For today’s Made with Croco, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jan Jatzkowski, a digital creator and founder of Jatzkowski Solutions, based in Hamburg, Germany. After selling his marketing agency in 2017, Jan shifted his focus to working more intimately with a smaller number of clients, often collaborating with trusted media and production partners. His latest venture, awesomeacademy.de, marks his first deep dive into Crocoblock — a dynamic platform that is still in development but already promises to be something special.
Introduction
My name is Jan Jatzkowski, and I run Jatzkowski Solutions, based in Hamburg, Germany. My agency specializes in strategy, web design, and online marketing, working with a small number of clients to create deeply customized solutions.
Back in 2013, I founded a branded entertainment and influencer marketing agency. After it was sold to an advertising group in 2016, I shifted my focus to working independently. Today, I love being involved in projects from the very beginning, helping shape the strategy, bringing the digital product to life, and providing long-term support.
One of my most challenging and exciting recent projects was building a membership platform and academy for medical professionals – specifically doctors and alternative practitioners – which included a vast knowledge base, gated content, referral features, and even an integrated shop. And I built it all using Crocoblock plugins.
I’m passionate about projects where I can be involved in building a business or product from the ground up. I love being part of the entire process, from initial planning and implementation to ongoing support and maintenance.
I’m currently collaborating with some fantastic entrepreneurs on exciting projects where Crocoblock is playing a key role. I’m really enjoying those and seeing the impact they’re having.
Challenges
One of my recent and most exciting projects is Awesome Academy, an educational platform that’s currently in development. It’s my first major project using Crocoblock, and it’s already proving to be a game changer.
The idea is to create a dynamic, interactive learning experience; thanks to JetPlugins, I can build advanced functionalities like user dashboards, course filters, conditional logic, and more, without sacrificing design or performance.
It’s still a work in progress, but it’s shaping up to be a powerful resource for online learning. This platform has a lot of moving parts, including:
- membership areas with varying access levels;
- extensive knowledge databases;
- multiple listing types (e.g., for practitioners, resources, webinars, appointments, downloads, etc.);
- granular content restriction;
- integrated online shop;
- trainer referral system.
The Solution
That’s where Crocoblock came in.
After testing different approaches, I found that Crocoblock’s plugin suite provided everything I needed to build this entire ecosystem — all inside WordPress and without custom coding.
Here’s what I used:
- JetEngine, in particular, was instrumental in creating the dynamic listings and custom post types needed for the trainer directory and resource database.
- JetFormBuilder handled the various forms required for registrations, inquiries, and trainer applications. It helps in creating and managing the platform’s numerous forms.
The flexibility of these plugins saved me a significant amount of development time, allowing me to create a truly customized experience for the platform’s users.
The core tools I used for this project include: Elementor Pro, JetEngine, JetWooBuilder, JetFormBuilder, Wishlist Member, ActiveCampaign, and WooCommerce.
Briefly
- The best organization tool: Google Workspace Business Suite
- Main website: awesomeacademy.de (currently in development)
- Preferred hosting: All-Inkl (Germany)
- Must-have plugin: JetEngine
- Editor of choice: Elementor
- Team size: Just me, plus a trusted partner network
- Wireframing tool: I don’t use a fixed one
- Crocoblock plan: Freelance Lifetime
Go-to WordPress plugins:
- Caching: WP Rocket
- SEO: Rank Math
- Translation: I’m not a fan of any in particular
- Security/Backup: Wordfence and Duplicator
Advice for Newbies
Just when you think you know Elementor and WordPress well, you realize how much more there is to learn. Don’t be discouraged. If you enjoy solving puzzles and love building things, keep going. It’s a process of endless learning, but it becomes more rewarding with every step.
Also, don’t underestimate the power of no-code tools. What used to take weeks of development can now be done in days – if you know your plugins well.
Takeaways
I have to give a shout-out to Crocoblock’s incredible support and the sheer number of valuable plugins they offer. Honestly, without Crocoblock, my toolkit would be half-empty. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve some of my best work, and I wouldn’t even know some of these amazing tools existed! 🥰
