Greetings, and thank you for visiting this web page.
You can read My First Three Years with Site Build It!.
Childhood
I was born in the coastal city of Durban, South Africa. When I was about 2 my folks moved up to Johannesburg (as result of me getting asthma); most of my childhood was spent in the mining village of Hillshaven. My high school years were spent in the small town of Nigel, about an hour east of Johannesburg.
My Dad was an employee all his life, yet he was not a person who complained. He was an exceptional realist, and had his feet firmly planted on the ground. There were no high-flying dreams, and he believed one worked to get what you want.
He worked his entire life and died 2 weeks after his "retirement", aged 72.
My mother was just that: a mother. And wife. Her home was her life. I clearly remember the smell of polish in our house, after she cleaned and polished - all the time it seemed. She was a strong person, and after surviving my dad almost 11 years, she passed away in 2006, aged 90.
When I was about 9 or 10, I convinced a friend of mine that we make ornaments and sell these. We pasted shells onto pieces of slate, and then went door-to-door selling them. It was a great feeling!
When I turned 11, my folks gave me the encyclopedia Britannica and a manual typewriter. I was ecstatic, and filled many hours creating documents on a wide and varied range of subjects from the encyclopedia.
In high school I became very interested in film production, and made a couple of old 8mm silent movies with friends. Midway through Grade 11, I enrolled for a correspondence course in TV Scriptwriting, and in my final school year received my certificate.
Setting the Goal
I became fascinated with self-motivation and goal setting after reading a loaned copy of Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich. Way back in 1979, my insurance broker, Hans Friedlander lent me his copy of Think and Grow Rich. Halfway through, I went and bought my own copy. I was hooked. Possibly my first "real exposure" to setting goals was in my first working year. I was keen on photography, and bought a 35mm SLR camera. I photographed weddings, school and business functions, etc. and paid for all my photographic equipment within a year, and made some good pocket money. I wanted my own business.
I spoke to many people about what motivates them, and their goals or achievements. I became known as the "What drives you?" guy. I love to hear how and what motivates people. I also developed an acute awareness of people who are not as successful as they could be.
While in high school I developed the habit of writing (actually scribbling notes) about things that happened, or something I heard, or about something a friend did.
When I try something, I write about it: writing what I did, and whether I was successful or not. When not successful, I write about what I could have (or should have) done differently. My next book, Failing Forward to Success is based on a collection of these notes.
When I speak to someone and hear something that interests me, I usually can't wait to write it down.
This is something that remains with me to this day.
Natural Career Choice
I was naturally drawn to the technical writing field, as this satisfied my two primary character traits: learning new things, and my logical, step-by-step approach to things. I always want to know the 'why, what and how'.
I started work as a trainee technical writer, and only had in-house training at the company I worked for. For me, this was not enough, and I began to look for formal training. With technical writing being a relatively unknown field in South Africa, after almost a year I found an organization that offered a diploma course in technical writing.
The company I was working for at the time offered sponsored training, but because of my practical experience and in-house training, they were only prepared to sponsor me to do the last of four modules. This meant that I would receive the certificate, but not the full diploma. I WANTED a formal qualification. I purchased the course material for the first 3 modules, and studied in my own time. I was successful in the exam and received my diploma in technical writing.
After 8 years with this company I left. 3 months with the new company, I wrote a detailed motivation, and was appointed senior technical writer. In order to further my knowledge (and my passion for writing non-fiction), I completed a one year diploma course in freelance journalism, through a correspondence college.
While with this company I set up a part-time screenprinting business. Made some sales, and a small profit, and then sold everything to a friend.
In 1990/91 I wrote the first draft of my first book: "Profile of the Technical Writing Profession". The literary agent that I submitted the outline and first chapter to came back to me, and advised that the publishers did not feel there was a market in South Africa for this type of book.
For the period 1989 to 1997 I filled various positions, including: head of department, and then project manager at a small documentation company. I began working as a contract technical writer, and also went back to being a staff writer. In this period I taught myself WordPerfect 5.1, and then Windows 3.1. I wrote training guides, and had a spin at freelance lecturing.
In June 1997 I accepted a voluntary retrenchment package from the company I was working for, and to improve my experience and knowledge of networks, I completed 4 MCSE subjects covering networking.
I started a PC user training center with a "partner". This ran for 7 months, and before I was totally wiped out, I resigned from the "partnership".
Business Endeavors
In October 1997 I set up my own corporation (Cyberdoc), offering a full technical writing and documenation service. With 7 people working for the firm, and an income of just over R1,2m (about $220,000) in the year 2000, I had reached my first life's goal.
Towards the end of 2000 freelance technical writing projects were practically non-existant. I ended up being the only one left in Cyberdoc, and with my wife operated a small printing business from my home, as from January 2001.
For the years 2001 and 2002 the frustration began to grow. For the year 2001 I kept a daily journal, and turned this into my book, Invest In Yourself. The book is about following one's passion, and is the real life story of my business endeavors; both failures and successes. I hope the book will give my readers an insight into what to avoid when attempting any business venture. I also really hope it will encourage the average guy or girl to follow their dream; I hope it shows that a goal CAN be achieved, if one has focus and persistence.
I sold Cyberdoc in November 2002, and was offered a position as a technical writer with an international telecoms company. The position was to create and develop e-learning applications. This was new and challenging and I accepted. This did not materialize, and the position turned into totally frustrating tasks of updating existing documentation, and writing new simple online help files. I had zero mental stimulation.
Pursuit of My Passion
I needed mental stimulation and I wanted to share what I knew with as many people as I possibly could. This I wanted to achieve while holding onto my independence. Doing it the way I wanted to.
The web was my logical choice: I could help millions!
After everything I had read, and researched about running a sucessful website, I had only one practical choice: Site Build It!
Looking at my collection of notes (some where just scraps of paper), I began thinking of how I could share what I had learned with others. I started brainstorming, and reading a lot about doing business on the web, and especially about SiteSell.
"There is no more noble occupation in the world than to assist another human being - to help someone succeed." - Alan Loy McGinnis
The following is an extract from my book, "Invest In Yourself":
"What did I receive from my business? I had the ability to walk out of my back door, into my office; something I valued considerably. But, more importantly, I was not owned, or dictated to by any corporation or manager - and that I cannot place a price on."
As Christopher Morley said: "There is only one success: To be able to live your life in your own way."
I am so fortunate to be doing something EVERY DAY that I really enjoy: write an article, help someone at the SBI Forums, read a newsletter, work on a special report.
And then, more importantly, having someone say: Thank You... THAT is success.
"Again Colin, I can't tell you how glad I am that I found you and your program! You were the start of this path that I am going down and even though I have been having my ups and downs, this is the best I have ever felt in my entire life!!" - Kim Oravecz
When I receive an e-mail like this, it makes EVERYTHING worth while.
I know I will NEVER reach my non-monetary goals. This is a journey I'm on forever...
As Dr Joseph Murphy said: "No one on this deathbed wishes he had spent more time making money!"
I am a practical, methodical person who enjoys the logical approach to things. I am very rarely spontaneous in anything I do.
My knack for following a logical, step-by-step process developed throughout high school, into my working career, and up to this day. Without being aware of goal setting principles, I was actually "doing it".
It started in school, and it "happened" without any conscious effort from me. Friends confided in me, and shared their problems, asking for advice.
Having my friends say "Thank you" gave me an exceptional warm fuzzy feeling. This continued into adult life. I listen, think about the situation, and then offer advice, based on my logical thought process.
I've been married for 22 years, to an incredibly supportive person. I don't know how she does it, but Marinda is always available to lend an ear. She has supported me throughout all the years, no matter how tough times were. I have two teenage children.
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My favorite book:
My favorite book is Og Mandino's University of Success. It is really a great motivator, and encourager.
My favourite chapter (or lesson as Mandino calls it) is, without a doubt, Lesson 29: How to Attract Success. This was written by Cavett Robert, and tells of a luncheon he attended (in 1935!) where Will Rogers was the speaker. Mr Rogers gives three pieces of advice, that are the absolute pillars to success, in any field. They are, "Know what you are doing", "Love what you are doing", and "Believe in what you are doing". I have read (and still do read) this chapter at least once a month. The wisdom is timeless. It is awesome!
I have written a review of the book.
My favorite movie:
My favorite movie is the old made-for-TV movie, The Jericho Mile with Peter Strauss. The story is one of extreme persistence, determination, taking responsibility for one's actions, and comaraderie. It is great!
Favorite past time:
Reading - biographies, biographical articles, anything on motivation, and entrepreneurship.
Favorite singer:
Willie Nelson
Favorite actor:
(Willie Nelson is a darn good actor)
Biggest dislike:
I absolutely detest a person or organization that misleads or lies to another. A lack of motivation and focus, and looking for the easy way out must be at the top of my list. And people who believe life owes them something.
My two favorite motivational quotes are: Calvin Coolidge: "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
and
"Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass." - Colin P Sisson
These principles I do believe are the absolute keys to success (with Will Rogers' advice).
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