It’s been a little over a month since the team returned from Cape Town for WooTrip 2012. Whilst it was well documented on Instagram we wanted to give you a little more insight into the behind the scenes of the WooThemes machine.
To help humanize the business we entrusted Mr Andy Schar to follow us around and capture the team get together. We are super excited with the short film that Andy masterfully created as a result of it, capturing all the highlights of a very special time of year for all of us at WooThemes.
The easiest competition ever – Let us know your favourite takeaways from the film in the comments below, and we’ll be awarding 3 theme packages for the best responses.
About
My takeaway – When out on a company trip, make a video 🙂
Very awesome video!
A trip long to be remembered! 🙂
You can come together and digress from work and remain having a good time.
Work hard, play hard.
Inspiring!
great Video, fiinally good to see the team behind all the awesome work. Cheers!!!
My takeaway: Adii’s eyebrows must rank as some of the most most expressive I’ve ever seen!
Cool video – worth watching all 14 minutes – even on a ‘slow’ South Africa connection 🙂
Awesome Location + Community + WordPress = WooFamily
This was a really cool look into the WooFamily.
Takeaway: Support starts internally. Customer support is a relational system that depends on team communication. When reforming and streamlining support systems for customers, start by bolstering the relationships within the organization. Strong internal relationships = fantastic client relationships. Also… when in doubt, paintball.
Takeaway: I enjoyed the short interview segments with Adii, Mark & Magnus. Listening to them talk about starting the company and their take on where it’s going was enlightening. In this world of digital connections being able to put a face and personality to the people behind the scenes humanizes the company and reminds us that behind the electronic curtain are hard working, fun loving folks just like us.
Takeaway : a company always benefit from showing the persons behind the product. Thanks Woothemes!
Takeaway: Go to fucking Cape Town. do it. now
Amazing place. I expected the company to be good of course, but the place… unexpectedly awesome. visiting Cape Town should be on everyones bucket list. WordCamp CapeTown 2013? 😉
Would love to have you here for WordCamp Cape Town 2013 🙂
Nice fun video. Beautiful location. It’s great to see the real people behind WooThemes. Good companies take care of their employees and their customers. Looks like WooThemes does both.
My take-aways:
It’s very important to wear sunscreen, and you look funny putting it on.
Capetown is an amazingly beautiful place.
And you don’t need to work in the same office to build a great working relationship with your
colleagues.
Sunscreen is good advice. http://cld.wthms.co/6LYH
Woonderful!!!
Thanks for pulling together this video and the theme – great to know the spirit is strong for 2013 and beyond 😉
South Africa is amazingly beautiful! Great business case study to see a team built and operating internationally creating commercial products on a free open source platform. It’s an entrepreneurial success story! And of course, never Woo without sunscreen.
After a looong day, reading these rad comments is just what I needed 🙂
Takeaways…
~ The WOOVILLA is where happiness is born
~ Heineken is a “must have” on plane trips across the world
~ WOO is about opportunities for both you guys and people like me
~ Make sure to hit water.. when jumping from high places
Great video thanks for sharing!
Yes, the final point may be the most important here! 🙂
Love this! Smiling and laughing along with the Woo gang 🙂
Favorite takeaways: The music, Adii’s super-expressive face, the reflection of WooTheme’s quality and high standards, the reminder that all work and no play sucks!
So this is why we can’t get tech support…
Hi Todd,
We have answered all the tickets we have received from you, so I do believe we are delivering in the support department.
The one thing that stands out is that you can build a successful business with a team scattered all over the world.
Many working in big international companies (like myself) have a lot to learn from you guys in terms of working as a team even if we are located in different countries.
Take care of your people, and they’ll take care of you – and your customers!
#tearyeyed
#fun #teamwork #synergy #inspiration
I really liked what Adii said about the “WooThemes Platform” and how you’d like Woo to be a “one-stop-shop” for all our needs. Here’s what I’d really like, that would truly make Woo my one-stop-shop: more Multisite support. WooCommerce extensions like Branding should have options to set network-wide. Also, you’d need to provide alternatives to some of the plugins WPMUdev offers. I’m tired of their poor support, and sometimes over-done approach to plugins. But I can’t find good replacements for the Domain Mapping, Ultimate Branding, and New Blog Templates plugins. I’d much rather pay Woo for these, along with utilizing your support. But you’ll have to build them and cast a wider net to include the Multisite crowd better.
This made my heart warm and cosy :·)
To Andrew Schär: Why is the music way louder than the voices? I can’t hardly head what Adii is saying (way to much ambience) and if I turn up the volume, the next piece of music is blowing my speakers out!
When mixing sound: Use your ears! Not the meters! You can not trust the meters. They are only guides.
Outstanding video! Congratulations on a what seems to have been an awesome and hugely successful gathering. It has been most instructive to learn what your business is all about and how you are able to bridge the physical miles apart in this electronic era! Well done and all future success to you all!
Ha ha ha, loved it guys – thanks for taking us along, albeit for 14 virtual minutes. So very nice to meet the team – we already know what great work you guys do, but ah ha! now we also know what antics you are capable of and how much fun a team you have. Merry Christmas! wherever you all are in the world.
Aww, thanks Woo – so nice to “meet” so many of you! 🙂
Inspired to build a team after having realized the potential of team work from WooSuccess !
Great team passiaonet about what they do and is capable of delivering more great products year after year. Great videocamera/editing work too. Good luck guys!
Really cool trip, amazing team and even more amazing bunch of guys having some fun times together, merry christmas woo rockstars! 😉
Sergio
Takeaway: Use intuition. Build more products. Get feedback. Rinse and repeat.
Nice Baywatch tribute. Awesome video. Thanks for sharing.
The story of how you guys started was really moving.
My takeaway: When you create a video showing your team working and playing together, it can be a great way to recruit for new hires that fit your company culture!
Loved the video! Takeaway, beyond the treat time and great Cape Town venue was the beautiful serendipity that brought the founding team together! When something grows and evolves that way its got such a great feeling of promise and indeed, inevitability.
Also the cool demonstration of multi-person multi-country synergy really impresses. Well done.
Wow I enjoyed watching this video more than those showbiz ones. I’m a video maker and WordPress site developer myself so this video is perfect for me. You are truly are my inspiration guys… Anyway, my favorite takeaway is the war scene. I love those gun shots, epic sound track and all!
My take-a-way…. It is great to hear the story of how WooThemes grows to be a true global leader for powerful WordPress plugins, and themes, and how you seamlessly works across time lines in a global economy. How you allowed the strengths of your diverse backgrounds to mix effortlessly (maybe more deliberately but..) into meeting the needs of just as diverse a community. Your Brand is your livelihood and it carries as the theme through he video. You never seem to stop Woo’ing us over. Keep it up.
It’s great to see talented people enjoying each other – it gives me confidence in the team.