How a Hobby Plugin Became TablePress (700K+ Installs)

Learn how Tobias Bäthge turned a personal project into TablePress, a WordPress plugin now exceeding 700,000 active installs. Discover his journey from hobbyist developer to full-time plugin creator, including the strategies, mindset, and user-first approach behind his success. In this video, you’ll find out how Tobias: - Got started building WP‑Table Reloaded for his baseball team - Rewrote it into TablePress for improved structure and reliability - Supported users faithfully, building trust and organic growth - Balanced hobby development with real user needs and focus - Transitioned to full-time through premium extensions and sustainable business - Uses automation, time-blocking, and discipline to scale as a solo founder - Stays grounded with user-first design principles and thoughtful updates - Leverages the evolving WordPress block editor and future UI opportunities 👉 Try TablePress or explore the Pro version here: https://tablepress.org Read the article: https://www.wpbeginner.com/opinion/interview-tobias-bathge-founder-tablepress/ Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 00:45 - Who is Tobias Bäthge? 01:58 - The origin of TablePress 03:29 - Teaching himself plugin development 05:00 - Realizing people needed his plugin 06:42 - Building WP-Table Reloaded as a student 08:15 - Community feedback and early validation 10:00 - The launch of TablePress 12:00 - Transitioning users from WP-Table Reloaded 14:00 - Developing TablePress as a solo project 16:30 - What made TablePress stand out 18:30 - Balancing user needs with product focus 20:30 - When TablePress became a business (2022) 23:00 - Launching TablePress Pro & Max 26:30 - Marketing a plugin without being salesy 29:00 - Advice for new WordPress plugin creators 31:30 - Why starting with a free plugin makes sense 34:00 - How automation and tools save time 36:30 - Supporting users at scale 38:00 - Staying productive as a solo developer 41:00 - How Tobias uses AI in his workflow 43:30 - Learning to say no as a developer 45