Melodie Moore didn’t start in tech—she started with hula hoops. What began as a professional hoop dancing business in 2010 quickly turned into a passion for the website that promoted it, and eventually into a career that blended systems, strategy, and empathy. Today, as the founder of Business Tech Ninjas, she leads a 15-person team dedicated to helping entrepreneurs build businesses that run smoothly without drowning in tech chaos.
What makes Melodie stand out isn’t just her technical chops—it’s the way she leads. She’s built a company culture rooted in emotional intelligence and alignment, where team members grow not just professionally but personally. In our conversation, she shares the lessons she’s learned from doing things differently, why she’s on a mission to create “Technologists” who can bridge the human and tech gap, and how she’s proving that work can be more than survival—it can be transformation.
What got you into WordPress and how long have you been using it?
I started using WordPress back in… gosh, I think it was around 2010? I had just launched a website for my professional hula hooping business—yes, really. I was convinced I was going to be a full-time hoop dancer. But somewhere along the way, I realized I liked building the website more than I liked building the hoop biz itself.
That little site turned into a deep curiosity about how tech could support creative freedom and real business momentum. WordPress was my entry point—not just to websites, but to business automation, systems thinking, and how tech can actually serve people instead of overwhelming them. That was about 15 years ago, and I’ve been in love with it ever since. It gave me both a career and a lens through which I see all of business: structure that supports flow.
Looking back, I think what drew me in was how empowering it felt to build something from nothing. I didn’t have to wait for anyone else—I could just create. That feeling never left.
What motivated you to start your own business, and what keeps you going when things get tough?
I come from entrepreneurial roots. My mom ran a pet store out of our house when I was growing up—she invented these “critter wheels” and had a special pet litter she swore by. This was before online shopping was even a thing, so we’d drive around to different stores, pitching her products in person. She was a total hustler. My dad, too—he was an insurance agent and went door to door, building trust one house at a time.
So I’ve always known what it looks like to build something from scratch. And what’s stuck with me is how hard it was for them—not because they didn’t work hard (they worked constantly), but because there was no leverage. No automation. No website doing the talking for them while they slept.
What keeps me going now is knowing that we’re helping people like my parents—small business owners who don’t necessarily want to scale to millions, but who do want a life they love, doing work they’re proud of, without drowning in tech headaches.
And on the flip side, I’m also obsessed with training the kind of people who can actually help them. I call them Technologists. Not developers or VAs or project managers—but the ones who know how to think through tech with both precision and empathy. Who understand the business and the humans behind it. That blend of systems thinking, communication, and emotional intelligence? It’s rare. And it’s not taught in schools—not even to people with MBAs or PMPs.
Right now, we screen over a thousand applicants every month. And what I keep seeing is this huge gap between what business owners actually need and what most tech-minded people know how to deliver. My company exists to bridge that gap. We build the systems, train the people, and create the kind of tech support that actually feels like support.
That’s what keeps me going—even when it’s hard. This work matters. And I believe deeply in what we’re building.
What’s a hard lesson you learned running your business that’s changed the way you operate?
For years, I followed what I now see as bad leadership advice.
The kind of advice that tells you to toughen up, separate your emotions from business, and just power through. That old command-and-control mindset. It’s what most businesses are built on—but it’s also what leads to micromanagement, burned-out teams, and leaders who feel like they’re carrying the whole company on their backs.
I’ve retained clients for almost a decade now, and I’m convinced that’s not because I’ve followed the playbook. It’s because I didn’t.
When I started this business, I wanted to create the kind of place I actually wanted to work. One grounded in emotional intelligence, not just operational efficiency. And what I’ve learned—through plenty of hard moments—is that great leadership comes down to alignment and flow.
It means asking: is this a systems problem, or a people problem? Or maybe both?
Sometimes you need to zoom out and ask, “What emotion is actually driving this behavior?” Other times you need to zoom in and say, “What process or system is missing here that could smooth this out?”
For a long time, I doubted that softer approach. I tried to play by the old rules. I pushed hard. I white-knuckled everything. I gained 60 pounds. I was miserable. I honestly questioned whether I wanted to keep doing this.
And then I realized: this wasn’t just unsustainable—it was soul-sucking.
When I stopped trying to bulldoze through everything and instead got curious—when I started building systems that worked with my team instead of against them—that’s when things shifted. That’s when I started to feel proud of my work again. That’s when my team started to rise with me. I didn’t have to carry everything alone anymore. They were in the arena with me.
Now, I run my company with compassion—for myself, for my team, and for our clients. And it works. We’re growing. We’re delivering amazing service. And I actually like my life.
Turns out, you don’t have to sacrifice your humanity to build something great.
If you could snap your fingers and change one thing in your business, what would it be and why?
If I could snap my fingers and change one thing—not just in my business but in the broader WordPress and tech world—I’d love to see a real standard of work.
Right now, one of the biggest challenges for business owners trying to find someone to “handle the tech” is that there’s no shared bar. No clear definition of what quality looks like. No agreed-upon professional standard that says, “This is what it means to own your work and be in the arena with your client.”
And the result? Business owners often end up burned. They think technology itself is broken. But really, it’s not that the tech doesn’t work—it’s that it wasn’t thought through, wasn’t documented, wasn’t communicated, or wasn’t built with long-term clarity in mind.
We don’t need perfection. But we do need to start agreeing on what it means to show up and take responsibility.
That shift alone would stabilize so much of the tech industry—especially for service providers in the WordPress space. Because when you have a clear standard of ownership, you build trust. You deliver results. And suddenly, tech becomes a tool for liberation instead of a source of chaos.
As an entrepreneur, what’s your proudest accomplishment?
Hands down, it’s the feedback I get from my team.
I remember one moment in particular—about a year and a half ago—when a team member said to me, “This is the healthiest business I’ve ever worked in.” That floored me. Not because I was aiming to be the healthiest, but because it meant the work I’d put into our culture—into self-leadership, communication, and clarity—was actually landing.
More recently, another team member shared how much she’s grown, not just professionally but personally. She told me she’s gained job skills, yes—but more than that, she’s started to believe in herself. She challenges herself now. She communicates differently. She feels stronger in her day-to-day life, not just at work.
And when I think about the ripple effect of that—on her family, her children, her community—I realize this is what I’m actually building. A business where people don’t just clock in and out, waiting for the weekend or the next “better” job. But a place where work becomes a vehicle for evolution. A place where people become better versions of themselves, because of how they work—not in spite of it.
That’s what I’m most proud of. We’re proving that work can be more than just survival. It can be transformation.
What’s a book every agency owner should read?
What’s your favorite podcast to listen to?
What’s a WordPress plugin more people should know about?
FunnelKit makes it so you can have upsells, downsells, crosssells, and great analytics all within your own site.
What’s your favorite tool, accessory, or gadget on your desk?
My Oura ring
What’s your favorite non-WordPress tool or software?
