On the cusp of 2022, the market share of WordPress is bigger than ever. But as new plugin and theme developers enter the market to seize the perceived opportunity, major players — with more seniority in our space — are driving a WordPress acquisitions boom that’s changing the face of our ecosystem. Most WordPress product makers have yet to go through a merger or acquisition (M&A), so it’s safe to say that what goes on behind the scenes is ‘hidden knowledge’ to a vast number of people in the ecosystem. While there are many resources online, they tend to be high-level and don’t delve too deeply into the tactics and negotiations that form essential parts of the process. Questions such as: * ‘what are the requirements and non-negotiables on both the seller and the buyer side?’ * ‘what do efficient processes look like?’ * ‘how do I build a sellable business in the WordPress space?’ * ‘what do I need to have in place before an evaluation takes place?’ …are rarely covered in-depth and by the people who have firsthand experience. This is particularly true in our ecosystem, where up until now WordPress acquisitions have been few and far between. This knowledge gap can be detrimental to a maker’s prospects and can result in many going in blind. Typically, it’s when a product developer is ready to sell that they reach out to peers for information on the process. In many cases, this is too late in the game — the business evaluation may determine that it’s simply not financially viable to sell the product. When this occurs, the business owner has three choices: kill the deal, sell it for a price that doesn’t make financial sense, or worse, give it away for a number that’s basically free. Product makers deserve to reap the rewards of their hard work, and for this to happen, they can’t afford to go in unprepared. It’s for this reason The Gamechangers video series exists. Throughout the video series, we’ll draw back the proverbial curtain to give developers an intimate, honest look at the inner workings and moving parts that make up the M&A process. And who better to share this knowledge than the people at the heart of these transactions? The below ‘big players’ are spearheading what many believe to be the logical evolution of WP and its growing community. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is still up for debate and largely depends on why you got into WordPress originally. But I believe this capsule of M&A content will give even the most experienced product maker food for thought. So, without further ado, I’d like to present the launch episode of The Gamechangers! freemius.com/blog/gamechangers-wordpress-mergers-a…