Valerie Margaret Woods started her blog Bric a Brac Cat to raise awareness about dyslexia and to help those who struggle with words.
Having lived with dyslexia herself, Valerie set about creating her blog with the determination to overcome dyslexia and communicate with the world. Here’s her inspirational story.
Overcoming obstacles
Initially daunted by the thought of setting up her website, she sought the help of GoDaddy.
“Lockdown was a perfect time for me to start my blog as I didn’t have the distractions,” explained Valerie. “GoDaddy also offered to build my website for me."
“My big obstacle in starting up was my dyslexia. My weaknesses are spelling and retaining specific information. This is where GoDaddy was invaluable in building my site for me.
“You are always on the end of the phone. You are always patient and understanding. This is very important to me as sometimes I feel as though I am falling into a big black hole when I don’t understand. Your online tutorials are good because I can take my time. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Valerie’s website, named after a character in her children’s picture book about dyslexia, features tips and support around learning with dyslexia based on Valerie’s personal experience, alongside raising the profile of her writing.
Reaping the rewards
Valerie has found the reaction to her blog rewarding. She said: “To raise awareness of my blog bricabraccat.com I have joined various groups on social media as advertised by GoDaddy in one of their tutorials. I am speaking directly to like minded people with dyslexia all over the world.
“Dyslexia is world wide, which I know seems obvious but sitting at home on your own, dealing with your own struggles, this thought doesn’t necessarily come to you. It’s like one big self help group which stretches both ways around the world.”
She added: “The best part of my day is early morning, looking at my iPad for reactions, comments and follows from the day before. It makes it worth it because I have an outlet to communicate.”
When asked what advice she has for someone just starting out, Valerie replied: “My advice to someone starting out is to contact GoDaddy for advice and help, I did. Then just get on with it, take the first step and the rest will follow.”
Now reaching new audiences and embracing her digital presence, Valerie has tasted online success. She concluded: “I have success with my family and family business and I now have success in communicating with the World Wide Web. This is something I thought would be impossible due to my dyslexia.”
You can check out Valerie’s blog here and also find her on Facebook here.
Feeling inspired...
At GoDaddy we’re all about empowering every idea, business, side hustle or nonprofit cause to claim their place online and look great at the same time.
If you’re inspired by Valerie’s story and want to start your journey online but don't know where to start, GoDaddy Website Builder makes it simple to create a modern, professional site with no technical knowledge required.
And guess what, we love hearing about your success stories. In fact, we want to shout about them! Get in touch with us on social media and share a link to your website and we may well be in touch to feature you on our blog.
