Author: Mike Lopez

  • From Developer to Leader: Lessons I Wish I Knew Earlier in My PHP Journey

    From Developer to Leader: Lessons I Wish I Knew Earlier in My PHP Journey

    If you told 25-year-old me that one day I’d be managing a team of PHP developers, reviewing performance metrics, and negotiating deadlines with stakeholders, I probably would’ve laughed and gone back to refactoring some poorly written legacy class. I didn’t start my career with ā€œleadershipā€ in mind—my focus was all about clean code, fast queries,…


  • Optimizing Large PHP Codebases Without Breaking Everything

    Optimizing Large PHP Codebases Without Breaking Everything

    When you’re working in a large PHP codebase, optimization isn’t just about speed—it’s about survival. You can’t just go in and start swapping out loops or rewriting core logic without risking a domino effect that’ll take your entire app down with it. So here’s how I approach optimizing large PHP projects without blowing them up.…


  • Hiring PHP Developers in 2025: What I Look For (And What I Ignore)

    Hiring PHP Developers in 2025: What I Look For (And What I Ignore)

    Hiring a PHP developer in 2025 isn’t what it used to be. Gone are the days when ā€œknows Laravelā€ or ā€œcan write SQL joinsā€ was enough to get my attention. Over the years, I’ve refined what I look for—and just as importantly, what I don’t care about anymore. Let me walk you through what matters…


  • How to Manage a High-Performing PHP Team Without Overengineering Your Workflow

    How to Manage a High-Performing PHP Team Without Overengineering Your Workflow

    Managing a high-performing PHP team can sometimes feel like juggling flaming chainsaws while riding a unicycle. There’s a constant urge to do more—add more tools, more processes, more layers of abstraction—all in the name of productivity and scalability. But here’s the kicker: sometimes, all that “more” ends up doing less for your team. I’ve led…


  • How Eager Loading Works in ORM (With PHP Examples)

    How Eager Loading Works in ORM (With PHP Examples)

    When I first started using ORMs in PHP, I loved how clean and readable my code became. But I quickly ran into performance problems—things were getting sluggish, and I couldn’t figure out why. That’s when I discovered the magic (and danger) of lazy loading, and why eager loading is a tool every developer needs in…


  • How to Implement MySQL Pagination in PHP (Step-by-Step Guide)

    How to Implement MySQL Pagination in PHP (Step-by-Step Guide)

    Pagination: it’s how you turn ā€œHere’s a mullion rowsā€ into ā€œHere’s 20 rows per page” without melting your server. Alright, before we dive in—this post assumes you already know how to connect to MySQL using PHP’s PDO. If that sounds like gibberish, hit pause and go learn that first. I’ll wait. šŸ˜Ž Still here? Great.…


  • 10 PHP Performance Pitfalls and How to Fix Them Like a Pro

    10 PHP Performance Pitfalls and How to Fix Them Like a Pro

    Let’s be real—most PHP performance issues aren’t caused by exotic edge cases. They’re caused by small mistakes that quietly accumulate until your server starts sweating. Over the years, I’ve fallen into every performance trap in the book—and watched others do the same. So here’s a list of the top 10 PHP performance pitfalls I’ve seen…


  • Scaling PHP Projects: Management Tactics That Actually Work for Remote Teams

    Scaling PHP Projects: Management Tactics That Actually Work for Remote Teams

    Scaling a PHP project while leading a remote team can feel like juggling fire—with one hand tied behind your back. The good news? It’s not magic. It’s management. And if you do it right, it actually scales. Here’s what’s worked for me. 1. Codebase ≠ Product ≠ Project This sounds obvious, but it’s a trap…


  • How to Lead a Remote PHP Team Without Burning Out Your Developers

    How to Lead a Remote PHP Team Without Burning Out Your Developers

    When I first started managing a remote PHP team, I made all the rookie mistakes: too many meetings, too few boundaries, and way too much Slack. Burnout wasn’t immediate—but it was inevitable. I’ve since changed the way I lead. Here’s what I’ve learned about keeping remote PHP developers productive without running them into the ground.…


  • The Leadership Skill No One Talks About: Patience

    The Leadership Skill No One Talks About: Patience

    We love to talk about decisiveness. About boldness, charisma, vision. We glamorize ā€œmove fast and break thingsā€ leadership like it’s the only kind that works. But there’s one leadership skill that rarely gets any spotlight—patience. It’s not sexy. It doesn’t make great TED Talk soundbites. But in my experience, patience is one of the most…