Gabriel Kramer

I joined Indie Hackers to give a perspective of running an online business in a blue collar industry.

I am a cofounder and the CEO of SI Certs. We provide online training courses to help people pass special inspector and CWI certification exams.

These exams are very important. By passing them, you can greatly increase your income.

Before I got into the construction inspection industry, I earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Then, I became a high school teacher. While I taught, I got a master’s degree in education.

However, I burned out from teaching because of the lack of support from the administrators and the low pay. My cousin told me about the construction inspection industry, and he helped me get a job as an entry-level special inspector.

Leaning on my study habits from college, I studied for and passed several certification tests. In the first year of my new job, I made more than my previous salary as a teacher.

After a few more years, I felt I had enough experience to teach others the inspection trade so I co-founded SI Certs with two other friends in 2011.

Over the years, we've helped hundreds of special inspectors pass certification exams.