About

This page shares a little about me, Willie Crawford, this
website, and how and why I built a thriving online business.

I suppose it’s worth reading because it shows that anybody
can build a decent income and life using the limitless
resources available via the internet.

I guess I should begin by pointing out that I grew up in
extreme poverty. I lived on a farm in North Carolina
where a lot of families depended upon income from farming
… and the occasional odd job.

From when I was 7 until I was 18, I earned a living
working for other local farmers during the spring – Fall,
saving part of my meager earnings for winter.

I also supplemented my income by selling things from a very
young age. Whether it was seeds, greeting cards, newspapers,
clothing, jewelry, cosmetics… I was always carrying around
a catalog and order forms. Neighbors got a big kick out of
the fact that I was so industrious.

By the time I was 14 I had started a small mail order
business, and even had my own bulk mailing permit.
That never really took off but it taught me many things
that later benefited me in my online business.

I also raised pigs, rabbits and vegetables for sale.
Selling a few pigs every now and then brought in a
nice influx of cash.

We lived in dilapidated houses, wore thread-bare often
second-hand clothing, had beat-up second-hand furniture,
and often had no heat in the house during the winter.

We never went hungry because everybody had a garden. I
was also handy with a fishing pole, and my .22 rifle. So,
we supplemented our diet with rabbits, squirrels, and fish.

Often, most of our diet was actually free food that the
local government welfare office gave us each month. I grew
up on a diet of powdered milk, powdered eggs, canned
luncheon meats, dried beans, 10-pound blocks of cheese
and other food that were passed out. On top of that
we received food stamps that allowed us to buy a few
fresher foods each month.

Living under these conditions, I never really was
hungry. I also didn’t realize that MOST people didn’t
live like we did. Sure, I saw the big houses and
fancy cars, but not many of them in my "neck of the
woods."

As I grew up, often we went for long periods without
seeing a doctor or dentist. The "school nurse" would
often notice something wrong with us and give us a
voucher to visit a doctor or to have a tooth pulled.

I actually hated accepting handouts and using food
stamps (and other government issued vouchers), but
they did help many to survive.

Somewhere along the line, I turned into an avid
reader. I literally devoured hundreds of magazine and
books in a fairly short time… while in high school
and that opened my eyes to a world beyond the cycle
of poverty that I found myself trapped in.

Needless to say, I eventually escaped. I went to
college (NC State University), was commissioned an
Air Force office the day that I graduated, had a
20 years military career where I live in some
VERY exotic places, and then a few years before
retiring I started an internet-based business.

I started my business in 1996 just as I was being
reassigned from HQ Pacific Air Forces in Hawaii, to
spectacular Alaska. I spent practically all of my
spare-time building my online business.

When I first started I never entertained the
possibility of failure. It simply was not an
option. I only really "knew" extreme poverty,
but I had seen how much wealth there is in this
world.

I also eventually became enlightened enough to
realize that there was no real reason that I
couldn’t (or shouldn’t) have my share.

So, I basically just took massive action, never
over-analyzing things or listening to the
nay-sayers.

By the time that I retired from the USAF in 2003,
I had spoken at several internet marketing seminars,
hosted 2 of my own internet marketing seminars,
created over a dozen of my own information
products, and written 2 print books (and numerous
ebooks).

The first book that I wrote and self-published
was a cookbook where I shared those delicious,
hearty, rustic recipes that I learned back on the
farm.

I had created this very site as I was searching
for "my niche" online. I created a newsletter
because that was what I was advised to do. The
newsletter is the same recipe exchange mailing
list that you can subscribe to right here.

Over time, subscribers to my recipe newsletter
asked me if I had a cookbook. I responded "no
but I’ll write one if you really want it."

You (site visitors and subscribers) told me to
write one, I did, and it has sold steadily
from the very beginning. Now, if you go to
Google.com and look up "soul food recipes"
or "soul food cookbook" or any of a hundred
related terms, you’ll find this site listed ‘
right at the top out of tens of millions of
competing web pages.

After my cookbook was a success, that got
me noticed by "internet marketing" seminar
hosts, and that’s what drew me into speaking
and teaching online marketing.

I met a mentor at of these seminars who
pushed me to write a book. I wrote and
self-published my inspirational biography
in less than 3 months!

My bio, "Git Off The Porch" has been a nice
steady seller ever since I first wrote it.

Now, I own literally thousands of websites,
most Of them very simple, I own software
companies, broker huge joint ventures and
product launches, and network with politicians,
movie stars, television producer and multi-
millionaires.

Today, I reflect upon my journey thus far.
I’m grateful for all that I’ve experienced.
Introspection tells me that there is still
a slight fear of poverty within me… and
that’s good because it keeps me always
honing my sks ills. It keeps me from getting to
comfortable and losing my drive.

Ok, so now you know a little about me, this
site, and the origin of my cookbook. Now,
let’s focus on cooking!

Thanks for dropping by and for taking the
time to read this.

If you want to know more about my internet
marketing teaching, I do most of my teaching
inside the member-only website "The Internet
Marketing Inner Circle
" at http://timic.org

I orchestrate many of the joint ventures and
product launches that I broke via the
International Association Of Joint Venture

Brokers.
"

Aside from that, when most people ask me for
advice on starting a home-based business, I
point them towards the company that has proven
most profitable for me. It’s a company that I
get a lot of pleasure from telling others about.
It’s called Send Out Cards and you can check them
out at: https://www.sendoutcards.com/74275

I believe in Send Out Cards so much that if it
interests you can contact me right through the
link above, and we can arrange a time for a
personal phone call.

Ok, let’s eat :-)

Willie Crawford

4 Responses to About

  1. Bryan Webb says:

    My life has similar things to your life Willie:
    Brought up on a farm, my father had own farm and business.
    For pocket money used to catch moles, sell pelts and tails
    Then bred rasbbits for food, flemish giants cross with belgium buck
    Started pig herd Wessex saddle back sows cross Landrace, produce pork, bacon.
    Used to sell anything for a profit, but have not yet bought and sold an elephant.
    A good cook from my scouting days, “I live to eat – not eat to live.”
    Did two years national sevrice in the Royal Air Force represented them at sport
    Started my own business in machinery hire, then into Civil Engineering.
    Now semi retired enjoying the challenge of the Internet.

  2. Willie,

    Very touching story. I knew many parts of your past from a few years in the industry, but not in this detail. Thank you for sharing it with me, you are a true Champion!

  3. I just finished the homepage for this website so I said to myself it’s time to proceed to the next page which is the about page. On my first glance I saw the “This page shares a little about me, Willie Crawford…” and read a little more. When I read the first 3 paragraphs, I remembered my childhood and when I read further I saw myself in you.

    Being in a poor family is nice. When I was at the age of 5 years old my mom sent me to the school near our house to sell hotcakes, cupcakes, etc. I also raised pigs and chickens to sell. And in college someone asked me to teach her how to bake cakes. She gave Php 200 or that’s about $5 after i demonstrated to her everything.Being poor is nice because it thought me how to survive and feed my family.

    Now that I am an adult I been into many avenues of earning money-logo, banner making, printing t-shirts, planning, renovating offices and houses, decorating stages And now being a web designer/graphic artist. Though this is not my field, I tried to learn this aspect to get a decent income.

    Knowing Mr. Willie Crawford for me is a smile in my heart. He thought me many things even in this story alone.

    • admin says:

      It is nice to connect with people around the world via the internet.

      For other site visitors, Ray is in the Philippines and I am in Florida. Ray is the person
      who designed the new look that the website is gradually taking on. Soon, every page
      on the site will have a new look and feel, but also be easier to navigate.

      Thanks Ray,
      Willie

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