My name is Tigran Nazaryan, the co-founder and CEO at 10Web.io, an AI-powered WordPress platform.
I was born and currently reside in Armenia, where I have spent my entire life. Growing up, I have always been fascinated by science, technology, and everything new in the world.
This curiosity led me to pursue higher education in the field of physics and astronomy which led me to PhD in astrophysics.
Even during my university years, web development was one of my primary interests. I spent a significant amount of time learning and honing my skills in this area.
At some point, I had to choose between these two: web development and science; I chose the web. As a millennial, these years were when Web 2.0 and mobile Web were on the rise, so my interest was towards it too.
The Journey Began
Before I discovered WordPress, my digital life revolved around the evolution from a desktop web to a mobile-first approach.
While I wasn’t necessarily an early adopter of every new technology, like social networks, I was always captivated by the opportunities that technology brought to the table.
It was fascinating to witness the impact of software on the world and to be a part of that transformation. I was also coding for my academic career.
That’s a little different experience when you are not building a product for others but are writing code for some research.
My initial journey in web development began with Joomla, not WordPress. Between 2005-2010, Joomla was quite popular, and my focus was primarily on frontend tasks.
Back then, websites were mostly designed using table-based schemes, and Flash by Macromedia was the go-to technology for interactivity and animations. However, the digital landscape has evolved significantly since those days.
By the time I fully transitioned into web development in 2014, Joomla was no longer as popular, and WordPress had emerged as the leading content management system (CMS).
This shift led me to explore and eventually adopt WordPress as my primary platform. The simplicity, flexibility, and strong community support that WordPress offers have been the key factors that influenced my decision to stick with it.
Over time, I’ve found that WordPress consistently adapts to the ever-changing digital world, providing a solid foundation for various web development projects.
Before starting 10Web, I worked with various WordPress-related products and resources while I was a lead engineer in a company that built plugins for WordPress.
The Need for 10web.io
10Web Hosting Logo
I and my co-founders had the desire to build something bigger that would solve problems and make the work of web developers and site owners easier.
With our math and science background (all co-founders of 10Web are my college-mates), we believed we could implement the best algorithms and automation for WordPress, which was a much broader scope than just building plugins.
This led to the founding of 10Web, where I was later appointed as CEO.
Managing the team and day-to-day operations has been challenging, especially since my background is in engineering.
I am very thankful to my co-founders, Arto, Sergey, and Armen. Their impact and contributions to 10Web are huge and crucial. We all share the load of operating the company.
Shifting my mindset from engineer to manager and business executive required flexibility and the ability to navigate a fast-changing environment.
My worst experience was when we were creating a cool product for site building that was never launched because we didn’t prioritize our business goals first.
However, I’m proud of the 70-people company we’ve built, the innovative products we’ve created, including the first AI Website Builder, and the lessons I’ve learned from my team and co-founders.
The rapid growth of “10web.io” in the WordPress ecosystem can be attributed to several factors.
Firstly, the launch of 10Web hosting brought in early platform customers. This allowed us to test the product, and get initial feedback and insights.
The introduction of the 10Web AI Builder attracted even more customers. Last year, the launch of the 10Web Booster resulted in tens of thousands of new customers seeking faster websites.
And now, with the rise of generative AI, many people realize that AI can create websites and choose to build their sites with 10Web.
These components from the 10Web platform are designed for building, managing, optimizing, and creating content for these websites.
Myself with my Brilliant Team
We have a comfortable open space office designed to accommodate around 50 people.
10Web.io Hosting Team Members
Since the pandemic, we’ve adopted a hybrid work style, with some team members preferring to come to the office while others work remotely. I personally visit the office a few times per week.
We find this hybrid approach to be the most effective for our team. Our workplace is designed to be simple and innovative.
In fact, I do not have a separate “boss” room – I use one of the desks in the open space area, just like the rest of the team. This setup helps promote a sense of togetherness and collaboration among all team members.
The atmosphere and the relationships within the team are more important than the physical space of our workplace. We sometimes even work together from beautiful countryside locations or from abroad.
What truly matters and makes our work environment enjoyable is the great team of people with whom we can collaborate effectively and share our passion for our projects.
Advice for Business Owners
One crucial piece of advice I would give to anyone looking to start their own business is to consider the rapid changes taking place in the world today.
To be successful, it’s important to think about what the world will look like five years from now and strive to build a business that aligns with that future vision.
While there are many niches to consider, I believe that focusing on developer tools can be a promising area for starting a business. However, it’s essential to think bigger and not just in terms of what’s popular today.
Look for opportunities that will continue to grow and evolve alongside the ever-changing technological landscape.
Stay in Touch
WordPress & Beyond
To grow our business, we plan to be at the intersection of web development and artificial intelligence. We believe that this is the right place and right time for us to make an impact in the industry.
Our goal is to continuously innovate and explore new ways of building and managing websites that cater to the evolving needs of people and businesses.
While it’s difficult to predict exactly where WordPress will be in the next five years, what I can say is that the way we build and manage websites is bound to change.
People and businesses will always need websites, but the processes involved in creating and maintaining them may look completely different.
At 10Web.io, we are working towards shaping the future of site building and management, keeping up with the latest advancements and trends.
I believe that it’s important not to focus too much on competitors. We are all running the same run; during the run, you look forward, not much focusing aside.
Each platform in the market has its vision and strategy. Instead of worrying about what others are doing, we should concentrate on building and refining our own approach.
By staying true to our goals and objectives, we can continue to grow and adapt to the ever-changing web development landscape.
How I Keep Myself Updated
It’s important to note that the industry changes rapidly, often too quickly to keep up with entirely. Therefore, I primarily use Hacker News and Twitter as my core resources.
These platforms allow me to discover high-quality articles, blog posts, and even pieces of code or software that can serve as valuable learning tools.
While traditional books may not always be the most up-to-date resources, there are still some that I find helpful for building a strong foundation in WordPress and web development.
I also believe experimenting with code and software is often more beneficial than just reading articles.
By running and playing with these tools, I can gain hands-on experience and insights that might be worth much more than the information provided in hundreds of articles.
Overall, staying updated in the industry requires a combination of online resources, articles, and hands-on experience with various tools and software.
To keep myself updated, I also often rely on the team. The amount of content and innovation in the industry sometimes might be too much for a single person to gain insights.
