My name is Mian Shahzad Raza and I am a professional WordPress Developer, Digital Creator & Educator from Lahore, Pakistan.
Born in March 1989, the late 90s Pakistan. Internet was rare. Computers were controversial, especially for kids. But I was lucky enough to have access to both, and I wasn’t going to waste it. After spending months exploring the internet (yes, mostly playing games), I learned my first real lesson the hard way: our computer crashed with a corrupted OS. Most kids would’ve panicked. I saw an opportunity.
Instead of taking it to a repair shop, I decided to fix it myself. Hours of trial and error later, I successfully reinstalled the operating system. The bad news? I’d wiped everything. The good news? I’d discovered I could solve problems I didn’t even know existed a day before.
That small victory changed everything. At 15, I started my first business, offering OS installation and software services to neighbors and classmates. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was real money doing something I loved. Fast forward 20 years: I’m still solving tech problems, just at scale. From that one crashed computer to building WordPress platforms serving 250K+ users and teaching 200K+ developers. The journey’s been incredible.
Not my first computer, it is from 2012. This is the oldest picture of my gear that I could find.
Technology wasn’t just an interest for me, it became my path forward. When a rare disease affected my physical strength and mobility, the disease affected my body, and I lost parts of it in the process. But it gave me absolute clarity about one thing: I would build my future with my mind, and technology would be my tool.
Computer science was the obvious choice, and I embraced it completely.
I completed my matriculation (10th grade) in 2008 with computer science subjects. While most students spent their three-month break relaxing, I enrolled in programming courses. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP. I wasn’t just passing time; I was building my future.
When I started my ICS (Intermediate in Computer Sciences) at Superior Group of Colleges, I was already ahead of the curve. By 2011, when I completed my intermediate and enrolled in BSCS (Bachelor of Computer Sciences), I’d already started freelancing. Real clients. Real projects. Real money.
University became repetitive fast. Every lecture felt like a review of what I’d already learned building actual websites. After a few months, I made a decision that many would call risky: I dropped out.
Instead, I joined Pyrspective, a digital marketing agency, where I worked on real projects with experienced professionals. In six months there, I learned more than four years of university could have taught me. Working under pressure, meeting client expectations, collaborating with teams, and solving problems that textbooks never covered.
Now, before you get inspired to drop out, don’t. Seriously. My path worked for me because I already had skills, clients, and a clear direction. For most people, finishing their degree is the smarter choice. I got lucky, and I know it.
My professional journey started in 2009-10 on a platform called LivePerson (RIP). While still in high school, I was building websites for real clients, small projects, modest budgets, but invaluable experience. Every project taught me something new about HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and working with clients.
But after a year, I’d outgrown the platform. I needed to level up. I needed to work with professionals on real, large-scale projects. So I started applying for jobs.
I joined Pyrspective as a junior front-end developer in 2011, and it changed everything. My job was converting PSD designs into pixel-perfect, responsive HTML/CSS layouts. Sounds simple, but the clients? Pepsi. Mountain Dew. Gillette. Sting. Pantene.
I went from coding small freelance websites to working on projects used by millions of people globally. The learning curve was steep, but I had something more valuable than any course: mentors who genuinely cared. My seniors, who I still consider father figures, pushed me daily. They wouldn’t let me stay comfortable in HTML/CSS land.
“Learn PHP. Learn MySQL. Build backend systems.”
And then came 2013. WordPress was exploding in popularity, and every brand wanted their sites on WordPress. At first, I resisted. I was comfortable with custom PHP. Why learn a CMS?
Then I built my first WordPress theme.
I fell in love instantly. The elegance of the template hierarchy, the power of hooks and filters, the endless possibilities. WordPress became my playground.
When Pyrspective shut down its Pakistan operations in 2013, I joined WME (4NG locally), an Australian marketing company’s outsource office. For a year, I lived and breathed WordPress development, refining my skills on client project after client project.
And then, history repeated itself. They closed the Pakistan office too.
(Yes, I see the pattern. No, it wasn’t me. I swear.)
I joined NavHum Solutions as a senior WordPress developer in late 2014. The pay was good, the work was stable, but something was missing: challenge. After a few months, I realized I wasn’t growing anymore. I was just repeating what I already knew.
For the first time in my career, I made the decision to leave.
I wanted to build something of my own. But I had two problems: no startup capital and zero experience running a business.
After the incubation ended, I parted ways with the team and went all-in on my own vision. Since 2016, I’ve been building digital products and platforms while providing development services to individuals and businesses worldwide.
Over 1,000+ projects later, I’m no longer just a developer taking orders. I’m building solutions that businesses depend on, teaching the next generation of WordPress developers, and creating platforms that serve hundreds of thousands of users.
The kid who started on LivePerson, making $50 per website? He’s now running multiple digital businesses and helping others do the same.
Pyrspective Digital Marketing Night Out.
My mates at Microsoft Incubation Center
Setting up StyloThemes First Office in Lahore
Even when I had full-time jobs, I couldn’t help myself. I was always building something on the side. Late nights after work, weekends, any free moment I had went into creating platforms, products, and solutions. It wasn’t just about the money (though that helped). It was about the thrill of building something from scratch and watching people actually use it.
It started with a simple online forum during my college years, XiTCLUB. I built it as a place to share educational content, tutorials, and tech guides. Nothing fancy, just a discussion board where people could learn and help each other.
But something unexpected happened: it grew. XiTCLUB became one of Pakistan’s popular tech communities, and suddenly I had thousands of people engaging with content I’d created. That feeling of building something people valued? Addictive.
Running XiTCLUB taught me something valuable. Forum owners desperately needed better templates. So I built them. My vBulletin templates became my first real digital product lineup, and they sold well. Really well.
Thousands of forums worldwide were using my templates. I was making “good bucks” (as teenage me would say) while learning the business of digital products. The entrepreneur in me had officially awakened.
In 2015, while working on a client project at the Microsoft incubation center, I spotted an opportunity that everyone else had missed: Urdu WordPress themes.
Think about it, millions of Urdu speakers creating content online, but zero quality WordPress themes designed for their language and needs. The existing solutions were terrible. Poor RTL support, fonts that looked broken, and designs that didn’t fit Urdu content structure.
So I built UrduPress, my first Urdu WordPress theme. Registered StyloThemes.com. And officially launched in 2016.
We didn’t just create themes. We created a platform that empowered an entire community of content creators who’d been ignored by the global WordPress market.
Teaching has always been part of who I am. Back when I started XiTCLUB, I’d casually record video tutorials on anything I was learning vBulletin, HTML/CSS, PHP/MySQL, even Photoshop and Microsoft Video Editor. If I knew it, I’d teach it. I launched my YouTube channel as “XiTCLUB Urdu Tutorials” without any grand plan. It was just me, a microphone, and a passion for helping others learn.
But as my love for WordPress grew (second only to my wife, I promise), I rebranded to WP Academy and went all-in. What started as casual side tutorials became a full-blown educational platform.
I’m not just building websites anymore. I’m building the next generation of WordPress developers in South Asia.
Every platform I’ve created solves a real problem I’ve encountered or witnessed. Building isn’t just what I do. It’s how I contribute. Every product, every platform, every tutorial is my way of leaving things better than I found them.
And I’m not done yet.
Speaking at industry events has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my journey. From the stage at WordCamp to Google I/O Extended 2022 in Lahore, I’ve had the opportunity to share what I’ve learned over 15 years of building for the web. Each speaking engagement. Whether as a panelist at Skills Gala Conference 2024 or giving a talk at the Creators are Change Makers Conference 2022. Reminds me why I fell in love with this industry: the willingness of people to share, learn, and lift each other up.
But what excites me most is building local communities. Organizing the Elementor Pakistan meetup wasn’t just about hosting an event. It was about creating a space where Pakistani designers and developers could connect, collaborate, and realize they’re part of something bigger. Every workshop, every panel discussion, every Q&A session after a talk is a chance to inspire someone the way my mentors inspired me. I don’t speak at these events because I have all the answers. I speak because I remember what it felt like to be starting out and how much a single conversation can change your trajectory.
Panelist at Skills Gala 2024, discussing WordPress automation and the future of no-code solutions with industry leaders.
Taught WordPress Design Mastery to 30+ developers at WordCamp Lahore 2023.
Speaking at Creators are Change Makers Conference 2022 by Qasim Ali Shah Foundation
Speaking at Google I/O Extended 2022 in Lahore about Core Web Vitals and Website Speed Optimization
Organized Elementor Pakistan meetup in 2022 with 50+ designers and developers
Facilitated WordPress Product Development Workshop at Connected Pakistan Conference 2021.
