Albert Einstein. Walt Disney. Invoice Gates.

The one factor these three business titans have in widespread is that they’re all dropouts who’ve managed to make it large. Now, let me add one other one to that record: Louis Reingold.

In contrast to the primary trio, you won’t acknowledge that title. He possible received’t have his title etched in historical past, however his influence on WordPress will probably be felt for years to return. He’s managed to create not one, however two website builders with a loyal consumer base.

So, let’s do a deep dive on this dropout turned millionaire. On this article, we’ll discover his previous, the merchandise he has launched, the struggles he confronted, and what’s subsequent. 

What We Know Of Reingold’s Previous

In comparison with our different deep dives, we surprisingly know lots about Louis Reingold’s previous, because of this occasion webpage from virtually ten years in the past. In fact, most of it’s simply satire on his half, however there are some nuggets of fact hidden in there. Or possibly he did construct a time machine on the age of 15, who is aware of.

Reingold was born to a seamstress and a license plate designer (properly, in all probability not) — each creators in their very own proper, a high quality that Louis inherited. He began coding on the age of 11, and by 16, he dropped out of highschool and began utilizing his first-hand coding expertise to create on-line merchandise.

In 2011, he began his first enterprise: a WordPress plugin that allows you to import or export giant quantities of knowledge from WP and WooCommerce with precision. WP All Import continues to be going robust to at the present time, serving greater than 12,000 clients and counting.

Creating Soflyy

With WP All Import and Oxygen Builder (oops, spoilers), Reingold began his personal firm referred to as Soflyy. He’s totally clear with what he goals to do with this firm, and that’s to generate as a lot income as doable with out sacrificing product high quality. In his personal phrases:

“It appears everybody in our business has some heroic story about their success, a weblog the place they share their purported enterprise knowledge, and a few web page on their web site that rambles on about their guiding rules and the way enlightened they’re.

We don’t do any of that. This firm exists to earn money, so we attempt to keep away from distractions. We usually keep away from running a blog, talking, bragging about our success beneath the guise of transparency, attending too many conferences, doing interviews, and anything that might take our focus away from what issues most: our clients and our merchandise.”

Leaving A Mark: Oxygen and Breakdance Builder

Soflyy’s first product is a WordPress web page builder referred to as Oxygen. It shortly grew to become a success and rivaled in style builders akin to Elementor and Divi due to its implementation of fresh code outputs and options akin to:

• Accessible design editor.
• Dynamic knowledge.
• web optimization optimization.
• Header builder.
• Composite parts.
• Web page optimization.
• WooCommerce integration.
• Intensive library of design templates.

Years later, Soflyy launched one other WordPress website builder referred to as Breakdance. This highly effective builder is poised to be a gamechanger in its phase, with each commonplace and new options like:

• Dynamic knowledge.
• Factor Studio.
• Kind builders.
• Pace and web optimization optimization.
• Low-code, drag-and-drop editor.
• Intensive library of pre-built blocks.
• Integrations to plugins and third-party functions akin to WPRocket and WooCommerce.

Now, you is likely to be asking, “why not simply construct functionalities on high of Oxygen as a substitute of constructing a brand new builder, particularly when a few of their options already overlap?” Nicely, because it seems, you’re not the one one with that query.

Only a fast segue earlier than continuing with the subsequent half, whilst you’re right here, I additionally extremely advocate studying our Oxygen and Breakdance Builder critiques. These are insightful appears into what makes every of them particular.

A Bump within the Highway: The Breakdance Builder Drama

With the discharge of Breakdance Builder, Reingold and Soflyy anticipated a profitable launch of a brand new and promising product. However they have been in for a impolite awakening since, as a substitute of migrating to Breakdance, most Oxygen customers selected to maneuver their enterprise to Bricks Builder.

Why?

There have been a whole lot of questions relating to the integrity of Soflyy as an organization because the launch of Breakdance left Oxygen customers confused and betrayed. They have been scared that the corporate behind the builder that they beloved was abandoning them.

Quite the opposite, Bricks Builder and Thomas Ehrig, its founder, is thought for his or her community-first strategy to improvement. They’ve a robust following as a result of they hear — they even have an thought board the place customers can submit their very own characteristic proposals, and in the event that they get sufficient upvotes, they are going to be added to their roadmap.

However I’m getting sidetracked. For his half, Reingold addressed this drama and acknowledged that it was the results of dangerous advertising and transparency. He additionally stated that they’re dedicated to doing higher as an organization. 

You’ll be able to learn extra about how this drama unfolded and received resolved right here.

What’s Subsequent For Reingold?

There are some gadgets left on Reingold’s roadmaps for every product, however he’s been quiet about his subsequent journey. He did launch a brand new product final August referred to as WPRemoteWork, which goals to attach employers to digital nomads who’d prefer to work on this area. 

However past that, who is aware of what’s subsequent for Reingold? He would possibly find yourself engaged on that point machine in spite of everything.

The Backside Line

So many have tried to launch WordPress merchandise and failed, Reingold has three. It is a testomony not solely to his expertise as a developer but additionally his perseverance and knack for understanding what the neighborhood wants.

Positive, he’s had some controversies, however at the moment, who hasn’t? All that issues is he owned as much as it and defined why it occurred within the first place. The world (and WordPress websites, apparently) isn’t constructed by those that solely succeed however by those that have failed and picked themselves up once more.

That’s who Louis Reingold is.