What To Do When Your Theme’s Company Sells Out

• March 5, 2015
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WordPress often seems to be a culture in and of itself.

After going public in 2003 multiple independent entities took advantage of the opportunity to turn these highly sought-after site designs into a commodity. Theme Forest is one such entity. The site is a veritable mecca for WordPress themes, options to both buy and sell readily available.

Unfortunately, when an open source project such as WordPress does develop features with the potential to be moneymakers, that theme you fell in love with and enabled a month ago could, at any day, be converted to someone’s cash cow.

Sites like Theme Grade have deliberated on whether this commoditization is a positive or a negative. While their review was largely a positive one, it focused more on technicalities than the economic ramifications of the service for site owners. Could a large-scale market monopolize the site?

Could it rip the “open source” feel straight away from what was meant to be a community project?

These are vital inquiries not often as addressed.

Website costs add up at a monumental level. When your own previously free theme, which you’ve built your entire design around, is sold, how do you handle it without a large-scale revamp?

In this situation, there are only a few viable options. Finding another free theme that fits your needs can be difficult after another design has been optimized for. One solid decision is to have a custom theme built; all of your site’s existing specifications will be attended to, you’ll have one solid, singular cost and no more surprises.

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