Breakdown - A Gravity Forms Podcast

• From Accountant to Agency Owner: Building a Profitable WordPress Business

  Not every WordPress agency owner starts with a computer science degree. Laurie Barron's journey from accountant to agency co-founder proves that sometimes the most unexpected backgrounds create the strongest businesses. With degrees in accounting, computer information systems, and human-computer interaction, Laurie brings a unique perspective to web development: one that values both the numbers and the user experience.In this episode, Laurie shares how she built not one, but two successful companies: Pursu Agency (with co-founder Betsy) and Simply Styled Sites. After 15 years in WordPress, she's learned that the real value isn't just in building websites. It's in the strategy, automation, and business systems that make those websites work harder for clients. She discusses why AI and page builders haven't replaced the need for expert developers, how to scope projects profitably, and why knowing your "zone of genius" is critical to sustainable growth.For Gravity Forms users, this conversation is packed with practical ideas. Laurie reveals how she's transformed Gravity Forms from a simple contact form plugin into a complete business automation tool. From content gathering systems that feed into ChatGPT, to support ticketing workflows connected via Zapier, to survey fields that help clients make data-driven decisions.In This EpisodeWhy Laurie's accounting background became an asset when running a WordPress agencyHow she met her business partner through an agency contracting gigWhy AI and page builders aren't replacing agencies, and why this fear sounds familiarWhy knowing your core competency protects your profitabilityHow to structure paid discovery periods for larger projects ($10K+ discovery phases)Using Gravity Forms + Gravity Connect + ChatGPT to automate content creationTurning consulting expertise into self-service products clients can purchaseConnect with Laurie BarronPursu Agency: pursu.agencySimply Styled Sites: simplystyledsites.comResources MentionedGravity Forms - The form plugin Laurie has used for 15 years and calls essential to her work - gravityforms.comGravity Wiz - Add-ons and code snippets that extend Gravity Forms functionality - gravitywiz.comGravity Connect - Tool that connects Gravity Forms with ChatGPT for AI-powered form workflows - gravityforms.com/gravity-connectZapier - Automation platform Laurie uses to connect Gravity Forms to other business tools - zapier.comAsana - Project management system she connects to forms for support ticketing - asana.comWooCommerce - E-commerce platform (though Laurie explains why she's selective about these projects) - woocommerce.comStandout Moments"I feel like knowing how to use Gravity Forms and becoming an expert at it, I can do anything. But I also think I could do anything anyways, so Gravity Forms just helps." - Laurie Barron"This happened when page builders came out. Everybody said 'anybody can do it.' But there's always gonna be people that don't want to do it. And there's the education piece: do people know how to do it properly?" - Laurie Barron"You can create a website in minutes with AI, but it's gonna look like everybody else's. It's not gonna stand out from the competition. It might not reflect your voice. What you don't get is the strategy behind it." - Laurie Barron

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• This Plugin Connects Gravity Forms to any API

  In this episode of Breakdown, Matt Medeiros sits down with Dave Smith, CEO of Gravity Wiz, to talk about a product that has a lot of WordPress builders buzzing: API Alchemist. If you’ve ever wanted Gravity Forms to talk directly to other apps and data sources, this is your new best friend. Dave walks us through how API Alchemist lets you send form data to any REST API and bring the response back into your entries. Pair it with Populate Anything and you can even pull data into the form before submission for smart validation and slick UX.We also touch on GP Bookings, Gravity Wiz’s flexible booking platform for appointments and rentals that works beautifully with Gravity Forms and, via Product Configurator, with WooCommerce. Dave shares how AI is accelerating development behind the scenes while still requiring human review, and why the “WordPress-as-a-platform” mindset gives agencies and site owners a durable edge.Curious how this all plays out in real life? Think VIN lookups that auto-fill make and model, higher-ed networks standardizing data across hundreds of sites, or internal tools that read a PDF, extract data, and feed it straight back into Gravity Forms. If you care about owning your data, building faster, and keeping clients out of SaaS lock-in, this one’s worth a listen.TakeawaysAPI Alchemist = go-anywhere connections. Send Gravity Forms submissions to any REST API, receive a response, and update the entry post-submission. It’s a powerful DIY way to integrate without waiting on a purpose-built add-on.Add Populate Anything for live magic. Use remote data in real time on the form. Validate inputs, build chained selects like year → make → model, and improve UX by showing results before submit.Bookings that fit your business. GP Bookings covers appointments, services, and even rentals. It’s designed as a platform that gets you 80–90% there, with room to tailor the last mile.WooCommerce compatibility. Tie Gravity Forms into Woo with Product Configurator so bookings and other advanced form flows can become real products.When to use a dedicated connector. API Alchemist is excellent for flexibility, but large files or high-complexity use cases (e.g., Google Sheets at scale) still benefit from specialized connections that handle edge cases and efficiency.Important linkshttps://gravityforms.com/https://gravityflow.io/https://gravitywiz.com/WP API Explorer (mentioned by Matt): https://wpapiexplorer.com/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration API: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/

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• Introducing Crew Collective, a podcast from Rocketgenius

  Coming October 14, 2025- Crew Collective, a podcast from Rocketgenius Crew Collective is a podcast dedicated to the art of storytelling. Hosted by Stuart Barefoot, each episode will explore the stories that help shape us—books, movies, songs, video games—nothing is off limits. We’ll talk to creators of all stripes about their process, their craft, and the worlds they build.

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• Blake Helps You Upload Big Files to Gravity Forms

  On this episode of Breakdown, I’m joined by Blake Whittle, founder of ClikIt and new owner of Infinite Uploads. Blake has been running a successful WordPress agency for years, but he’s now steering his business toward the world of WordPress products.We cover his journey from launching websites as a college freshman, to managing 200+ client sites, to acquiring Infinite Uploads and rolling out new plugins that make WordPress media management easier. Blake shares his long-term vision of moving fully into software and explains why the Gravity Forms ecosystem is a key part of that future.He also opens up about the challenges of agency life versus product life, how AI is shaping opportunities for developers and site owners, and why he thinks WordPress still offers huge potential for the next generation of builders.If you’ve ever thought about transitioning from client services into products—or you just want to know how to handle big file uploads through Gravity Forms—you won’t want to miss this conversation.TakeawaysTransitioning from agency to products: Blake explains why he’s aiming to sunset his agency within 10 years and focus entirely on WordPress plugins.Infinite Uploads expansion: After acquiring Infinite Uploads, Blake launched new plugins including Big File Form Uploads, which now integrates directly with Gravity Forms.Solving real-world problems: Big File Form Uploads makes it possible for users to bypass hosting upload limits, chunk large files, and accept multi-gigabyte uploads through Gravity Forms.AI’s dual role: A potential threat to agencies through AI site builders, but a growth opportunity for plugin developers as it brings more beginners into WordPress.WordPress remains wide open: From blogs to SaaS, Blake still sees WordPress as one of the best platforms for young developers to start building with.Important linksGravity FormsGravity FlowClikItInfinite Uploadshttps://wordpress.org/plugins/tuxedo-big-file-uploads/

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• He Built His Own Gravity Forms Chatbot

  In this episode of Breakdown, Matt is joined by Sam Texas—a serial founder, Django developer, and self-described "vibe coder"—who’s found his way back to WordPress through the doors of AI automation and Gravity Forms.Sam shares how a casual client call with Trooper Dev led him down a rabbit hole of connecting Gravity Forms to an MCP (Modular Command Protocol) server and Claude AI, enabling non-technical sales teams to spin up customized forms in minutes without touching the WordPress admin. It’s a real-world example of AI empowering teams to build faster, smarter workflows—and Gravity Forms being the foundation that makes it possible.Matt and Sam explore the strengths of WordPress as an application platform, how AI will reshape plugin discovery and form creation, and why open standards like REST APIs and MCPs might signal the next era of low-code/no-code development. Along the way, they talk about the surprising value of WordPress authentication, owning your own content in the age of LLM scraping, and how vibe coding is changing the shape of small software projects.If you’re building modern workflows on WordPress, or just wondering what it means to mix AI with forms, plugins, and automation—you’ll want to hear this one.TakeawaysAI + Gravity Forms unlocks new workflows: By integrating Gravity Forms with an MCP server and Claude AI, Sam was able to prototype a no-code form creation tool that shifts power from developers to sales teams.Gravity Forms is more than forms: Sam describes it as the "soup-to-nuts" process layer in a workflow—doing much of what services like Zapier or Make try to stitch together.WordPress can win in the AI age with open architecture: REST APIs, authentication, and extensibility make it an ideal frontend for enterprise CMS systems or data pipelines.Open web control matters again: In a world of AI scraping, owning your content, managing access, and understanding the cost of closed platforms (like Webflow) is becoming increasingly important.MCP (Modular Command Protocol) is promising—but early: It may bring much-needed standardization to REST APIs, but it's still experimental and lacks built-in security, so proceed with caution.Important linkshttps://gravityforms.com/https://gravityflow.io/https://wpapiexplorer.com — Matt’s tool for inspecting and testing WordPress and Gravity Forms REST APIshttps://trooper.dev — WordPress maintenance and dev agency where Sam is consultinghttps://x.com/HeySamTexas — Follow Sam on Twitter/X

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