Introduction to the Jukebox Podcast
Welcome to the Jukebox Podcast from WP Tavern, hosted by Nathan Wrigley. This podcast is dedicated to all things WordPress, including the people, events, plugins, blocks, themes, and learning from mistakes in website development agencies.
About the Guest: Jennifer Schumacher
Jennifer Schumacher has been working with WordPress and web development for over 15 years. She started her journey in university, building her first WordPress website after a YouTube crash course, and then evolved into freelance gigs, team collaborations, and eventually running a white label agency working alongside other agencies around the world. Jennifer’s experiences have exposed her to the highs and lows of agency life, including projects that run smoothly, toxic cultures, people burning out, and the frustration of unbillable hours and broken processes.
The Inspiration Behind Jennifer’s Talk at WordCamp Europe 2025
Jennifer’s lightning talk at WordCamp Europe 2025 was inspired by her experiences and the mistakes she’s seen agencies make. She will be sharing some of the most common and painful mistakes she’s seen and what can be learned from them. Jennifer walks us through her path in the WordPress world and discusses three real-world mistakes agencies make: web support that drains your soul, the design handoff from hell, and work more, bill less, and smile anyway.
The Three Mistakes Agencies Make
- Web Support that Drains Your Soul: Jennifer shares a story about an agency in Switzerland that had a single point of contact for clients, which led to overworked project managers and unbillable hours.
- The Design Handoff from Hell: Jennifer talks about the frustration of receiving designs that are not suitable for web development, with inconsistent styles and unclear semantics.
- Work More, Bill Less, and Smile Anyway: Jennifer discusses the problem of working more hours without being able to bill for them, leading to frustration and burnout.
Jennifer’s Approach to Learning from Mistakes
Jennifer believes in being open and honest about mistakes and using them as learning opportunities. She thinks that processes and honest communication matter, not just for the bottom line, but for mental health and building sustainable teams. Jennifer also emphasizes the importance of transparency, learning from failure, and continually improving processes to improve agency life.
Conclusion
Jennifer’s talk at WordCamp Europe 2025 aims to help others avoid repeating the mistakes she’s seen agencies make. Her approach is refreshingly open about both the mistakes and the solutions, and she hopes to inspire others to focus on how to solve problems rather than just accepting them as part of agency life.
Where to Find Jennifer and Her Book
Jennifer can be found on LinkedIn, where she shares her thoughts and experiences. She has also written a book for freelancers, which shares her story and the lessons she’s learned along the way. The book is available on her LinkedIn profile, and she welcomes feedback and suggestions for improvement.
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