Blair Williams talks about Pretty Links and Mingles with us

Blair Williams from Salt Lake City, Utah in the United States has gone by many titles including “Software Engineer”, “Internet Marketer” and “New Media Consultant” and he is the guy behind Pretty Link and Pretty Link Pro, a WordPress plug-in that allows you to “Shrink, track and share any URL on the Internet from your WordPress website.”

He began to work in internet marketing in 2007 when he made the jump from his technical background into running an internet business.  Before he was a software engineer, internet marketer or a new media consultant, Blair, graduated from Southern Utah University where he received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and ever since then he has been diving into code, consulting and engineering solutions in one way or another.

His latest project “Mingle” is a social networking plug-in that you can use on a WordPress website.  Blair was able to recently take some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about his career, how he works and markets what he does.

Luc asks: Blair, I see that you have a wide array of talents including being a Software Engineer, an Internet Marketer and a New Media Consultant.  How do you feel that your skills complement one another?

Blair says: I feel like Internet Marketers (and consultants) are much more effective when they well versed in the technology of the web — and that Software Engineers are better when they understand Internet Marketing. I feel like these skill sets have really played off of each other for me — I really didn’t start doing much Internet Marketing until 2007 but because of my technical background, diving into the world of SEO, PPC, and Internet Business made a lot of sense and I think was much easier to grasp than it would be had I not already been a Software Engineer. At times though, the Software Engineer in me has been somewhat of a liability  (I always have this tendency to dive into the code instead of hiring it out) but now that I’m marketing software that I create, I feel like I’ve finally achieved some balance — I don’t feel guilty for writing code anymore, that’s for sure …

Luc asks: I personally found out about you after downloading your Pretty Link WordPress Plug-in like most people who know you online.  What other projects are you working on currently?

Blair says: Well, the main project I’m working on is another plug-in called Mingle. Mingle is a social networking plug-in for a standard WordPress installation with a standard theme … I’ve been doing some other work for clients as well but Mingle has really been keeping me busy lately.
Luc asks: How much do you make online monthly currently (if you don’t mind me asking) and why did you make the choice to generate a living online?

Blair says: It’s always scary to launch a new product because you never know how much revenue to expect from it. Pretty Link Pro was no exception to that rule — but it has been performing nicely … Pretty Link Pro was built from the ground up from user generated ideas — I’ve found these kinds of products give users more value and perform better. While I’m still not making enough from PLP for me to retire to the Caribbean — it has been a really nice stream of consistent income.

There is no better way to make a living in the modern world than working online. Especially within the last few years the Internet has given a new class of Internet Entrepreneurs the opportunity to work on their own terms. These entrepreneurs can work from home or from wherever they want, they can automate a ton of their business tasks easily and can make a decent living from it … It’s my passion to not only do this for myself but to make it easier for other Internet Entrepreneurs to make a living online.

Luc asks: Blair, do you currently work from home exclusively?

Blair says: I still do quite a bit of client work and one of them has been kind enough to loan me some space — I do most of my work there — but I do work from home a 1 to 2 days a week.

Luc asks: Do you consider yourself an entrepreneur or do the titles of “software engineer”, “internet marketer” and “new media consultant” frame what you do and where your interests lay better?

Blair says: All of the above — it’s really hard to classify a title. I write and market software to people that hopefully provides value to them and makes their lives easier … it’s the same model that thousands of 1-3 person programming shops are now employing to create iPhone, Twitter, Facebook and, like me, WordPress apps. These platforms have made it much easier for developer software out to wide audiences — its exiting to me that this trend is only showing signs of growing.

If you are interested in downloading Blair Williams “Pretty Link” WordPress Plug-in click here and if you are interested in grabbing his Mingle plug-in click here.