Wealthy Affiliate Has Got Me Recovering Old Tools, Building New Paths

byRobbyofstone

557 followers

8 months ago

Wealthy Affiliate Has Got Me Recovering Old Tools, Building New Paths

Just sharing a small but meaningful update. Probably the best news of the year so far.

I was searching for files from a data vault I created over 15 years ago. I mentioned it to Chat, and after giving it more context, it pointed me in the right direction. What I thought was truly lost… isn’t.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working quietly to reconnect with a large amount of technical and business data I built years ago. These days it would probably be called an ERP-style system, though I never used that term back then. With some careful digging and a lot of guidance from AI that actually understood the structure and terminology I was using, I’ve confirmed that much of the logic, layout, and working files are still valid and recoverable.

That’s no small thing. It means the time invested all those years ago, and it was an awful lot, isn’t wasted. In fact, it gives me a head start on shaping new systems that still hold up today, now adapted for modern platforms and faster workflows.

It all started when I asked Chat to help me build a workflow and product tracking mini system for my new local site, which is starting to gain momentum. The last time something I built took off like this, I was caught without proper systems in place. That mistake cost me dearly, and I’m not making it again.

At the same time, we’ve made solid progress on the practical side. We’ve been refining client documents, streamlining estimates, and rebuilding the kind of working formats that actually serve people. There’s no chasing trends and no unnecessary complexity—just usable tools that save time and reflect years of real-world experience. These are being developed with the next version of the ERP system in mind.

The original system took more than three years of constant improvements and add-ons. With old-school programmers, servers, and hardware, the cost came close to £700,000—maybe more. It was also my first introduction to VPNs, as I linked three major business locations for real-time data updates.

It’s strange how things come full circle. None of this would have resurfaced without Wealthy Affiliate and its training. Add to that the help of AI, which I knew absolutely nothing about ten months ago, and the result has been something I couldn’t have predicted.

It’s an emotional time. To be able to use the phrase intellectual property again—and mean it—feels like getting back a piece of myself.

Just me and my buddy Mr Chat.

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to start again without starting over, I can say that you can. The key is knowing what to carry forward and what to leave behind.

So that's why I have been a little quiet, but oh so happy!

Rob