From Vision to Reality

The DIY Journey

Now I truly see why people hire others to do the legwork for them. Building something from scratch requires a massive investment of time and, in many cases, a significant amount of money. As someone who took it upon myself to learn every aspect of the business for Robles Press, I finally understand the sheer scale of the work involved.

When I started, I only knew how to express myself verbally—that was the easy part😜! But then I heard a book designer mention she spent about $7,000 to have her books covered, proofread, edited, formatted, published, and her website designed. That was the catalyst for my “Yes, I can” journey. I wasn’t ready to drop $7,000 on an investment without a guaranteed return, so I decided to bridge the gap myself.

Leveraging the Tools at Our Fingertips

I’m incredibly grateful for the resources we have access to today via the internet. When used correctly, it is a powerful instrument for personal growth. To get Robles Press off the ground, I had to become a student of everything:

• Editing & Proofreading: I took formal courses and used YouTube tutorials to master the craft.
• Design: I used Canva to design my book covers, integrating my own photography.
• AI Collaboration: ChatGPT and Gemini became vital partners for my restless mind, helping me brainstorm “how-tos” and double-checking my work.

Overcoming the Hurdles

Building my own website was easily the biggest challenge. The “hallucination” effect of AI—where it gives confident but incorrect answers—made things interesting, especially when neither of us knew the right solution!

True story: there was a point where I got so frustrated with ChatGPT that I gave it a two-day cold shoulder. It had me stuck in a “buffer zone” for two hours due to a hallucination on a task that should have taken thirty minutes, max😂.

But in the end, we prevailed. I successfully built the website exactly how I wanted it, learned the entire process along the way, and I’m now learning how to create social media marketing content to the mix.

A Note to Fellow Dreamers

If you are in a place in life where you have a big vision but limited resources, do not give up. Find a way around the obstacles. We live in an era where there are so many resources available that Disney is no longer the only place where dreams come true.

Looking at this from a scholastic rather than a religious perspective, I truly believe in the sentiment that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains and nothing will be impossible. I feel that the words “I can’t” are disabling and minimizing. In your heart of hearts, if you really, truly want to do something, you will find a way.

(And, obviously, keep it legal 😜) .