THE PERSON BEHIND THE PLUGINS
Who’s behind
HookSpark?
I’m Marco Salvo. HookSpark is where I bring together more than 20 years of experience on the web, including my work at YITH across product development, SEO and advertising.
Today, I’m applying that experience to building a WooCommerce software company as a solopreneur, with the support of AI.
A new chapter in software.
01 / THE FOUNDATION
20+ years on the web.
Experience that connects the dots.
I’ve worked across SEO, advertising, digital products and project management, through more than one major shift in the web. What stays with me is the connection between a useful product and the people who need it.
- Web
- SEO
- Product
- WooCommerce
- AI
- HookSpark
02 / EXPERIENCE AT YITH
Learning the plugin business
from the inside.
A significant part of my professional journey was my experience at YITH, a company specializing in plugins and solutions for WooCommerce.
Over the years, I had the opportunity to work on products from different perspectives. As a Product Owner and project manager, I followed their development, coordinating the work needed to turn needs and ideas into concrete solutions.
Later, I also worked as Head of SEO, focusing on organic growth and product visibility, and directly managed advertising activities.
That experience helped me understand the cycle behind a digital product company: identifying a need, designing a solution, developing it, bringing it to market, acquiring users and building visibility and demand over time.
It’s one of the reasons I chose to build HookSpark. I’m bringing the experience of working across those connected parts of a plugin business into a different company model: one built and managed by a solopreneur with the support of AI.
THE QUESTION BEHIND HOOKSPARK
Can one person build a serious software company today?
HookSpark is my way of finding out.
AI has made capabilities accessible to one person that previously required different skills, people and structures. HookSpark brings that possibility together with my experience inside a plugin company, with professional standards for product quality, documentation and ongoing maintenance.
03 / THE WAY I WORK
One person.
Many roles.
A software company needs more than code. Product decisions, usability, documentation, discovery and support all shape the experience.
AI helps me research, develop, review and document the work. I set the direction, make the decisions and remain accountable for what HookSpark delivers.
- Product strategy
- Development
- UX
- Documentation
- SEO
- Marketing
- Support
- Research
Human experience and judgment.
AI as a tool to extend what I can do.
04 / THE ECOSYSTEM
Why WooCommerce?
Because it connects flexible technology with the everyday needs of people running a store.
It’s also an ecosystem I know from the inside. HookSpark brings that experience to focused tools for store owners, freelancers and agencies.
Real store needs
Start with a practical task and make the path to a useful result clearer.
Tools that fit together
Build around WordPress and WooCommerce, with a consistent approach across the catalog.
Respect for the community
Create useful products, welcome feedback and work with the ecosystem that makes them possible.
05 / BUILDING HOOKSPARK
A company built
one considered decision at a time.
I’m building HookSpark as a connected catalog of WooCommerce tools, with the work around each product treated as part of the product itself.
Start with the problem
Understand what a store needs to achieve before deciding what to build.
Build with care
Develop, review and test the work, with attention to usability and the supported scope.
Keep improving
Maintain the software, improve its documentation and learn from the people using it.
I share practical WooCommerce guides and lessons along the way on the HookSpark blog.
THE NEXT CHAPTER IS IN THE WORK
I don’t want to write
the answer in advance.
I want to build it.
Marco SalvoFounder of HookSpark