Nirmal with his wife
Through our flagship GrowthStack™ framework, we deliver websites engineered for traffic, leads, and conversions — not just vanity metrics.
We’re proud to have been trusted by global and Australian brands like Oxford University, UNSW, Flare HR (backed by MYOB), and Gregory Jewellers.
WP Creative’s Team
My Brilliant Team
We’re a team of 26+ Marketechs™ — marketers at heart, devs by craft. We live and breathe the blend of marketing vision and technical precision that sets WP Creative apart.
Advice for Business Owners
If you’re starting out, don’t spread yourself thin. Specialise deeply — whether it’s as an agency, developer, plugin creator, or theme provider. Find your niche, dominate it, and scale.
Believe in yourself. Never forget why you started. Business is a scary roller coaster ride — but the media only shows the bright, exciting side. The real journey is tough. But if you keep going, it’s worth it.
WordPress & Beyond
Our vision is to empower marketers — to be the web agency behind better marketing and dominate the intersection of marketing strategy and dev excellence.
WordPress will continue to evolve as the go-to CMS because of its flexibility, strong community, and robust ecosystem. But complacency is a real threat. Platforms like Webflow are rising fast, and WordPress must keep innovating to stay ahead.
AI will change everything. The future belongs to those who adapt. It’s an exciting space to be in — and riding the wave, not fighting it, is the key.
That’s why at WP Creative, we’re evolving too. We’re moving towards being a true “web agency” — tech-agnostic and ready to meet our ideal clients’ changing demands.
It’s not just about WordPress anymore. It’s about supporting marketers with whatever technology, AI, or platform helps them win.
Stay in Touch
My Love for the WordPress Community
I’ve attended WordCamps and meetups in Australia — though not as often as I would love to. For a while, business demanded my full attention.
Building WP Creative to where it is today meant focusing heavily on execution and growth.
Now, we’ve built a strong leadership team, with systems and processes that allow the business to run without me in the day-to-day.
I’m excited to reconnect with the WordPress community — attend more events, give back, and share my experiences. That’s high on my list for the next chapter.
How I Keep Myself Updated
I stay active on LinkedIn and follow trusted sources like WP Tavern, WP Engine, Ahrefs, and a few key industry podcasts. I’m very selective about where I get my information.
I don’t browse other social media, watch TV, or follow traditional newspapers. Instead, I’m an avid reader.
For the last 15 years, books have been my main source of knowledge, inspiration, and personal growth.
I try to read at least 20–30 books a year — mostly physical books, less audio. Whenever I’m struggling with something or want to grow, I pick 2 or 3 of the best books in that category and read them cover to cover. Books have been my greatest mentors on this journey.
I Have a Life Other Than Work
I’m a dad to two cheeky girls under five. Most mornings start at 3am with a walk and some deep work — before the family chaos begins.
We love camping, off-roading, and exploring Australia’s beautiful outdoors with our dog, Max. Spending quality time with my daughters and watching them grow has been one of life’s greatest miracles. It energises me more than anything else.
At the same time, raising kids by ourselves in a foreign country — without any family support — has been one of the toughest journeys. But it’s also made us stronger, more grateful, and more present in every moment.
I Reward Myself by
I’m not big on rewards. I find more joy in the journey of learning, improving, and growing.
Most days, I work around 12 hours and haven’t taken an extended break since starting WP Creative — outside of weekends and public holidays. Not because I have to, but because I love what I do.
I take micro-breaks that energise me and keep me moving forward. It takes a lot of grit and commitment to build the kind of business you truly believe in.
I see it more as an infinite game than a destination — a path of continuous improvement. The process itself motivates me more than any milestone ever could.
That said, I love travelling, exploring new places, and trying new cuisines. Taking my family on trips, at least once a month, has become a goal I deeply value. It’s our way to slow down, reconnect, and create lifelong memories together.
Connect With Me
If you’d like to connect, swap ideas, or chat about WordPress, marketing, or building a business — I’d love to hear from you!
