Client asked for "just a simple WordPress site." Three plugins later, I'm the plugin dev. Anyone else?
Besides ads, I build sites and apps for clients: WordPress, Elementor, some React, Shopify apps, and a lot of glue automations.
The pattern I keep hitting: a client asks for something "simple," I can't find a plugin that does exactly that without 40 settings and a yearly license, and I end up writing my own small plugin over the weekend. Half the time it's the most reliable part of the whole site 😅
So I'm curious how you decide:
- When do you build your own small tool instead of stacking another plugin or SaaS?
- Has anyone turned one of those "quick client fixes" into an actual product?
Would love to hear the stories, especially the ones that got out of hand.
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I'd draw the line at repetition: once you've written the same small fix for a third client, it's worth packaging, and before that it's usually cheaper to keep it private. The part people underestimate is updates, since a plugin you ship to others means supporting it every time WordPress or Elementor changes under it.