In this episode of WP Legends, we sit down with Brian Jackson, co-founder of ForgeMedia and the creator of two of the leanest, fastest-growing WordPress plugins Perfmatters and Novashare. From selling PCs on eBay in middle school to leading marketing at Kinsta and later building a successful micro-business with his brother, Brian shares his journey of entrepreneurship, performance optimization, and plugin development.
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Early Hustle & Tech Curiosity
Brian’s entrepreneurial spirit started early, selling custom-built PCs on eBay while still in middle school. This curiosity for technology and business carried through to his professional career, eventually leading him into the world of WordPress and performance-focused solutions.
Kinsta & The Power of Marketing
Before starting ForgeMedia, Brian served as CMO at Kinsta, where he helped scale the company into one of the leading managed WordPress hosts. His time at Kinsta gave him deep insight into how performance impacts user experience and conversions, shaping his approach to product development.
Building Perfmatters: Fighting WordPress Bloat
In 2018, Brian and his brother Brett launched Perfmatters, a lightweight plugin designed to disable unnecessary WordPress features and speed up websites. What began as a simple set of performance tweaks has grown into a must-have tool for anyone serious about site speed. Its philosophy is simple: keep it lightweight, effective, and easy to use.
Novashare: Social Sharing, Reimagined
Not stopping at performance, Brian and Brett created Novashare, a social sharing plugin focused on speed and simplicity. Unlike bloated alternatives, Novashare was designed from the ground up to load fast, scale on high-traffic sites, and integrate seamlessly with modern WordPress setups.
Running a Micro-Business with Big Impact
ForgeMedia is intentionally small, run by just Brian and his brother. They’ve embraced the idea of a “micro-business” — lean, focused, and profitable without the need for massive teams. This approach allows them to stay close to their customers, ship updates quickly, and maintain a sustainable work-life balance.
The Future of WordPress Performance
Brian believes performance will remain a critical factor as WordPress evolves, especially with the growing complexity of WooCommerce stores and AI-driven websites. His focus is on continuing to build plugins that remove bloat, improve speed, and keep WordPress competitive in an increasingly fast-paced web.
Lessons & The Road Ahead
From his early tech hustle to building two of the most efficient plugins in the ecosystem, Brian’s journey is a testament to staying lean, solving real problems, and focusing on user needs. Looking ahead, ForgeMedia will continue to expand Perfmatters and Novashare while exploring new ways to simplify WordPress performance.
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