Andrew will be joining us for the Running a WordPress Business session, which you can watch LIVE on February 15. He’ll be telling us what it’s like to leave a stable job to run an independent business (and how simultaneously great and terrible it is to make that decision). If you’re looking to venture out on your own, this session is not one to miss!

Where can we find you on the internet?

Usually twitter (@norcross), since that’s the only social network I actually use. I occasionally jot stuff down on my personal site (andrewnorcross.com) and post weird stuff to tumblr (x.norcross.co). Oh, and when it’s business time, reaktivstudios.com.

When and how did you get started with WordPress?

About 7 years ago. I had built a server and had to install something on it. After fighting with Movable Type for a few weeks, I got WP up and running and haven’t looked back.

What is your favorite WordPress feature/aspect?

This is an instance where the sum is greater than all the parts. While I love certain parts (combining CPTs, taxonomies, and meta data), the fact that I can dig through and find the best tool inside of WP to accomplish what I want is fantastic. I rarely feel limited.

What resources to you turn to when you want to learn something new?

It usually starts with needing to accomplish a specific goal. Once I have an idea of what I want, I start with the ol’ Google to see what else is out there. I look for plugins that may already exist, or other folks who have tried to do it. At this point it’s more mastering specific parts than learning something completely new.

What is one piece of advice you have for someone looking to start a business?

Get your shit in order. my own experience, and many others I’ve spoken with, is that when it gets moving, it goes FAST. If you don’t have your house in order (admin stuff, taxes, workflows, etc.) you’ll struggle a lot more than you’d otherwise have to. Get a good foundation and you can build as needed.

What advice do you have for others looking to become WordPress experts?

Don’t try to become an “expert”. Try to learn your craft the best you possibly can, and figure out where your way of solving problems matches up with the overall needs and opportunities of the community.

What is one interesting non-WordPress-related fact about yourself?

I spent almost 10 years in the banking and finance industry, and didn’t write a line of PHP (or HTML or CSS, for that matter) until I was 26.