Home How I built my website with Wealthy Affiliate – A Personal Review

How I built my website with Wealthy Affiliate – A Personal Review

During the last few months of 2016 my girlfriend Hillary and I decided we were ready to move out of the state of Indiana.

Indiana.

“Fly over country” as my Texan grandmother so often puts it.

Home of corn and soybeans. It just wasn’t for us. The winters are brutal and the summers are stifling. So when we came to Tennessee to visit some family and fell in love with the area, it just seemed like the natural next step. In February of 2017 we met with a realtor, put in an offer and waited. In March I put my notice in at work and began packing up our apartment. In April we closed on our place and made the move.

Although the mortgage process can be a grueling one, it all happened pretty quickly. When the stress subsided, the to-do lists were all checked off, and the boxes lay empty and broken down, I was posed with a new challenge.

What was I going to do for work?

Since Hillary has a job that sends her all over the country, even though we had moved she was still employed. Her income took the pressure off of me and my job hunt, and since her and I both have private insurance, I didn’t necessarily need a full time job with benefits. I was in a pretty good situation and could afford to go a few months or so without an income of my own.

But job or no job – I’m a workaholic.

I’ve worked since I was about ten years old. Starting with babysitting, mowing lawns, shoveling snow, you know – the usual odd jobs you do as a kid to make a quick buck. I’ve worked in childcare, the food industry, sales, and in retail. There was even a time when I was a phone solicitor (talk about depressing! Every premature hang-up felt like a jab to the heart. “Just hear me out!” Click). And for the past almost-decade I’ve worked as a care-giver in the disability field. After years of 80+ hour work weeks, now I suddenly had a whole lot of time on my hands.

It wasn’t easy for me to think about jumping right back into working for “The Man,” even though it was almost instinctual for me to do so. Hillary was working two time zones away which left me alone in our new house and our new city. I hadn’t made many new friends and with nothing obligatory to fill my days, all of my minutes were empty. The house was silent and still, and I was forced to re-evaluate my life. I needed to think about how valuable my time is, and who or what is worth spending it on.

After some self-reflection I hopped online like so many of us often do. I Googled things like, “Working from home” and “How to make money online.” I was feeling motivated and ambitious. I was more than ready for this new venture.

But along the way I fell for a few “get rich quick” schemes and in turn wasted a few weeks falling prey to companies like Work at Home Revenue with Michelle Robinson for example. And each time I felt a pang of disappointment and frustration. And it was a rather large pang.

But I didn’t give up. Instead I got my money back and kept searching.

Enter Wealthy Affiliate

Was I cautious? Yep.

Was I hesitant? Absofreakinlutely!

But then this bomb dropped inside my skull:

“If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again… dust yourself off and try again, try again.”

I took a second to find it on YouTube and ended up having a mini jam sesh in my living room.  Any 90’s kids feel me?

 

 

Alright, alright. Back to the point.

So I’m on WealthyAffiliate.com and read that the first week is free and the first month is over half off. I knew it would be worth a few dollars as an investment if it meant that during this time next year I would be living the life I’ve only dreamed of. But just to cover all bases, I told myself that I could always get my money back. Next thing I know, I’m clicking the sign up button.

And I couldn’t be happier!

Well, when my website is making bank and I’m busy doing whatever I want I’ll be happier. But at this stage in the process, I’m seriously impressed. I had dabbled in having my own website a few years back, but the problem was I wasn’t tech savvy and only had basic computer skills.

It would literally take me an hour to figure out how to center my header, another to figure out what a “Gravatar” was and how to add one, and even more time trying to get my images to upload… which got me into pixels, jpegs and raws.  I became extremely frustrated and I gave up.

The great thing about WealthyAffiliate is everything you need is readily available to you on a single platform. You sign in to your WA account and from your dashboard you can:

Log in to your website.

Enter the Live Chat with the community.

Search for trainings, tutorials and blogs.

Private message other community members.

Check the stats of your website.

Ask for help with comments and feedback.

Send in a Site Support ticket if you have any questions you fail to find answers for.

And so much more!

(I just said that last part in a cheesy, “As Seen On TV”  spokesman voice. In case you were wondering)

Take a look for yourself!

There are lessons and courses that take you step by step through the process of building your own website. From the very basics of buying a domain and choosing a niche, to building up your social networking, how to build traffic, the importance of key words, how to increase revenue, and so on and so forth. The guys that are responsible for WealthyAffiliate, Kyle and Carson, are just one private message away. You’ll get to know Kyle pretty well through the training, he put the majority of it together. And pretty much every lesson has a video explaining the lesson content, which is fantastic for me since I’m such a visual learner.

What I’m saying here is that they equip you with ALL the tools you need to build your own potential from-home business. But don’t get me wrong, you’re going to have to put in the time.

You can choose how to approach your situation however you feel comfortable. For me, not having a full time job has left me pretty freed up to invest in my website. Many aren’t so lucky. So if you’re like the majority, who want to build a website and work from home but don’t have a whole lot of free time to invest  – That’s okay! You’ve got to understand that that’s where most folks start.

If it’s something that you’re truly interested in

Something maybe you’ve kicked around a bit in the past

Something that makes you feel excited

Start anyway! 

If you’ve made it this far, you probably have an interest. Take some time to figure out if this opportunity would better whatever situation you may be in. Think about how it makes you feel. Grab a paper and a pencil, or pull out your phone or laptop and use your notepad. Make a list of five things you want to accomplish in the next 1.5 – 2 years. It could be a trip you want to take, a material item you want to buy, fitness goals, etc. Now look at your list and ask yourself these two questions.

  • Can I realistically reach these goals if I change nothing in my life?
  • Would working from home help me obtain these things more easily, more quickly, and more practically?

My goals:

  1. Travel on the road with Hillary when she goes off to work
  2. Backpack abroad in the next 12 months
  3. Pick up the violin again that’s sitting in my closet
  4. Read one book a month
  5. Volunteer three times a month

I’m working on them, and it feels great. I finally feel like I have the tools I need to begin working for myself, never having to use my alarm clock, wearing sweat pants all day, and having an afternoon beer. Another perk for me personally is that I get to work with my dog in my lap! Everyday in my office can be Bring Your Pup To Work Day!

My ultimate goal, of course, would be having the freedom to travel.

What would the perks be for you? I invite you to find out! If you’re ready to take the next step and give it a shot, or maybe you’re just wanting a little more information,  Click Here. Think the way I thought – You can always get your money back. Want to read a bit more about my progress? Click here for my first 5 weeks at WA review or check out my First 3 months at WA review here. For my most recent review, check out my 5 Months, new theme and first sale post here!

This may just be the first step towards changing the rest of your life.

 

 

 

 

22 comments

kathleen February 27, 2018 - 4:50 pm

This site is freaking beautiful!! I can imagine it is created by the hand of a workoholic!! Well done! And impressive that you found all that you needed to sustain your move and your travels. I am super inspired. Thanks for all the great tips!!

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Courtney February 27, 2018 - 9:17 pm

Thank you Kathleen for all of your compliments! So happy you enjoyed the read!

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Oliver October 4, 2017 - 5:43 pm

Thanks again for your tips on FB.
I find your blog awesome and very inspiring.

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Courtney October 5, 2017 - 11:00 am

No worries, Oliver! Let me know if I can be of any help! Thanks so much for the compliment 🙂

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betsey June 13, 2017 - 12:28 pm

90’s kid present! Somehow I feel like us 90’s kids always find each other. ha ha
And such an inspiring story! I would join WA right now if I weren’t already apart of it. It really is something that can change your life if you put in the work. It has all the help and support you need to be successful.

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Courtney June 13, 2017 - 2:15 pm

Agreed! And cheers to that!

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Katie Polanshek June 3, 2017 - 3:55 pm

Just wanted to say that I’ve had a great experience with Wealthy Affiliate too! I’ve been a member for around 2 months and am hoping to make my first sale soon! I had absolutely no blogging or website building experience and WA walked me through it all and now I have a website up and running. The thing I like most about WA is the give and take format for site feedback. Offer someone feedback on their site and get feedback in return. It feels good!

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Courtney June 3, 2017 - 10:16 pm

Yes it truly is extremely helpful … I couldn’t imagine building a website from the ground up without the WA community (well.. I CAN imagine it, because I tried a few years back… but got totally burnt out and frustrated!) This time around has been a breeze! I love it! And I wish you the best of luck with your first sale — How exciting!! 🙂

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Rubi June 2, 2017 - 4:40 pm

Dear Courtney! It’s a really great post! I am definitely in this time of my life where I know I need a change and a different source of income, I have found Wealthy Affiliate a really great platform to start this change.
Thank you again!

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Courtney June 2, 2017 - 4:42 pm

So happy for you! Wish you success!! Thanks for reading 🙂

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Irma June 2, 2017 - 3:02 pm

Thank you for your inspirational article!
The big takeaway for me is START ANYWAY!
As soon as I realized how easy it is to move forward with my life in a way that is meaningful for me, things just fell into place! The important thing that I found is to CHOOSE to start, CHOOSE to take chances, just CHOOSE!
As soon as I made the choice to leave my company after my department is closed, things started appearing in my life that allowed me to see that there is life beyond the 9 to 5, and not to fear it.

Thank you for inspiring others to live free and choose a life that allows you to work from anywhere in the world!

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Courtney June 2, 2017 - 3:14 pm

Isn’t it funny how we are actually the ones that tend to get in our own way? We make excuses, become overwhelmed, get stuck in a sort of paralysis one might say. We want things to change but WE don’t want to change them! I agree wholeheartedly – JUST CHOOSE! Just take a step in ANY direction! Just move if you aren’t happy! I’m so happy that you’ve begun your journey beyond the 9-5! Best of luck to you and thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences!

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Misty Hulsizer June 2, 2017 - 11:05 am

This is by far one of the best websites I have come across! I LOVE it! I so totally enjoyed how you write and your playful and witty dialog! I too just signed up with WA and am loving every bit of it! The community in itself is terrific and the training is fantastic. Please keep writing! Your a star! Thank you for sharing this with us! Hope your enjoying Tennessee. It’s a beautiful place. I used stay there for several summers and white water raft on the Ocoee River. Anyway thanks again!

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Courtney June 2, 2017 - 11:11 am

Thanks so much for the amazing compliment, Misty!! As for Tennessee, I’m loving it! Haven’t even HEARD of the Ocoee River, but white water rafting on it has now been added to my to-do list! Thanks!

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Russ Britton June 2, 2017 - 11:04 am

Wow this sounds great.
The idea of being so free while still earning an income…sounds almost too good to be true.
I too, have looked at various options and so called guaranteed earners, but nothing ever really panned out the way it had been sold. I already have a few sites of my own interests but they are nothing more than simple blogs really, so would Wealthy Affilaite still work for me? I’d love to hear back from a real person as most of the trime you just end up reading sales bumpf!!

Thanks
Russ.

P.s your site is great too!

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Courtney June 2, 2017 - 11:09 am

Russ,

You mention having a few sites of your own? Excellent! You’re ahead of the game! You can transfer your website over to WA without any hassle. Although, I’ll be honest – I’m not sure how that process works entirely, since I built mine from the ground up when I first joined WA. But plenty of the community members have done it and know the process like the back of their hand. Also, Kyle has several trainings and tutorials on how to transfer your already existing website.

You’re clearly already putting time, effort, and interest into your blogs. Why not have them make money for you? 😉

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Steve June 2, 2017 - 10:49 am

Hi, Courtney

Loved reading your site.

You sound very passionate about this program in you article. I have tried a few of these online programs most seem to be a bit “scammy”

It always starts with a low price, but that’s never enough and there are constant “add-ons” required to get anywhere near making money.

Can you tell me if there is any of this type of upselling nonsense here or is it truly everything you need all in one price?

Thanks

Steve

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Courtney June 2, 2017 - 11:01 am

Steve,

I’m with ya 100% about so many other websites being scammy. A solid, “Been there, done that!” from me. But yes, WA is truly different. The selling point (for me, personally) was the fact that they have everything in one place. That I’ve been taught everything I need to know from square one – without any previous experience at all. And it’s been easy and enjoyable. Kyle&Carson have honestly done everything they could possibly do to subtract any frustration from the equation. I mean, like I said in my article.. these things do take time. It’s not an over-night money maker.

As for the “add-ons” nope, you won’t find those here. In fact, I’m planning on switching my monthly subscription to a yearly one, which will save me 20 dollars a month (from 49 dollars to 29). So as time goes on, I’m actually SAVING money. No surprises and no let-downs!

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Jamin wong June 2, 2017 - 10:25 am

Your website with beautiful inspired images. It is a personal view, you can relaxing and learn at our own pace, without bordering other. I joined Wa after landed nowhere seeing too many shiny objects promising ou earn 4 figure within a day without any website.

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Courtney June 2, 2017 - 10:31 am

Hey Jamin! Thanks so much for taking an interest in my review! I agree… there are a lot of scammers out there making a ton of empty promises. So happy you joined WA, best of luck to you!

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Angela June 1, 2017 - 11:41 pm

I can highly recommend wealthy affiliate too! The thing I loved about it was I could try it for free and see exactly what was available before having to purchase anything, and then the first month was at a cheaper price so I thought what the hell, I can cancel anytime if I don’t like it, and I still use it! I too am a workaholic, it was being pregnant and too sick to work my usual physical job that lead me to the wealthy affiliate site. I’m the kind of person who needs to have something to work on. Moving house is stressful at the best of times, I can’t believe you also had to throw in looking for an income into the mix! Nothing like a bit of pressure to make us feel alive. Thanks for the video link – 90s teen here!

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Courtney June 1, 2017 - 11:49 pm

So happy you could relate! It’s such a fantastic opportunity, I hope anyone who is interested gives it a go! As for the move – I thrive on change, so it wasn’t TOO terrible 🙂 And who doesn’t like a little 90’s music? Back when MTV had actual music videos… ahh, good times.

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