Robert Rooke – Founder of PressHero.co

My name is Rob Rooke, and I am the founder of PressHero. I live in London, Ontario, Canada. Curiosity drove my childhood, always tinkering with chemistry, building or fixing things, and experimenting.

I am a born problem-solver but love to express myself creatively, too, with drawing, painting, and sculpting. Once, I built an elevator for my treehouse so my dog could join me.

I’ve been a structural welder, an industrial electrician, and a computer programmer analyst. Programming didn’t provide the proper balance between logic and creative thinking.

When I discovered web development, it was the perfect blend of my skill sets and interests and much more satisfying than anything I tried previously.

The Journey Began

Before discovering WordPress in its infancy, I developed my own content management system and built custom plug-ins to meet various client needs.

I started noticing the success of WordPress but continued to research other CMS and blogging solutions.

With the rapid growth of WordPress, I knew I couldn’t achieve the same results on my own, so I began to make my components work with their open-source platform and noticed many similarities.

Self-employed and freelancing, I developed software for over 20 years. I enjoy the excitement of helping young entrepreneurs gain success, but I have witnessed a lot of pain, stress, and frustration.

My clients came to me with problems they believed were unsolvable. I love to figure out solutions to complex problems and witness the transition from absolute frustration to utter joy. It’s invigorating.

The Need for PressHero

PressHero Logo

I created PressHero based on interactions with clients. I wanted to provide a solution that removed the everyday challenges they experienced with web development by agencies and other freelancers.

My goal was to build a streamlined experience, removing both my frustrations and theirs as well. I wanted them to enjoy the process.

There weren’t any direct competitors to compare me to at the onset. We remain unique, providing a one-stop-shop encompassing all WordPress website support services, including maintenance, development, SEO, marketing, and plug-in creation.

While I continue to be inspired by others with similar customer service missions, I also notice competitors taking inspiration from us.

My biggest challenge is not having enough time each day to devote to my clients the way I wish, and the worst experience I can think of is when a WooCommerce subscription action error triggered the billing of every single client at the same time out of sync. This resulted in billing everyone twice in one month.

What I’m most proud of directly results from that challenge. Despite my mounting fears of what my clients would think, each and every one of them understood and allowed me to correct the situation and move forward.

Not one was upset. And I know how to prevent something like that from happening ever again to me or my clients.

Another success story I am equally proud of is enabling clients to grow from $ 3,000 to $ 30,000 monthly in revenue within three months of meeting us.

We rebuilt their WooCommerce store, corrected errors from a previous agency, added subscriptions, and implemented digital marketing. Their success was our success.

Myself with my Brilliant Team

PressHero has grown from a one-man show to a budding team of professionals. We all work remotely but rely on daily teamroom interactions to fill our days with laughter and inspiration.

Working independently with the camera on helps build a sense of connection. We support each other professionally and personally, even through hard times. Whatever it takes, we back each other up.

I look forward to growing big enough to reward employees with financial security and more time with family than standard jobs.

My ultimate goal is a lucrative four-day work week, and I know we can make it happen together.

Advice for Business Owners

I advise business owners to retain ownership of their digital assets. Listen to others’ stories. You don’t have to make the same mistakes as they did if you just open your ears.

WordPress & Beyond

Our current focus is to grow our support services for WordPress and WooCommerce users. We believe as full site editing becomes more commonly adopted, it will challenge current site builders but in the end, will be powerful.

I am excited to see more business owners focus on their content creation and updates, leaving developers more time and budget to create unique features to differentiate businesses.

The closer we get to separating data and design, we can use those data sources in drastically different ways than previously possible.

My Love for the WordPress Community

I am a very introverted person, so I don’t attend WordCamp. But I read everything I can and watch from afar. I’m trying to become more of a participant than an observer, and PressHero helps with that goal.

I recognize many WordPress founders from my interactions on social media, and there are many others within these success stories who inspire me.

I would love to chat with more like-minded entrepreneurs. PressHeroes newest best friend in the WordPress industry is Mark Zahra of Rebel Code, and I look forward to chatting with him more soon.

How I Keep Myself Updated

I love to read. I tune in to all different channels, including Twitter, Slack, and many blogs. There are too many to name. StackOverflow is a great resource for challenges.

I constantly read articles and follow links down exciting rabbit holes, watching the industry present new directions and interests. Looking up code snippets is a daily activity to feed my curiosity.

I Have a Life Other Than the Work

In my rare spare time, I love mushroom hunting, spending time in the woods, and researching. I have a wife and a 9-year-old daughter who we share with two dogs, a hamster, a fish, and a bunny.

We have done little travelling yet, but we like to camp and explore the beautiful province of Ontario. It is a dream to eat my way through Italy someday.

Food is another love. I’m a hot sauce advocate and collector, and my favourite flavour is pain. Good cold craft beer is my reward.

Connect With Me

• LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook