Elliott Richmond has spent more than two decades working with WordPress (and its predecessor b2). Self-taught and active in meetups and local communities, he moved through other CMSs before settling into WordPress development, community projects, and content creation. Early efforts—like a 2013 community-sourced WordPress advent calendar—hint at the mix of practical code-sharing and teaching that shapes his work today.
A pizza business built on WordPress
During the COVID lockdown Elliott and his wife turned a temporary weekend project—baking pizzas to serve their village when local takeaways shut—to a full micro-business. What began as a community service became a multi-staff operation and, eventually, a repeatable model that they now license to others.
The entire ordering and operations stack runs on WordPress: WordPress itself, WooCommerce, Jetpack, and custom plugins. Elliott developed Pizza Pilot (a freemium + Pro plugin) to handle core needs for small food operations: postcode-based delivery radius, time-slot scheduling, collection-only options, and limits that let sellers open sales only during defined windows. The plugin targets micro-businesses that need restricted delivery zones and scheduled sales rather than nationwide e-commerce logistics.
Beyond the plugin, they packaged the operational knowledge. They created a course that teaches their pizza method and added marketing modules managed by his wife. Licensees get the system, the plugin, and guidance—it’s a packaged model, not a franchise, designed to be straightforward to adopt and adapt.
Content partnership with Automattic and wordpress.com
Elliott’s content work expanded after community introductions—Michelle Frechette connected him with Stacey Carlson at Automattic. That led to a sponsorship arrangement where Automattic/wordpress.com offered early feature access and pointers so he could make educational videos demonstrating wordpress.com workflows and tools.
His output combines long-form deep dives with short-form spinoffs. The aim is not to simply announce features but to teach practical workflows, developer tools, templating, debugging, and how to adopt evolving ideas like AI-assisted tooling. He retains editorial freedom: Automattic supplies guidance and occasional early access, but Elliott controls topics and presentation, publishing on his own YouTube channel (elliottrichmondwp).
Why video matters
For Elliott, video is more than marketing—it’s a feedback loop. Viewer comments surface real questions that inspire follow-up videos, clarify docs, and reveal edge cases. Video lets creators translate technical changes into accessible lessons and reach diverse learning styles, speeding adoption of new features and tools.
How he makes content
Elliott’s process balances structure and spontaneity. He starts with brain-dump notes—often dictated into Notes on his phone—then polishes drafts with AI. Those drafts become flashcard prompts or tightened scripts that leave room for off-script moments that add clarity.
Production is deliberate: planning motion graphics, capturing headshots and screen recordings, then editing across multiple passes. He enjoys editing as part of the creative process. His stack is deliberately low-friction: an iPhone for video, a DIY diffuser for lighting, and a quiet space for recording. For audio work he uses studio monitors (NS-10s) and edits in DaVinci Resolve (he uses and recommends the paid suite but notes the free version is powerful).
Development workflow and tools
Elliott demonstrates real developer setups when appropriate—Xdebug, Studio app workflows, local development patterns that still work with wordpress.com hosting—and plans videos that show practical debugging and tooling that many users might miss. His point: wordpress.com hosting can accommodate advanced local development and modern workflows while providing hosting and security benefits.
Community, motivation, and perspective
Curiosity and the pleasure of learning and teaching drive Elliott. Freelancing and remote work for decades gave him the freedom to explore varied projects—from plugins to pizza—and to contribute back to the WordPress ecosystem. He values how Automattic has supported independent creators by offering access and guidance rather than strict scripts, which he sees as an effective model.
He also highlights how flexible WordPress can be. Nontraditional uses—like running a local pizza delivery operation or a gardener managing invoicing—show the platform’s adaptability for small, local businesses.
Where to find Elliott
– YouTube: elliottrichmondwp
– Website: elliottrichmond.co.uk
Episode notes and links for this conversation are available at wptavern.com/podcast, where the episode transcript and references are posted.