In 2008, Nicolas Lecocq, a teenager living in France, was employed as a baker making minimum wage after deciding to leave school. His days began exceedingly early, waking at 4 a.m., and ended with exhaustion upon returning home. Despite the demanding schedule, he dedicated his evenings to learning web development independently, utilizing freely available tutorials on YouTube and analyzing existing projects to refine his coding abilities.
As his skills advanced, Lecocq started taking on web design assignments for local businesses, earning modest sums of a few hundred dollars per project. However, he soon encountered a recurring difficulty that impacted his workflow and client satisfaction: WordPress themes. Each new client brought a different theme with unique structures and controls, requiring Lecocq to repeatedly learn the intricacies of new themes. This was particularly taxing, with cases such as spending an entire weekend just to figure out how to alter a single element like a header color.
Motivated to alleviate this inefficiency, Lecocq developed his own WordPress theme called OceanWP in 2016. Contrary to conventional advice to sell it for a standard price of $59, he decided to distribute the theme free of charge. This unconventional approach initially elicited skepticism, with many considering the strategy irrational. Downloads were slow to start, causing Lecocq to question whether the tracking systems were functioning correctly.
Gradually, OceanWP gained attention through discussions in online forums and favorable blog reviews, leading to increased recommendations among the developer community. By the third year after launch, the theme was actively installed on over 500,000 websites. The appeal largely stemmed from the theme's quality; the free version was fully functional and not hindered by excessive upselling or deliberately limited features. Users could opt to purchase premium extensions to access additional templates, functionality, or prioritized support.
Financially, the theme became highly successful. Within two years, Lecocq's monthly income from OceanWP reached between $15,000 and $20,000. Remarkably, he achieved this growth without engaging in paid advertising campaigns or seeking external investment, managing the business as a solo operator. Over a span of three years, the cumulative revenue exceeded $1.5 million, largely fueled by satisfying a problem Lecocq himself experienced and recognizing that many developers faced similar challenges.
Moreover, Lecocq personally addressed every customer support request for the first two years—a commitment that, while potentially taxing on his wellbeing, strengthened user trust and satisfaction. This hands-on approach contributed to the theme's reputation as a reliable and developer-friendly option in a crowded marketplace.
Despite this success, Lecocq openly acknowledged that he lost a significant portion of the revenue earned. He alluded to difficulties managing financial responsibilities and scaling operations effectively. Specifically, challenges related to tax obligations and strategic business growth contributed to eroding the profits, though he did not elaborate on the exact factors involved.
Currently, Lecocq is channeling lessons learned from his experience into developing new software tools and advises aspiring creators to build products that address their own frustrations as a way to find broader market demand. For individuals generating income but facing financial management issues, professional advisory services offering personalized strategy sessions can be valuable in preserving wealth and optimizing outcomes.