Backstory
I got started in business over 10 years ago now. At that time I was getting my Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design.
During college, while I was riding bikes (for fun) and learning all about design, I was also developing a new love for web design and online marketing.
I decided to create a blog about bicycles. This allowed me to combine bikes, design, websites, and marketing into a single project. Heavy Pedal was born.
I created the Heavy Pedal blog on a free version of WordPress (see it here). It looked pretty basic. A fellow classmate that was into WordPress asked if he could create a better looking version of the site with a custom WordPress theme.
I bought hosting and a real domain name and he built the site. It was way better than my basic, free version for sure.
Another classmate asked me to consider making apparel that the readers of the blog could buy. We designed some stickers and shirts and the site started actually making money. I would wake up to new sales everyday. What’s more compelling is that I was selling out of everything.
My Desire
I don’t know about you but I grew up poor. Being able to make money while I was asleep was a huge eye opener for me.
My entire life I wanted to be able to make money so I could have financial freedom and live the life I dreamed about.
My Real Desire
The other side of that which I don’t share a lot of times, it wasn’t just that I wanted to make money, that was just a desire I had.
The bigger desire was… during my first year of college my beloved mother passed away. I struggled with her growing up. She also got to see me struggle a lot as a young adult but never got to see me succeed. I want to be successful so I can contribute to society and make my mother proud.
The Wall
One day I got a call from the guy who built the custom WordPress theme for Heavy Pedal. He heard through the grapevine about the success of the blog and wanted to be a partner in the company because he made the template.
I let him know that while I appreciated his desire to make the site as a school project, I would not be partnering with him. What he did next felt like someone holding a knife to my neck. My hands were sweaty and I was anxious.
He told me over the phone while he was driving, that he was going to login and erase the site.
I instantly went into a panic. I hung up the phone and from my cell phone I logged into the site and changed the password. I didn’t even know that was possible at the time!
My Epiphany
Luckily the site was never taken down but now I was left with a site that I didn’t know how to update or edit. I just knew how to make a blog post.
It was at this moment that I had an epiphany. If the blog was going to succeed I would need to become a pro at WordPress.
The Plan
So, I set out to do exactly that. In the beginning it was a hard transition but the more I learned the better I got. To sharpen my skills I would make free websites for my friends.
While building sites for other people I had also brought Heavy Pedal to over a million dollars in sales.
When other businesses got wind of my work they started hiring me to create their websites. They heard about my success with Heavy Pedal and also wanted me to handle their online marketing.
The Conflict
The only problem was that I thought I had to approach every site in a new way. I would use a new WordPress theme that fit the industry. A theme is kinda like a pre-made template. All the themes were different so it was like learning WordPress all over again, every time.
I loved helping other businesses make money through their websites but it began to feel less like a hobby and more like a job.
There was one theme I always loved to use but it didn’t fit every industry, or so I thought.
The Achievement
One day I decided to start using that theme as the base for all my projects. This allowed me to set up websites super fast and edit the design with ease to match the market it was being designed for. The process is so easy I have decided to teach it to other people so they can build their own websites or sell their web design services to others.
The Transformation
For the last 5 years I have been using this method for all my website builds. I’ve even done complete projects that people pay me over $10,000 for in a single weekend. I am able to move at lightning speed. I have taken this method and combined it with all the other marketing that I learned while building Heavy Pedal.
Heavy Pedal is still a thriving company today. I still make websites because they are so fun to do. What makes me happy is that even my mom, if she were still alive, could build a profitable website today using my Pro Website Masterclass formula.