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In this episode of WP Minute+, Justin Ferriman discusses his business ventures, including founding LearnDash and his latest project, BrightGrowth.

We’ll also discuss GapScout, an AI tool for software businesses to analyze customer reviews, which didn’t go the way he had hoped. He’s now selling GapScout due to development hurdles and legal issues with review site policy changes, leaving him with a small taste of failure.

Ferriman has pivoted to consulting, using his strengths in marketing and strategy to coach startup founders, offering personalized advice and roundtable discussions, despite the approach’s intentional lack of scalability.

His key advice for WordPress entrepreneurs is to leverage personal strengths, be passionate about work, and be discerning in client and service selection for maintaining high standards.

Key Takeaways

• Justin explains how he is now selling his business GapScout after running into challenges building complex AI technology and changes to review site terms and conditions.
• The GapScout experience left Justin feeling defeated but taught him to focus on what really energizes him in business.
• Justin has transitioned to coaching and consulting for startup founders, playing to his strengths in marketing, growth strategies and maximizing profits.
• He is being very selective about who he works with through warm outreach and relationship building vs trying to scale massively.
• For WordPress entrepreneurs, takeaways are to focus on your strengths, cut out parts of business you dislike, and be selective about services you realistically can deliver at a high level.
• Justin leverages Medium for content marketing and gets great organic reach without having to worry about blogging or SEO himself.
• Overall it’s a story of reinvention, lessons learned from failure, and the importance of playing to your strengths as an entrepreneur.

Important links

• LearnDash – Justin’s previous business that was acquired: https://www.learndash.com/
• GapScout – Justin’s latest business that is now for sale: https://www.gapscout.com/
• Bright Growth – Justin’s current coaching/consulting business: https://www.brightgrowth.com/
• Justin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinferriman
• WP Minute Slack Group: [https://thewpminute.com/support
• Medium – Platform Justin is using for content marketing: https://medium.com/
• Pressnomics Conference – Where Justin and host previously chatted: https://www.pressnomics.com/