So you want to know more about the chica behind this site, huh?
Cool!
Well, let’s get the formalities out of the way, shall we?
My name is Lisa Irby [extends right hand for virtual handshake] and I am an online entrepreneur.
You can see how I make money online here.
I also teach a course on building a website and earning with affiliate marketing. You can see all my courses here.
There’s nothing better than getting paid to do what you enjoy, and fortunately I’ve found a way to turn online teaching into a full-time income thanks to affiliate marketing, Google AdSense and sales of my own products.
But don’t get it twisted! It’s hard work, and there’s a lot about this biz people don’t talk about enough! I discuss all that here.
I absolutely love sharing what I learn along the way and I want you to benefit from those lessons too.
But before I go any further, make sure you subscribe to my email list so you don’t miss any of my new posts and exclusive tips…
Who’s Lisa?
My personality is best described as complex. 🙂
I am a classic ambivert, which means I have both introverted and extroverted qualities, depending on the people and situation.
I can be extremely social (and admittedly a bit goofy) when I’m around people I am close to, but I also need my space more than the average person.
This T-shirt from Zazzle describes me to a “Tee!” (Get it?) 🙂
I’m also a very self-motivated person who loves gadgets, is moderately tech savvy, loves to laugh, bowl, joke and dabble with music arrangement.
The Beginning
So how did I get started with all this? (You can listen to the story on my first podcast if you wish.)
In January 1998, I was studying Business/HR at Truman State University in the small, college town of Kirksville, Missouri.
I was one of those students who was just focused on graduating and getting that diploma.
I had no idea what I wanted to do in the real world, but I did know that I loved computers and being on the Internet.
Little did I know, I was about to embark on a journey that would lead me to my calling…
Teaching.
I remember spending my evenings in the university library teaching myself HTML when I probably should have been studying for exams.
Before I knew it, I was making money by building one-page websites (yes, one-page) and monetizing them with Amazon books and any other products I could find that had affiliate programs attached.
I racked in about $6,000 in nine months. Not bad for a broke college student, eh?
Going Forward
For the next few years, I continued building mini-sites/doorway pages that promoted various products for affiliate commissions.
Search engine optimization was a breeze compared to what it is today, so I was able to rank for some pretty competitive phrases in a matter of days. Believe it or not, I ranked #1 for “home employment” for a short while.
(Ahhhh, those were the days!)
Of course, that party ended pretty quickly, and I concluded that system was not going to provide me with any kind of stable, long-term income.
My Strategy Changes
By 2002, I had grown tired of my temporary income solutions. If I was ever going to quit my 9 to 5 job, I needed to build something with staying power.
That’s when 2 Create a Website was born and within two years this site matched my 9 to 5 income. By the 4th year, my Internet income was four times my 9 to 5 largely thanks to affiliate marketing and AdSense.
So I packed up my cubicle and began my journey to the land of self employment.
It’s still amazing to me how a very simple site grew into something that has allowed me to work for myself since 2006. So here I am sharing my advice with the world.
How I Can Help You
On this blog you’ll find a selection of articles related to creating, promoting and monetizing blogs and websites.
You can keep up with my advice here by subscribing to my RSS feed or following me on Twitter.
I can also be found chatting it up on YouTube, Facebook, or Google Plus or administering my forum, WebsiteBabble.com.
In other words, I’m pretty much everywhere! 🙂
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Now that you know more about me, feel free to tell me about yourself. Scroll down and leave me a comment. Even if you’re just saying “Hi”, I’d love to hear from you. 🙂
Hi Lisa,
You are extremely exceptional in your in-depth online teaching that spans from creating a website to Amazon affiliate, etc. I found you because I am interested in becoming an Amazon affiliate.
Thanks, love you
Hey lisa am so happy to have meet someone like you i believe to build up mine through you.. thanks
Hi Lisa
You Have been doing this for many years I have noticed
How’s life been treating you
The internet has really changed a lot hasn’t it?
Just curious Are you married?Well Take care and God Bless! :0)
Hello Lisa we met years ago (about 2005) I remember you well it’s good to see how you’ve progressed over the years. Lol when we spoke last Facebook was Not the current social media platform, I believe it was MySpace then boy times change Dont they?
Anyway Lisa good to see you are still very much computer savvy and you’ve made it a lifelong business.
God Bless You
Believe it or not,….
your friend and brother Mychal Kae Simmons
I remembered your name instantly! So great to hear from you Mychal! Hope to see ya around here more! Take care.
ITS been a long long time. One of the interesting people I followed for more than a decade. My name is Shehu but I m not yet rich as you are. Am a Hardware Engineering running my ups and downs company DATAPLUS TECH for about 2 decades now. I ve taught in the past too. Is just interesting that frantic but dangerous dynamic speed of the technology never give you any challenge. I ve been around when nobody has taken domain name like visionaire.com, cocacola.com etc. I m a Nigerian. More grease to your elbow when I read through your several achievments. I just gave someone your address, maybe she will learn from you…but for free. I ll soon also introduce my daughter. Many regards
Hey Lisa, great stuff. Don’t now how I missed the boat, but I’ve been in this technology since 1998…. funny that when u started as well…. any how 2002 I step up to graphic artist, and 2004 to fixing my own computers ( funny, while at school I was introduce to programming and I’d shy away from it). In 2007 one year after graduation I started a business doing graphic and repairs…. Now fast forward to today, now I make my money from cell phone repair…. problem is I love repair, but its not generating enough dough and am getting old and almost blind ( old age symptoms). Now with all those years of experiences am thinking, and something deep inside me keeps digging me to start a web site… teaching people how to do stuffs as well as selling products online… the tricky part is how do I start and make a living from it…. and I must admit a decent living from it…. Look I have a very beautiful 6 yr old daughter who’s a bit tech savvy (my only child) and I want to make sure that she get what I never got (like going to college) and paying her way in life as well as becoming a model student of life and not to struggle like her daddy, See I never had a Dad or Mommy. So it’s one of my greatest purpose to do it, not only for myself but for her too, and that’s why it eating me from withing to do some thing about it. also I would like to make enough money so I can start a charity for training and modeling young people….. you know affecting the mind set of the next generation. I’m a big dreamer…. nut as they say, you have to start with you before you can help others.
Must say I stumbled on your sites while browsing for website tutorials, only this time am loving yours because it touch the core of the subject matter. Very inspirational. Read you bio and it speaks volumes… remind me of me…. Sea I never knew who I was until I read you post – classic ambivert – now I now where I am up the food chain… Thanks, don’t have to wonder any more…. People use am crazy, me myself wonder some times, but know I have the answers to why am so weird at least that’s how they made me feel. lol, thanks u solve the case.
Any way am a crazy thinker just don’t have any one crazy enough to think with – pick my mind – and bring out the Frankenstein. A m loving my job and do some crazy stuff when it comes to repairing and just know it would be a best seller. Am all so putting a tutorial together for the cause. My prob is just a matter of starting as well as finding the time, knowledge and support to build that site and keep that creative juice flowing.
So thanks for any help/ advice and this wonderful site. Wish you all the best and hope you continue to shine like a beacon for people like us…
Good thing to see Ebony sisters like yourself with some staying power in this line of work. Affiliate marketing and blogging is hard work especially when you have to keep your mental and physical health up to par due to sitting at the computer hours each day. How’s your internet marketing related adventures coming along nowadays? Hope all is well. Talk soon. 🙂
Lisa – Very nice and congratulations on your efforts. Bending analytics to your will..and seeing improvements. Scientific and huge. Just saw your vid on your record month and I’m extremely impressed. I just happened across your site doing some research about Adsense. I’ve been toiling in the tech space for a long minute…building ugly websites since Bill Clinton was in the Oval. Check out my site when you moment. I’d love to connect. Thanks!
Phil
Hi Lisa,
Just a quick shout out to ya. I’ve been a fan of yours for about three or four years now, your advice and teaching style and swag are on the ONE…… you keep me encouraged and interested in developing my vision to help young African American men stay on the course of navigating a very negative world by getting them job training and educational skills in this very technical world. I hate to say it but I’m guilty of being very political and I speak out and fight for our position as a people of color. Communication is at light speed and news spreads as fast as hitting the “Enter” key. Your making a difference in the world in your own way. I’m going to start a Blog and with your help and guidance provided by the tools u have set in motion I just might have a voice on the net………LOL I need to get to work on my web site……… HELP!!!
Hi Mark! Alrighty then! Sounds great!
I love your topic. I definitely think there is a need for what you want to talk about. So now your next step is not only a blog but what are you going to sell?
I used to just tell people to build a site and target keywords and BOOM… Google will rank you and you’ll figure out to what to sell later.
Not today.
You need to have a plan for what you are going to sell and HOW you are going to reach that audience (social media, etc.)
Lisa you are a very smart woman beautiful.
This is a man’s world, this is a man’s world
But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl.
James Brown
Lisa, I’m still with you. You are in my favorite files. I’m proud of what you have done and accomplished.
I am focusing on making my offline business into both an online and offline business. I provide seminars to home healthcare Administrators, Owners, and Managers. I have just finished creating the online programs and need to market them to HHC agencies across the US. Thanks for all the information you have provided. I also help my husband market his book on autism. With all the information I have gathered just from your website I have 2 pages of marketing strategies to get me started, so THANKS!!!!!
Lisa!
Wow. You rock. I’m very impressed! Killing it and YOU deserve it. You have inspired me and taught me much!…. Its been a while since I’ve felt that …”have lots of love for, I wish the absolute best for, I’m their true #1 fan” (lol) feeling for a person.
AGAIN…IMPRESSED
PHILLIP
XOXO
LOVE
Lisa, how can I contact you regarding advertising on your website? Thank you.
Sorry Aleksandr, but not accepting advertising at this time.
Lisa, thank you for your reply. Affiliate also? I’ve sent you a description to Linkedin.
Sorry to disturb you, if not relevant.
Good information, Lisa. Keep the information coming. You really inspired me.
Hi Lisa, I found your website full of learning posts and resources. I hope I can learn a lot of things from you. Thanks for sharing these posts.
Hi Lisa, I just found your site and I really enjoyed reading about your journey to online success. I currently make websites and I am trying to learn as much as possible about passive income. Thanks for sharing your story 🙂
Lisa,
I want to earn a living online. I’m tired of the 9-5 job and the commute. Do you teach how to do that?
Thanks.
James
Thank you Lisa!! Your site help me a lot. Appreciate it.
Dear Liza,
I read your Bio Data and the full time e marketing. I also want to stop my job and earning with my site. Your story attracted me to do like you.
Regards
Rajesh.R
Hi Lisa,
My family recently moved and I decided to quit my job and be a stay at home mom for two years. However, after a couple glasses of wine one night I had the brilliant idea of creating my own website…not having any idea whatsoever what I was doing! Crazy as it sounds, I’m doing okay for a beginner and building slowly but still learning as I go. Even better, I’m having a blast doing it! I stumbled across your website the other day (I think I was googling info on affiliates) and I am now in awe of you! I have learned more in two days from reading your site than in the last 2 1/2 months since I started mine! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with those of us just starting out. You are the best source of information that I have found on the internet (and we both know how much info is out there)!!!