Why I Made an SBI Website about
Balloon Decorations
If you read my About me page you know how I got into balloon decorating. Now it's time to share with you why I made this website with SBI (SBI stands for 'Site Build It') ... and for you to find out, if you might want to build one too.
Born out of necessity (as we couldn't sell our balloon decoration services in Germany), this website turned into an adventure of its own. A business and personal adventure. As a mother, I was always on the outlook for a possibility to work from home, at my own pace. Or at least to earn some extra money from home and to slowly increase this income until I could quit my day job (and work from wherever I want, when I want to).
I just never thought that a website could be a solution for me.
I had no design skills, didn't have a clue about HTML editors and how to make money with a website was beyond my understanding.
It seemed to me that the only way to make money on the web was either being a well-known brand (e.g. Amazon) or ripping people off (aka "Sign up now and make $100,000 in your first week" - Ha!). I even got ripped off once myself, by a so-called proven MLM or Multi-Level-Marketing idea. I lost $600, hundreds of hours and a lot of trust into any internet business offer.
So, what's so special about SBI then? Why did I invest, yet again, $299 in an online business offer?
Because it makes me jump out of bed every morning, excited that I am on my way to create the lifestyle I am dreaming of, for my daughter and myself. I have been with SBI since the beginning of 2006 now and it still excites me as much as it did on the first day.
Let's talk serious now. The most burning question you will have is: How much money do I actually make with this site? And how many hours do I work on it?
It is mid July 2008 as I write this, and I make about $200 per month, solely from AdSense, the Google ads you see throughout my site. This amount might seem small, but translates into roughly $25 per hour, as I currently only work about 2 hours per week on the Balloon Decoration Guide.
And the best thing: it keeps on growing, as my numbers of visitors keep on growing! See for yourself. The following graphic shows you how many people come to the Balloon Decoration Guide every day. It also gives data for visits and page views, but the most important numbers here are the "visitors". See how they are increasing from month to month?
I decided NOT to explain the many features and tools you get with SBI. Instead I'll answer some of the most frequent questions that people ask me about Site Build It. This should be the easiest and quickest way for you to find out whether SBI is for you or not.
I have never built a website, let alone a business before. Where do I even begin?
This little fellow here will show you. He's the mascot of the "Action Guide". Printing out and reading the "Action Guide" is the first thing you do when you start with SBI. This will give you the big picture overview ... and a headache from the wealth of information. No, just kidding. Don't feel overwhelmed. You will take one step after the other.
The Action Guide is laid out as a 10 day process, from brainstorming ideas to building long lasting relationships with your visitors or customers. Depending on your circumstances, one day can actually last one day or three months. All you have to do is follow the guide. Read every chapter and watch its video version. Then do it.
I have no technical or graphical skills. Can I still do it?
Absolutely. Page creation is as simple as riding a bike with its training wheels still attached. No need to know HTML. The block-by-block builder trains you how to write a page that is both "Search Engine and human effective." It's simple, do-able and most importantly, effective site-building. The block-by-block builder is perfect for beginners, but even many "advanced" users should start with this tool. It's an excellent way to break bad habits!
When it's time to create your site's Look & Feel, SBI! provides fully customizable, easy-to-use templates. You can choose and create a professional-looking presentation, even if you have no design skills. And if you're a designer, you can create and upload your own. This page shows a range of styles.
Sounds good, but what shall I write about?
Ask yourself: what excites me? What could I talk about for hours? What do I do in my spare time? What skills did I learn in my job? Then scribble down the answers that come to your mind. I bet you get at least 3 topics out of this mini-brainstorming. That's all you need as a start. SBI then helps you to choose the best and most profitable site concept.
How long does it take until I earn any money?
This depends completely on yourself. The more time and effort you spend on building your website in the beginning, the sooner you will see any results. On average, people build between 1 and 2 pages per week. Once you have 30 pages up and running, your traffic will start to increase and only then you will begin to see some money coming in.
If you have a full time job and/or kids, you might not have much time to work on your site and only build one page every two weeks (that's roughly what I did). But that's the beauty of SBI - you can set your own pace.
I bought SBI in January 2006. In March our homepage went live, by July we had 30 pages up and running and on 4th of August 2006 we received the first click on our AdSense ads - the beginning of our income stream (I was so excited that I marked the day in my calendar!).
Ok, let's say I give it a try. Are the $299 a one time fee? What about other costs? And what if I don't like it?
The $299 is the yearly subscription fee. It works out $25 a month, but there is only the yearly payment option. No catches or hiddden costs whatsoever. The package includes everything you need, all the building and reporting tools and of course, domain registration and web hosting.
If you decide, at any time, that SBI is not for you, you simply say so and you'll get your money back. No questions asked. The way I see it: you can't go wrong by trying it out. You have everything to win and nothing to lose.
One last question: What if I am not good at writing?
Don't mix up talent with skills here. Writing like Hemingway is a talent, that no one can teach you. But writing a compelling web page is a skill that you can and will learn with SBI. I learned it too, and English isn't even my mother tongue. Ken Evoy, the founder of SiteSell (that's the company behind SBI), wrote two e-books, known amongst experts as the "dynamic duo of web-writing". As a non expert I simply call them mind-blowing :-)
They used to be sold by SiteSell, but are now available for free. So, whenever someone tells me they can't write I send them these links:
I recommend reading "Make Your Content Presell" first. It's taylored for internet beginners, and even if you never write a single page for the web, you still can make good use of it. For example, to write letters or emails that finally get the responses you want (e.g. a long deserved pay raise from your boss). On the other hand, if you already have a product or service to sell, and if you'd like to make your sales soar, then "Make Your Words Sell" is a must-read for you.
Now I shall leave you with Elad, a fellow SBIer. He summarizes in just one minute the life changing power of SBI. Listen for yourself!
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Still wondering whether YOU could be successful with a website too? The best way to find out is to give it a try. With their rock solid money back guarantee, you've got everything to win and nothing to lose.
P.S.: Do you have questions about SBI that I didn't answer? Want to find out exactly how it could work for you? You can ask any questions here, both by phone and email.
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