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Our team loves to share our thoughts, research, experiences here in our blog. Please enjoy our articles and leave a comment to let us know what you think.

Introducing Upendo Ventures. It’s a Pleasure to Meet You!

What is this Upendo Ventures thing, anyway?  I mean, it sounds funny and it seems to have come out of nowhere.  Also, what in the world has Will Strohl (me) been up to the past few months?  These and many more questions have been coming our way, and this article hopes to answer many of them.  Needless to say, we’re very excited to introduce Upendo Ventures to you.

Upendo Ventures Is Excited to Welcome Hotcakes Commerce Customers

Upendo Ventures Loves Hotcakes Commerce

When I founded Upendo Ventures, it was in my heart to build a business that mirrors my values and how I believe we should all treat each other as human beings.  For anyone that knows me, you’ll know that this train of thought has been at the core of everything I’ve ever done – including those menial tasks that none of us love to do.  This was also reflected in my hard work with Hotcakes Commerce, where I loved helping to make e-commerce easier for everyone.  With Hotcakes going open source, it begs the question, “Where and how will I get support now?”  For anyone that’s enjoyed or been interested in the Hotcakes Cloud, you’ll have this and other similar questions.

CMS State of the Union: Data-Based Insights From the Past Two Years

CMS State of the Union 2017

If you didn’t already know, CMS is an acronym for “content management system.”  A CMS is used by many developers, consultancies, and companies to build their website.  It’s an incredibly common thing to do, as any flavor of CMS you choose will always save you effort and money, compared to building a website from nothing.  This is especially true if you look at the lifetime investment of your website.  Using a CMS framework or solution of some kind just seems to make sense.  After all, this is what I’ve built my own career upon since 2001.  However, then, CMS was known as a portal or portal framework.  That’s a long time ago, so it’s not a bad idea to take stock of things every now and thing to see if what you’re doing is the correct thing.  To this end, I asked myself, “How is CMS doing right now, and does it make sense to still be doing CMS-related work in the future?”

Featured Posts

  • Your AI Keeps Forgetting. Here Is How Your Business Can Stop Paying for It.

    Artificial intelligence is being promoted as a way to help businesses save time, reduce repetitive work, improve customer service, and make better use of their existing knowledge. Those benefits are real. However, there is an important limitation that many everyday business users are discovering only after they have invested significant time in these tools: Your AI assistant may not reliably remember your work. In the original article, “Your AI Keeps Forgetting Because Forgetfulness Is More Profitable,” Upendo Ventures founder Will Strohl explains how ...

    July 17, 2026
  • A Website Is Not a Checkbox. And This Conversation Proved Why.

    I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Ranger Kielak, host of the South of SF podcast, for a conversation titled Your Website Isn’t a Checkbox: Building a Digital Presence That Actually Works. ...

    February 17, 2026
  • Featured by San Carlos Life: Feeling the Upendo

    Every now and then, something happens that makes you pause and genuinely reflect. Feel the Upendo with us... ...

    February 16, 2026
  • Practical AI Training for Everyday People & Business Is Here

    If you’re considering AI for your business and want guidance before committing to tools or processes, this AI training is a smart first step. ...

    January 26, 2026
  • Finish the Year Strong (While Your Competitors Take Time Off)

    While most businesses start to slow down toward the end of the year, this is actually one of the best times to take action. ...

    October 28, 2025
Read More

Popular Posts

  • Your AI Keeps Forgetting. Here Is How Your Business Can Stop Paying for It.

    Artificial intelligence is being promoted as a way to help businesses save time, reduce repetitive work, improve customer service, and make better use of their existing knowledge. Those benefits are real. However, there is an important limitation that many everyday business users are discovering only after they have invested significant time in these tools: Your AI assistant may not reliably remember your work. In the original article, “Your AI Keeps Forgetting Because Forgetfulness Is More Profitable,” Upendo Ventures founder Will Strohl explains how ...

    July 17, 2026
  • A Website Is Not a Checkbox. And This Conversation Proved Why.

    I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Ranger Kielak, host of the South of SF podcast, for a conversation titled Your Website Isn’t a Checkbox: Building a Digital Presence That Actually Works. ...

    February 17, 2026
  • Featured by San Carlos Life: Feeling the Upendo

    Every now and then, something happens that makes you pause and genuinely reflect. Feel the Upendo with us... ...

    February 16, 2026
  • Practical AI Training for Everyday People & Business Is Here

    If you’re considering AI for your business and want guidance before committing to tools or processes, this AI training is a smart first step. ...

    January 26, 2026
  • A Year of Momentum, Trust, and Building What Actually Matters

    As we look back on the past calendar year, one thing stands out more than anything else: this has been a year of trust. ...

    January 19, 2026
Read More

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