Real People. Real Businesses.
Be Inspired by These Customer Success Stories
The results Solo Build It! customers achieve are real, and really doable. And while looking at cold, hard data is the logical thing to do, it's often the individual stories that give us the confidence, and the motivation, to get started.
We follow these solopreneurs for years. The point of this is to show the longevity of their online businesses, and the life-changing results that come with them. The reason that these SBIers thrive and grow is simple...
The more complex the Internet (and online business) becomes, the more value Solo Build It! adds.
We boil the process and tools down to what folks need now: as-you-need-it learning and regular updating. Instead of being overwhelmed by a torrent of (mis)information, you focus 100% on your business.
This is the most important part of growing a winning business with Solo Build It!.
Scan the page and find a success story or two that resonates for you. Read them, watch the videos — you'll understand how business-building with SBI! can help you.
P.S. These are real people — you may run into them and other experienced members in our SBI! Forums or Zoom calls. The friendliest group of people you'll ever meet — you're never alone if you have a question.
Questions? Need help deciding?
Call us toll free – 1-888-987-3669.
Or click here to email us.
From Internet Newbie to Acclaimed Recipe Brand
- Website: QuickGermanRecipes.com
- Niche: food, cooking
- Primary way of making money: selling digital cookbooks
- Other income streams: displaying ads on her site, selling print-on-demand items, like T-shirts, mugs and aprons, selling a paperback cookbook in bookstores and on Amazon.
"How hard can it be?"
This is what Gerhild Fulson thought when she volunteered to build a web presence for the ministry she and her husband had founded in Germany. She chose a recipe site as her "training ground."
A few years into her webmaster career, a lightbulb went off in her head. Her recipe site had enough business potential to raise all necessary fundings for their ministry — if only she treated it as a business.
Once she switched her mindset from "building a website" to "building a business," profits started to soar.
She redesigned and rebranded her web presence, grew a massive following on Facebook and Pinterest, added a store, and is now selling more digital cookbooks than ever before. She also started selling print-on-demand items, like T-shirts and mugs.
She became so well known with her "Just Like Oma" brand ("oma" means grandma in German), that a well-known publisher approached her about writing a cookbook for them. This paperback cookbook is now sold in bookstores and on Amazon.
"Most importantly, since I really do enjoy all that I do, I'm just going to keep on doing it, together with my hubby. With an online business, as long as there's internet, there's no telling where we'll go. The alternative? Since I'll soon be 70 and hubby 80, should we be sitting in those proverbial rocking chairs? I think not."
Retired Engineer Becomes Self-Publishing Champion
- Website: Florida-Backroads-Travel.com
- Niche: travel, history
- Primary way of making money: displaying ads
- Other income streams: selling 20+ Kindle books on Amazon, selling paperback / hardcover travel book in bookstores and on Amazon
When the real estate market in Florida collapsed in 2008, Mike Miller took a financial hit. He was 70 years old, and needed a way to supplement his Social Security income.
There was no demand for his engineering or brokerage skills, but what if he combined his love for writing with his extensive Florida travel and history knowledge? The idea for florida-backroads-travel.com was born.
Mike started his site with Solo Build It! just after his 70th birthday. More than a decade later, he still works on it every day, because he wants to. He's grateful for the financial security his online business brings him, even in times of crisis.
How does his site make him money? First, there's the advertising income from a platform called Mediavine. Because Mike's site attracts so many visitors (over 100,000 per month), his advertising income is substantial.
Contrary to a freelance writer, who gets paid once for an article, Mike gets paid time and again for everything he publishes on his own site.
And he found even more ways to monetize that very same content. How? He repurposed the articles into 23 Kindle ebooks he sells on Amazon. Pretty smart, right?
It doesn't stop there!
Due to his site's reputation as a trusted Florida travel resource, a large travel guide publisher commissioned him to write "Florida Day Trips" for them — a professionally produced soft/hardcover book, which is being distributed internationally.
"I am doing something that makes me feel relevant. And I make money doing it. What could be better?"
Questions? Need help deciding?
Call us toll free – 1-888-987-3669.
Or click here to email us.
Successful Front Porch Bloggers
- Website: Front-Porch-Ideas-And-More.com
- Niche: porches, DIY home decoration
- Primary way of making money: displaying ads and site sponsors
- Other income streams: contractor referral network, affiliate programs, selling ebooks, selling print-on-demand items like calendars, t-shirts and mugs
Mary and Dave dubbed themselves "kitchen table entrepreneurs" early on because they worked from their kitchen table in the first 5-6 years of their business.
To this day, they remember the date when they made their first 77 cents from their business: April 20th, 2009.
A month later, their daily income was 10 times that, and growing fast. Within 18 months, Mary was able to quit her day job. She and her husband have earned their living from their online business ever since.
Their site was so successful that they were featured in major media networks, like Fox News, Blog Talk Radio and even by Google in its annual economic report for the state of Tennessee.
"The best part for us is what we don't have: no alarm clocks, no commutes, no bosses, no asking for vacation time, no appraisals, and no set hours."
Writing Out Loud Instead of Taking Another Job
- Website: Write-Out-Loud.com
- Niche: public speaking, speech writing
- Primary way of making money: writing speeches for other people
- Other income streams: selling ebooks, displaying ads, affiliate products.
When Susan retired from her teaching job, she realized that her pension wasn't going to come close to replacing her full-time income.
She needed to supplement her retirement income. But how?
She didn't want another job. She wanted to work, yes, but on her own terms. She wanted to do things for her rather than jumping because someone else said so.
At the same time, her sister passed away. When she tried to find a good eulogy or funeral speech, she couldn't. So she sat down to write her own. She realized that many people were in the same situation as her — trying to find the right words to honor a loved one (not to mention birthdays, weddings and other special occasions).
The topic for her new website, Write-Out-Loud.com, was born.
Family and friends rolled their eyes when she told them how she was going to replace her lost income: with a website. "Oh yeah, really?"
Granted, it started slow, with just a few visitors at first. Susan also struggled to charge for the great content she provided. She had to learn that what she was doing was worth being paid for.
She began charging for the speeches she wrote for other people. She also monetized with Google AdSense, affiliate products and finally her own product: ebooks with public speaking games. They started selling immediately, and continue to sell to this day.
Fast forward to 2021: after she switched from Google AdSense to Mediavine (another ad network), her good part-time income evolved into a full-time income, exceeding what she had earned as a mid-level professional.
When asked if Susan sees retirement as the end of her life, she laughs...
"Oh no, this is the beginning. There are lots of things sitting in my cupboard that I am allowing to come out for the first time. I am doing things now that I didn't have the courage or the will to do as a young person. And write-out-loud lets me do this, because I have money come in every day. "
A Life of Design vs A Life of Default
- Website: Best-Auto-Detailing-Tips.com and AutoFetishDetail.com
- Niche: car detailing
- Primary way of making money: Amazon affiliate program
- Other income streams: car detailing services, sponsorships, brand endorsements, displaying ads.
When his full-time job didn't meet his financial needs, Darren Priest started a mobile auto detailing business as a way to earn some extra money. The business did well, but he knew that he couldn't do a physically demanding job forever, certainly not into his retirement.
So he looked for ways to generate passive income with his growing knowledge about car detailing.
The only problem? He had no idea about the internet, let alone about creating a website and earning money with it.
He was utterly confused by all the internet marketing lingo. Then he discovered Solo Build It!. He felt like he finally found a product designed for a total beginner like him. A product that would take him by the hand through the whole process of building a profitable online business.
Over the years he became a well respected influencer in the car detailing niche. His YouTube channel, with over 101,000 subscribers now, contributed to his expert status.
However, the main chunk of his annual income of $150,000 continues to be driven by his two Solo Build It! websites.
"Solo Build It! has transformed my life and allowed me to achieve my main goal of financial independence, and autonomy, to really create what I call a life of design, versus a life of default."
From Side Hustle to Team of 50
- Website: DadsGuidetoWDW.com and WDW-Magazine.com
- Niche: travel
- Primary way of making money: online and print magazine subscription
- Other income streams: calendars, coffee table books, travel agency commissions.
An air traffic controller for 27 years, Carl knew that he had to retire at 55 (mandatory for his job). That deadline was 8 years away when he started searching for how to replace his income and have fun doing it.
The best place to start is with your passion(s). Carl's lifelong passion was Walt Disney. He knew he wanted to "do something" centered on Disney.
DadsGuidetoWDW.com was born. 10 years later, Carl’s “side hustle” had grown into a flourishing business with a team of 50 people.
Another 3 years later, in 2021, Carl sold his online business for several million dollars.
Most Solo Build It! members don't grow their business that large. They prefer to keep it simple and "fly solo." And that's perfectly fine. The beauty of running an online business is that you have that choice — stay small or grow big.
Carl started small as well. He still had his full-time job and worked on his site in his spare time. He earned money with the method that required the least effort, by putting Google AdSense ads on his pages.
But once he had retired and had more time to work on his online business, he developed his own product, a monthly digital and print travel magazine. That's when his business and income really took off.
He went from "solopreneur" in retirement to full-fledged entrepreneur. Don't feel intimidated by what Carl has achieved — the most important step he took was to just get started. Which he plans to do again...
"SBI has always been part of my retirement planning. When I was an Air Traffic Controller with mandatory retirement looming, I found SBI! and started my first website as a means to keep me busy and make a little money after I was "kicked out." To make a long story short, the website turned into a business that exploded, I sold it, and I'm retired again. Now I'm back at SBI! starting over so I have something to keep me busy in my re-retirement."
Think These People Are Not Like You?
It's true that these people are special, each in their own special way. And if you asked any of them whether they had imagined where they are today, they would shake their heads and smile.
What does separate them is the determination to live life on their terms, by doing something they love, and earning income that they control. If that sounds like you, take your first step now...
Ready to Get Going?
Get started with Solo Build It! today. If you find that it's not for you, for any reason, you don't lose a thing. Cancel at any time and request a refund, no reason needed.