Hi, I’m Remco Nieuwenhuizen, 36 years old, and I live in the Netherlands with my wife. While I now run two WordPress-focused companies, my journey into the digital world started in quite an unexpected place — the army.
The Journey Began
Before I discovered WordPress, I spent six years in the Dutch Royal Army, including a deployment to Afghanistan. After that, I worked for five years with the national police. During my time in the army, I often had long evenings with little to do. While some of my colleagues passed the time with movies or gaming, I felt the urge to do something more productive. That’s when I started teaching myself how to build websites — and WordPress was my gateway.
What hooked me was how easy it was to get something up and running. I didn’t have a background in coding, but WordPress allowed me to build real, working websites, and it felt empowering. That freedom and flexibility are why I’ve stuck with WordPress ever since.
The Need for WPoptic
WPoptic logo
There are other tools out there that analyze websites, like BuiltWith and Wappalyzer — but they only detect a limited number of WordPress plugins (around 500 and 200, respectively). Considering there are likely over 100,000 WordPress plugins in existence, that’s barely scratching the surface.
That’s why I created WPoptic — a Chrome extension that already detects over 20,000 WordPress plugins and is constantly growing. Our goal is simple: offer better, deeper insights into the WordPress stack behind any website. That gives marketers, developers, and agencies an edge in understanding trends, tools, and competitors.
The Bumpy Road to Building
One of the biggest challenges I faced was finding the right developer. I initially partnered with someone from Indonesia who built the first version of WPoptic. But when I had the code reviewed by another expert, it became clear that we had to start from scratch. That was a tough and expensive lesson — but one I’m ultimately glad I went through. Today, WPoptic is more stable, scalable, and forward-looking than ever before.
WordPress Services I Run
While WPoptic is still in its startup phase, my main business is WPsupporters. With a small, remote team, we provide ongoing WordPress support to hundreds of companies. Our services include backups, updates, security, speed optimization, and dedicated helpdesk support.
Together, these two companies reflect my dual mission: one focused on long-term client relationships, and the other on innovation and product growth.
Myself with My Brilliant Team
At WPsupporters, I work with a close-knit remote team. There’s no office — we all work location-independently. WPoptic is being developed alongside one talented developer. It’s a lean operation, but it gives us the flexibility to move fast and stay efficient.
Advice for Business Owners
If you’re starting a WordPress-based business, my advice is simple: pick a niche and become the go-to expert in it. The WordPress space is big and competitive. The sooner people see you as a specialist, the faster you’ll build trust and recurring revenue. And that recurring revenue — not just one-off projects — is the key to long-term success.
Where to Focus?
There’s still huge potential in plugins. New needs keep emerging, especially as businesses adopt more advanced workflows and automation. Development will remain strong, even with AI growing. In fact, AI will push demand even further for support and optimization, as businesses look for expert help to manage increasingly complex sites.
Stay in Touch
Growth Plans for WPoptic
We’re working on launching a new platform where users can access in-depth plugin data — like active install counts, growth trends, and regional popularity. This data will be incredibly useful for plugin developers, marketers, and agencies. And yes, we plan to make it available through an API for others to build on.
The Future of WordPress
WordPress isn’t going anywhere. Tools like Webflow or Wix will have their place, but they won’t “kill” WordPress. What does concern me is some of the tension I’ve seen in the WordPress community lately. That division could drive away major contributors and innovators — and that would be a real loss. Unity is key to the platform’s future.
My Relationship with the Community
I haven’t attended WordCamps or local meetups, mostly because I live too far from the nearest group. I did plan to attend WordCamp Asia, but that was canceled due to COVID. That said, I think those events are incredibly valuable for others — they bring the community together and spark collaboration.
Staying Informed
I follow WordPress news mostly through YouTube and community updates. But honestly, our clients also keep us sharp — they’re constantly asking about new features or issues, so we stay on our toes and make sure we’re always informed.
Life Beyond the Screen
Outside of work, I enjoy fitness, playing football, gaming, traveling, and spending time with friends. My wife and I actually lived on Bonaire for a year, where we went diving and surfing regularly — it’s still our favorite travel destination.
We also have two cats, Mies and Moos, who are very much part of the family.
How I Reward Myself
I’m a big believer in rewarding success. Whether it’s a new 4K monitor or, hopefully soon, a Kamado Joe for summer barbecues — I like to celebrate the wins. I also made a deal with my wife: if WPoptic becomes a big success, we’re buying a camper van so we can travel and work around Europe.
1 comment
Daniele Besana
Really cool Remco!
This is top:
“Development will remain strong, even with AI growing. In fact, AI will push demand even further for support and optimization, as businesses look for expert help to manage increasingly complex sites.”