Site Build It! is helping Michael Boyter turn his hobby into a money making Internet business.
There Is Gold In Your Hobby #1: First, please tell us more about yourself...
My name is Michael Boyter. I'm 38 years old, originally from Oregon, but now living in Wasilla, Alaska. I began playing around on the Internet in 1996, but finally got serious about online marketing in 1999. I still run my Internet business on a part-time basis. I've been in the U.S. Air Force for 17 years and I've been married to my first (and last) wife for 17 years as well. We are proud parents of 5 children.
#2: Did you ever build a website before SBI!?
Yes, I tried, but the learning curve just kept me in check. I played with Front Page for months and never even got one page uploaded. I was being too much of a perfectionist and didn't really know what I was doing. Figuring out all of that technical stuff was hard.
#3: Now, let's talk about your SBI! website...
My SBI! website is FamilyHistoryProducts.com. It began with my e-book Memorygrabber, which is a 150 page fill-in-the-blank, life story workbook. Since I started the website, I have written and compiled another e-book and have worked out joint venture deals with other e-book authors and software designers.
I have always had an interest in journal writing and life story writing in general, but I finalized my site's concept based on my first e-book, Memorygrabber. I derived the topic by following the brainstorming ideas as presented in Make Your Knowledge Sell.
I began FamilyHistoryProducts.com in August of 2000. Besides wanting to help others preserve memories of their lives and the lives of their loved ones, my motivations for starting an Internet business were:
- Not have to work for someone else for the rest of my life.
- To have more control over where I live and when I do something.
- To have more time with family
- Not have to make money by the hourly wage.
My expectations for my site are to create enough income within the next three years to be able to do it full-time. I'm obligated to my current day-job for the next three years.
The concept of an automated system to create income with a worldwide reach is tremendously exciting and something that I'm willing to work at tirelessly.
#4: How much time and money did it take?
Since I was one of the first SBI! users, I only paid $95 initially. SBI! was a pretty basic system back then.
I've incorporated other services in order to sell my e-book via my SBI! site. When the e-commerce module of SBI! is released, I'll not need them. Initially this cost was about $3 per book sold through Emetrix. I paid nearly $800 to Emetrix that first year! I've increased my profit margin, this year, by bringing that figure down to the $1.00 range by using PayPal. Needless to say, I can't Wait for SBI!-E to be released.
Other costs have been using pay-per-click search engine listings and e-book cover software.
Building pages within SBI! are very easy and quick to do, but it still takes time to build a quality page, of course.
Time to maintain the site is minimal. This allows me more time to grow my site, rather than to be constantly maintaining.
#5: Are you happy with the results?
I'm very happy with my results. What I've accomplished wouldn't have been completely possible without SBI!.
I reached number one in Yahoo! for my main keyword phrase "writing an autobiography" by my six month mark. That was #1 out of 154,000 sites. As of today, I am #2 in Yahoo and Google out of 354,000 sites. SBI! has helped me stay ahead of the competition with it's search engine instruction "guru in your ear" feature and through the automated search engine submission feature. I just have to hit the Build It! button and the page is automatically saved and qued up for submission to the search engines, based on their individual protocols.
I've been able to basically get a professional and very effective web site up and running in a short amount of time. And that website has generated business for me form all around the world.
SBI! has helped me achieve a current Alexa rating of 184,110 without really even trying.
My SBI! site has helped me take my first e-book that I started typing out two years ago in my spare time and make just over $10,000 dollars with it. Even as I write this, my website is continuing to generate income for my family.
#6: Would you recommend SBI! to others?
The part I like about SBI! the most (this is a tough decision) is the brainstorming tool. It helps you dig down for those hidden niche markets and target them. That is a huge advantage for SBI! users. It's almost unfair to non-SBI! users. This in turn helps your search engine placements, of course.
It did please my ego the other day to see one of my pages one spot above a Wal-Mart search engine listing! You could say that SBI! helped me go one up on Sam Walton :-)
To put it simply, I recommend SBI! to anyone who is serious about conducting business online.
10 Part-Time Businesses You Can Start Today
by Blake Williams
Starting your own business and becoming an entrepreneur can be one of the most gratifying things you can ever do in your life. If you are reading this article I'm sure you've asked yourself "what business can I run while keeping my day job?" Here are 10 businesses that you can run on a part time basis until you ready to hang up the "9 to 5" and "go at it fulltime".
EBay -
EBay has become one of the most popular and profitable part-time businesses you can start. Thousands of people in America and around the world are starting part-time businesses using the online auction site eBay. From the comfort of their homes, many business owners have created fast growing and profitable companies. You can sell anything from antiques to cars at eBay. It has become so profitable for some people they have turned it into their full-time source of income.
Wireless Networking -
If you have knowledge of computer networking there is a untapped opportunity for you. The opportunity is in installing and servicing wireless networks in businesses and single-family homes. Surveys have shown that more people than ever have multiple computers in their homes. The surveys also show that most people are moving toward networking those scattered computers. This provides a tremendous opportunity for you! The main barrier to starting a wireless networking business is the lack of computer networking knowledge. Even though some networking knowledge is needed, the advancement in wireless networking technology has made the barriers to entry less daunting.
Catering -
Starting your own catering business can be a very lucrative and rewarding endeavor. Even better, catering is very receptive to part-time operators. Whether you cater events on a full-time or a part-time basis, the opportunities are excellent. There are probably thousands of catered events taking place right in your hometown every year. Catering is a $5.5 billion a year industry, and enjoys a growth rate of about 6% per year. As long as couples get married and corporations host annual parties and conferences, caterers will be needed.
Wedding Planner -
Do you have a knack for organization and planning? If the answer is yes, Wedding Planning may be a business for you. With over 2.5 million weddings taking place in 2005, there is a fantastic opportunities for you to start a wedding planning business. There is always a need for someone to oversee the details of the Bride and Groom's special day. That "someone" -- the wedding planner -- could be you! No special education, license, or experience is necessary to start making money as a wedding planner today.
Handyman -
There's big money in the Handyman business. Many homeowners across the country hire handyman contractors to complete odd jobs and minor repairs that they don't have the skills or time to do themselves. This is an untapped market because most major contractors pass on small handyman jobs. Your phone will ring off the hook with calls from homeowners looking for someone to handle the small jobs they can't fix themselves. Getting started is as simple as getting the appropriate licenses, gathering your tools and marketing your service. A simple and low cost way to let the public know about your service is to advertise in shopper publications and on bulletin boards, in addition to dropping off fliers at real estate offices. Take these simple step and start repairing everything from leaky faucets to broken windows.
Non Medical Home Care Assistant -
"Starting A Non-Medical Home Care Business is fun, easy and rewarding"...It is a little known fact that Non-Medical Home Care is one of the fastest growing businesses in the United States! Every year, millions upon millions of dollars are spent on Non-Medical Home Care. Most people, who enter the Home Care business, usually do on a full time basis, but the business can easily be operated on a part-time basis. You can provide services ranging from respite care on the weekends to assisting with household tasks. With the number of baby boomers approaching retirement age, the growth of your business will be tremendous. Non-Medical Home Care was rated as one of the best businesses to start in 2005 and again for 2006.
Gift Baskets -
The Gift Basket Business is a multi-million dollar creative and rewarding industry that has unlimited potential. Gift Baskets can be sold for all occasions from Valentine Day to Christmas. Individual as well as businesses buy gift Baskets on a regular basis. You can create theme baskets, special order baskets, or both. The opportunities are unlimited if you have the skills and creativity to create high quality basket for special occasions.
Video Production Service -
The Video Production business is one of the best businesses you can start on a part-time basis. If you have knowledge of digital cameras, editing equipment and editing software, this may be the business for you. Most Video Businesses start by providing their services to the wedding and special event industries. Most weddings and special events happen on the weekends or after hours. This makes the video business a perfect sideline business to start while maintaining your "full-time gig". Furthermore, the video production business can be very lucrative. The average wedding video costs $1100.
Office and Home Organizer -
This is one of the simplest businesses you can start. There is little or no equipment required, no special training, and the cost to get started is relatively low. You can get started with as little as a stack of business cards. There is one caveat, in order to be successful as an Office and Home Organizer; you must have the skills to help the organizationally challenged attain organizational success. You will be organizing everything from entire homes and offices to closets and file cabinets. You could expect to earn a salary of $25 to $50 per hour in your spare time on the weekends or in the evening.
Junk Removal Service -
Did you know that in 2005 people spent more time at work than every before in history? With such a limited amount of time for leisure, most people don't want to spend the weekend cleaning garages, basements, or hauling junk to the landfill. Their disdain for the physical labor and the time required to complete these jobs mean an opportunity for you. Your Junk Removal Company can complete jobs ranging from removal of junk from homes, apartments, businesses, and construction sites to disposing of furniture, household items, old appliances, and other unwanted items. You can work with realtors or homeowners to help them get rid of junk to prepare their home for sale. You can assist contractors with the removal of construction debris before and after residential or commercial properties are built. You will need the necessary licenses and a truck of some size to carry everything from old refrigerators to construction debris. If you do mine the heavy lifting this can be a very profitable part-time business for you.
Author for this Article:
Copyright 2005 by Blake Williams Media Group
Blake Williams is the founder of SmallBizGuides.com and a multifaceted business management expert, speaker, and author. His typical topics include careers, start-ups, small business marketing, and project management.
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