About

Hi, I’m Remkus de Vries. Founder of Truer than North.

I work with companies that build products and services on WordPress, helping them make better decisions about technology, products, positioning, and how they operate inside the WordPress ecosystem.

I’ve been doing this work for over twenty years, across many roles and contexts: as a builder, advisor, product thinker, content creator, strategist, and community organizer. Some of that work is visible, some of it happens quietly behind the scenes, but it has all been shaped by long-term involvement in WordPress as both software and ecosystem.

Today, my work focuses on helping companies understand not just how to build on WordPress, but how to exist within it in a way that creates momentum instead of friction.

Seeing the ecosystem from the inside

WordPress is often described as a platform. In practice, it behaves much more like a market.

Products succeed or fail not just because of technical quality, but because of timing, positioning, incentives, relationships, and trust. Decisions made by one company frequently ripple across others. Opportunities exist, but only if you’re close enough to see them.

Being deeply involved in WordPress for a long time gives you a different kind of perspective. Patterns repeat. Certain mistakes are made over and over again. Some partnerships almost always work. Others almost never do, regardless of intent.

That kind of context doesn’t come from documentation, trends, or one-off projects. It comes from proximity, continuity, and paying attention over many years.

From problem-solving to direction-setting

As my work evolved, so did the nature of the conversations.

Fewer isolated problems. More questions about direction. About positioning. About how to enter the WordPress market, how to grow within it, or how to avoid fighting the ecosystem you depend on.

That shift is what led to the Northbound Program.

Northbound is the result of spending years close enough to the ecosystem to understand how products, people, and incentives interact, and applying that understanding deliberately, over time, to the same companies.

It’s not about execution or deliverables. It’s about helping companies make better decisions while those decisions are still cheap to change.

How I work today

I work independently and selectively.

Some engagements are scoped consultancy, focused on solving specific problems inside a defined boundary. Others are long-term relationships centered around direction, positioning, and ecosystem fit.

In both cases, the work is grounded in context, judgment, and a deep understanding of how WordPress actually works in practice.

I don’t believe in generic best practices. I believe in informed trade-offs.

Why Truer than North

The name comes from navigation.

True north gives you a reference point. Truer than north acknowledges that context matters, that direction isn’t absolute, and that navigating complex systems requires more than a compass.

WordPress is one of those systems.

The work I do exists to help companies navigate it deliberately, with perspective shaped by long-term involvement rather than short-term incentives.

My Resume

Experience

WordPress Specialist, Consultant & Founder

Truer than North · Self-employed

April 2004 – Present · Âldhoarne, The Netherlands

Founder of Truer than North, originally a full-service WordPress agency and now the home of my independent consultancy and long-term advisory work.

Over the years, I have worked with agencies, developers, vendors, and product companies across the WordPress ecosystem, helping them with performance, scalability, product direction, marketing strategy, positioning, and technical implementation.

Clients and collaborators include large agencies, hosting providers, product companies, and public institutions.

Focus areas

• WordPress performance and scalability
• Product strategy and ecosystem positioning
• Marketing strategy and go-to-market support
• Technical architecture and implementation

Co-Founder & CEO

Scanfully · Self-employed

July 2023 – Present · Netherlands (Remote)

Scanfy provides WordPress site health and performance monitoring, helping site owners and product teams stay ahead of issues before they impact users or revenue.

I focus on product direction, performance strategy, and positioning within the WordPress ecosystem, translating technical insight into practical monitoring and decision support.

Focus areas

• WordPress performance and health monitoring
• Product strategy and positioning
• WordPress and WooCommerce ecosystems

Educator & Content Creator

Within WordPress · Self-employed

April 2023 – Present · Remote

Creator of Within WordPress, an education and content platform focused on the WordPress ecosystem, performance, tooling, and long-term best practices.

This includes long-form writing, video, and audio content aimed at developers, product teams, and companies building serious products on WordPress.

Focus areas

• WordPress education and ecosystem analysis
• Video production and podcasting
• Newsletter production and editorial strategy

Initiator, Co-Founder & Lead Organizer

WordCamp Europe

October 2012 – July 2023

Initiator and co-founder of WordCamp Europe, which grew into the largest WordPress conference in the world.

Led the first edition in Leiden, The Netherlands, and co-led the second edition in Sofia, Bulgaria. Continued involvement as organizer and advisor for many years.

Focus areas

• Large-scale community organization
• Organizational development
• International collaboration

Co-Founder & Lead Organizer

WordCamp Netherlands

July 2009 – July 2023

Co-founder and long-time organizer of WordCamp Netherlands, one of the earliest WordPress community conferences in the region.

Responsible for event leadership, program direction, speaker coordination, and long-term continuity of the event.

Focus areas

• Community leadership
• Event organization and program development
• Public speaking and community building

Founder & News Editor

WP Realm

August 2012 – December 2022

Founder of WP Realm, a global WordPress news platform covering business, people, products, events, and developments across the ecosystem.

The platform reached a worldwide audience and served as an entry point for many into the broader WordPress community.

Focus areas

• Editorial strategy
• Content creation and curation
• Community reporting

Head of People, Partners & Customer Relationships

Servebolt

February 2020 – April 2022

Responsible for people operations, partner relationships, and customer experience at Servebolt, a high-performance WordPress hosting provider.

Worked closely with leadership on culture, hiring, partnerships, onboarding, and positioning within the WordPress hosting market.

Focus areas

• People and culture
• Strategic partnerships
• Customer relationships
• Marketing strategy and HR

Manager of Partnerships

Yoast

August 2017 – January 2020

Managed partnerships and collaborations for Yoast, one of the most influential WordPress product companies.

Focused on strategic alliances, partner communication, and ecosystem relationships.

Focus areas

• Partner relationship management
• Strategic partnerships
• Newsletter and content coordination

CEO & Founder

WP ServicePoint

March 2010 – December 2018

Founder of WP ServicePoint, one of the leading WordPress maintenance and service companies in Europe at the time.

WP ServicePoint was later merged into Forsite Media.

Focus areas

• WordPress services and maintenance
• Business operations
• Customer support and scaling