Beyond disability...

When headaches interfere with your career

I've had several different jobs, from physical work to mental work. For the most part, I've been able to plow ahead in spite of headaches. Many migraineurs haven't been so fortunate. But a thought has always been in the back of my mind, as it may be in yours - how much is the quality of my work really suffering? How much more would I be capable of if my migraines were to disappear?

The very few that have been able to get some sort of headache disability coverage really have the same questions. Whether headache symptoms keep you from a steady job altogether, or just limit your options, you may be wondering what could have been. What potential is being lost?

What would be the perfect job for a chronic headache sufferer? It would have to be something that I could do in my own time. It can't be something that requires steady hours. It would be a job that I could take time off from. Ideally, it would be something that would give me freedom to be in a good environment. I don't want to spend days in a stuffy, bright office cleaned with harsh chemicals, for example. And since we're dreaming, it should be something that excites me, that interests me - something I enjoy doing.

I've been privileged to be involved in work that I do love. But just like you I had the desire to be more productive. That's when I found just the thing I was looking for. Or at least it claimed to be. But was it too good to be true? First I had to find some answers.

Parts of it sound good...

What if someone told you to make a list of all the things that you are passionate about.  Then that person was going to go through the list with you and show you how you could turn one or more of these things into a profitable business.  Oh yeah, that might work for some people.  But I'm no business man.  I just don't have the know-how.  And how could my interests really be profitable?  I'm afraid I'm just not interested in selling cars or making little crafts to sell at the local market.

This claim was made by Ken Evoy at Site Build It!.  Site Build It! (SBI!) allows the average person to turn their passion into a website that people actually visit.  Yikes!  A website?!  Now I need all kinds of technical knowledge too!  But there was more to the story...

My investigation...

But as I investigated SBI! I found out that they had a whole program that basically built the website for me. All I had to do was write about my hobby or interest. No only that, there was extensive help available - I mean extensive! There was a book to guide me step by step through the whole process from start to finish (kind of a turn-your-passion-into-a-successful-website-for-dummies), a great support team, help with every aspect of the included software, and much more. Ok, so I guess I don't need business and technical knowledge after all.

It sounded good, but I was suspicious. I've seen a lot of schemes and claims. Here are three things that convinced me to give it a try...

First, there was a great guarantee. I have to admit, I'm not too proud to bail out of something quick if it doesn't work for me, or if it doesn't work period! SBI! offered me a 100% no-questions-asked guarantee.

Second, I wanted to know if real people were actually using SBI! with success. I did my research, and found that it wasn't just a matter of 12 people at the top making a fortune. There were real people from all walks of life, with all kinds of different hobbies, from all over the world that were creating successful websites! As I checked out these people's websites, I started to think,"Hey, I could do that!"

But what about the company? Was this just a fly-by-night company, or something that would be around for a while?

Sitesell was started by an entrepreneur and medical doctor, Ken Evoy. At first I was drawn to the company because of its high ethical standards and helpful suggestions for life on the internet. But I soon realized that this was no flash in the pan company. At the time of writing, the Sitesell website is, according to Alexa.com, more popular than IBM's website, and even the American Express website. How can this be, with no TV advertising, no big corporate partners? Very simple - word of mouth. People were using Site Build It!, seeing it actually work for them, and telling their friends. Their friends tried it, and they told others, and so on, and so on. That's the kind of advertising I couldn't argue with.

So, in June 2003, I took the plunge.

For me, the journey continues with two more bonuses. Today I'm writing about something that not only interests me, but affects me and people I love - chronic headaches. I have the advantage of helping people around the world have more access to information about research and treatment. And I have learned a lot that has helped me on the health side. These things alone make it more than worth it.

I don't know a lot about website promotion, programming and search engines. But here are my results for you to see. Netcraft.com estimates that there are 56.1 million active sites on the internet. Using Alexa.com, you can see what my ranking is (lower numbers are better). If it's less than 1,122,000, that puts my site in the top 2% of all those sites. If it's less than 561,000, that means this site is currently in the top 1% of the internet:

What about you? Do you simply want to share your passion with the world? Are you looking for freedom from a dead-end job, or looking to use your abilities to their full potential? Or do you just want some solid income on the side, to do some of those things you always told yourself you would do?

Wait - I want to see for myself...

Here are three great ways to check out this opportunity for yourself, so that you can make an informed decision:

1. Take a quick tour of Solo Build It! right now.  I'm short on time - give me a quick overview!

2. Talk to a real live person about Solo Build It! (really?  People still talk to you in cyberspace?)  That's right, you can talk to an actual owner of Solo Build It! about their experiences.

3. For the main summary page of Solo Build It!, where you can learn whatever else you need to know, click here

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A few minutes checking these things out made a difference for me.  Maybe it will do the same for you!  You might find out that you can do something you never thought you could do.  You may find that there's a prize inside Solo Build It! for you...