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Building a website used to be hard. You had to write some code, know how to setup your own hosting and (if you wanted your site to look half decent) have some design chops to boot. Well, no more. Website builders, tools that help you build a website without writing any code, have exploded in popularity. Platforms like Squarespace, Wix, Shopify and others have changed the game for business owners everywhere, and establishing an online presence has never been so easy.

With that said, not all website builders are created equal, but it’s challenging to find a reliable source that will objectively tell you which ones are the best. That was until Steve Benjamins, a website designer and man of many talents, stepped in and created Site Builder Report - a reliable one-stop-shop for website builder reviews.

Steve’s journey to becoming a successful, self-employed entrepreneur was one filled with trial and error, and it was anything but straightforward. Steve is someone that had many passions and decided to try his hand at several things until something finally stuck.

From an early age, Steve showed an interest in designing and developing websites. He designed his first website in the sixth grade and quickly realized that this hobby could actually make him some money.

He explained, “I was just messing around on the computer as a kid, and then I caught a scent of opportunity and got drunk off the idea of ‘I can do this, and I could make 100-200 bucks that could buy me some stuff.’ I turned to my dad, who was a real state agent, and he advised me to start cold-calling people. Then my mom ended up driving me to this guy’s house that I had cold-called and sat in the car while I sold him a website.”

Steve’s ambitious nature was something he carried into adulthood, and after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, which is one of his many passions, he worked full time for a non-profit organization in Vancouver. Not too long after starting his 9-5 position, Steve realized that it just wasn’t for him, and he should pursue entrepreneurship. He recalled that “I had a full-time job, and I negotiated with them and said I’ll take the same responsibilities, but I’m just going to work three days a week. I kept working three days a week while I was still in Vancouver, but when I got to Toronto, I cut my job off completely even though I hadn’t really figured out my business yet.”

During this transitional period, Steve kept himself afloat by doing freelance web design, but he also started a total of five different companies, one of which was a website builder of his own.

Steve’s website builder didn’t exactly take off, but through that experience, he learned that what people really needed was someone to tell them which website builders were actually good. Just like that, Site Builder Report was born! Steve recounted, “Site Builder Report took off after about eight months, and when I made my first $4000 off it, I was like ‘that’s all I need,’ and I quit everything else.”

Today, Site Builder Report is a thriving business, and the money Steve makes from affiliate commissions has given him the freedom and flexibility to do as he pleases. Steve described a typical day in his life as, “Me working by myself - that’s all it is. I start my day at 8 AM at a coffee shop, work there for two hours, come to Project Spaces for three or four hours, then make music in the evening. If I have a day where I need a break from Site Builder Report, I wrap everything up at two and go make music. I tend to be pretty disciplined about those things, but I definitely have the flexibility to do both.”

As for Steve’s favourite part about working at Project Spaces, he explained, “I’ve worked at so many coworking spaces. What I like about Project Spaces is that it’s small, it’s indie, and it’s not overrun with bullshit platitudes like ‘hustle hard’ or ‘you gotta be grinding on weekends.’” Touché Steve!

To find out more about the best of the best website builders, head on over to Site Builder Report. If you want to give Steve’s music a listen and learn more about this multi-talented entrepreneur, check out his website. And if you're still working from home or coffee shops, book a tour of Project Spaces today. We can't wait to meet you!