Meet Adam Wright of Adam Wright Design; a 2-person agency established in 2012 out of Nashville, TN. Adam’s story is one of hard work, creativity, and determination to create something meaningful.
I recently interviewed Adam to learn more about his journey from a young kid hustling for extra cash to running a thriving design and development business. In this conversation, he shared how his background in graphic design evolved into a passion for web development, his favorite parts of the creative process, and the lessons that shaped his career.
What kind of work did you do before websites?
My background lies in graphic design, which is what I obtained my college degree in. Previously, I worked with various companies in LA as a freelancer doing graphic design work — booklets, signage, press snippets, product signage, and more.
As a young kid, I was always a hard worker, having worked side jobs in the neighborhood for cash since I was 13-14 years old. I got my first job at a local pizza joint in town when I turned 16, and continued to work through high school and even college.
With this foundation, I was able to jumpstart my solo career on hard work, a solid eye for design, and a dedication to my craft. I pride myself on my self-discipline and drive, and it has helped shape me into the agency owner I’ve become today.
What got you into WordPress and how long have you been using it?
In college, we learned to code websites from scratch with HTML and CSS – super basic, but I really enjoyed it. There was something about the instant satisfaction of writing some code and seeing it come to life!
Fast forward some time later, I discovered WordPress from a friend, began to poke around on my own, and rebuilt my freelance site with a theme from Themeforest (hey, gotta start somewhere!). I loved how much easier it was than starting from scratch, but I could still utilize my basic coding skills to alter what I wanted. After gaining some confidence with it, I pitched the idea of rebuilding a website to one of my graphic design clients and got the gig — this was in 2014. This site went on to live for nearly 7 years, and I still look back and wonder how I built such a big site as my very first paid WordPress site.
What part of the website creation process do you enjoy most?
This is such a great question, because I enjoy a few parts of the process. Because of my design background, I’d have to say that designing the website mockups is probably my favorite. It’s the part of the stage that I get to really use my creativity and vision for the brand, and start to see it come together.
Once that’s done, I absolutely love the challenge of then building that design online. Being a designer and developer in one, it’s so fun to see the whole process through and not only create a design from scratch, but then bring it to life on the web.
What’s your biggest frustration with your agency or our industry?
I would say probably breaking down the barrier of those who have given web designers and developers a bad reputation. It’s true, anyone can just pick up a computer, download WordPress for free, and call themselves a “developer” — but it’s because of this that us true professionals who run legitimate businesses and do good, honest work, sometimes have to fight to prove that to potential clients. This dilutes the industry to a point where you find yourself working harder to show your value and expertise over these Joe-shmo’s who don’t even know what SEO stands for, or come out of the gate charging $100 for a website that you know won’t help do the business any favors.
Having started my solo venture over 12 years ago now, I’ve been fortunate to have built a reputation and solid portfolio of work to prove myself well enough, but there’s no question I still get leads to this day that expect the world for pennies.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The two best pieces of advice that have stuck with me are “Done is better than perfect” and “There will always be someone better than you.”
Being a bit of a perfectionist at times, I can be far too picky about putting something out there before I absolutely love it. But by pushing myself to just call it “done” before it’s perfect, has allowed me to move forward and progress at a much faster rate than I would have years ago.
The other, I’m sure many of us can relate to imposter syndrome — always worried you’re not good enough, or will my client actually pay me this much for this, etc. Self-doubt has consumed me for years, regardless of the positive feedback I receive. But keeping in mind that there will always be someone else better than me, keeps a perspective in place that I don’t need to be the best that ever was — I just need to be the best at what I do for my clients. Stopping comparing myself to others has allowed my own self-growth to propel, and I’ll say that surrounding yourself with other like-minded individuals who will root you on and lift you up is HUGE for this (thank you, TABLE).
What’s a book every agency owner should read?
Company of One by Paul Jarvis.
What’s a WordPress plugin everyone should know about?
Pie Calendar — haven’t found a more simple, straight-forward solution for incorporating a calendar on your site!
What’s your favorite tool, accessory or gadget on your desk?
My AirPods — don’t know what I’d do without ’em!
What’s your favorite non-WordPress tool or software?
Asana – hands down. It’s the one piece of software that I could not run my business without.
