The Kim Doyal Show My Next 90-Days: Saying Goodbye to WordPress? FTH: 096
I’m just back after having my last visitors for a while (my sister & niece were here for 10 days, it was fantastic!) and after a couple of nights of good sleep, I feel ridiculously excited about everything that’s going on in my business.
My first official day back to work was yesterday (July 7th), and I didn’t schedule much other than a couple of calls (I did a little work while my family was here but not much).
The only reason I kept the calls scheduled was because they fill me up: a mastermind call I have with two dear friends and my call with Jason Resnick (my partner with Deliverit). Jason and I hadn’t talked in a couple of weeks because of my schedule so we had a lot to catch up on.
If I hadn’t had a massage scheduled we probably could have talked longer (we schedule an hour but went about 90-minutes). It was my call with Jason that inspired this episode, so thanks, Jason!
The idea for this 90-day plan was Jason’s idea based on something he’s doing for himself, and there’s something about setting up accountability for me that just works. SO.. here we go!
What inspired this 90-day sprint
Planning and doing things in 90-day blocks isn’t something new, I’ve done it plenty of times. The difference with this was instead of deciding to plan for 90-days a specific goal inspired this 90-day sprint.
I’ve been anxiously waiting for ClickFunnels 2.0 to come out ever since I saw the preview video from Funnel Hacking Live last fall. It was supposed to be released in March of this year (2022) but didn’t quite make it. They finally announced that it will be available on October 4th (which falls in line with the 90-days quite nicely. thank you Jason
).
Initially, I thought I’d just use it for funnels and products… but right now I think I’m going to move my ENTIRE business to ClickFunnels.
WHAAAAT?!?!
I know, I know… I haven’t even used the new platform yet, so let me explain where this is coming from.
I moved my brand from The WPChick to Kim Doyal in 2018. Ever since I made that pivot I’ve gone much deeper into everything I do. This includes:
- Marketing (general)
- Copywriting
- Email marketing
- Newsletters
- Sales
- Funnels
- Content (what I enjoy creating)
- Traffic
It’s not that I wasn’t doing these things before, but so much of what I did had to have a connection or tie to WordPress that I felt limited.
I felt massive freedom when I pivoted to my personal brand.
As much as I love tech and tools (I’ll continue to share them in the newsletter), my heart is in entrepreneurship and growing something that makes an impact.
The deeper I got into these things (more writing, creating different products, etc.), the less time I had for playing with tech. I’m grateful for everything I’ve learned and feel like I’ve got a very solid foundation when I need to do something (i.e., can’t hire someone), but at the end of the day?
I can’t be bothered.
I’ve never been a ClickFunnels hater. Ever.
In fact, I was an early adopter of ClickFunnels (and have used it on and off over the last 7+ years) and shared it with a friend (who went on to make millions in e-commerce with the platform).
When ClickFunnels came out the only other tool for creating anything similar (that wasn’t WordPress), was LeadPages. And still… they didn’t have the entire ‘funnel’ piece in place.
There were a handful of WordPress tools at the time (OptimizePress) and I don’t remember what else, but it all felt like a pain in the ass.
There was a time when certain tools triumphed over others and there were clear choices… but not anymore. The best tool to use for anything is the one you’re going to USE!
Whichever tool you feel most comfortable using and gets the job done is what’s most important.
Then there are all the people who hate on Russell Brunson.
Say what you will… I think he’s brilliant at what he does and is a really good human being. I’ve met him briefly a couple of times (and did the obligatory photo with him) – but I hardly know him personally.
He’s been very public about his mistakes in growing a business (much more about how he did business pre-ClickFunnels) which I appreciate. I also know how much he LOVES what he does.
I have a hard time finding fault with anyone who takes responsibility for their actions.
Obviously, I have a 30,000 ft. view of Russell, but he seems like a loving husband & father, is committed to his faith (not an easy thing to be public about), has donated millions of dollars to Operation Underground Railroad and Stu McClaren’s charity (building schools in Africa) and is always working on becoming the best version of himself.
Jason and I were discussing other tech companies and different founders. Many seem a little ‘detached’ from their audience and are focusing on scaling a business to sell it. Fair enough, to each their own.
I absolutely love the fact that Russell Brunson & his partner Todd Dickerson were offered more than a billion dollars (the actual offer isn’t public knowledge) and turned it down because they love what they’ve created so much and instead…
… decided to make it BETTER.
Enter ClickFunnels 2.0.
Before this goes too sideways and people think I’m just fangirling over Russell Brunson or trying to start a completely new side hustle as an affiliate for ClickFunnels (which I am, but that’s not my business model), I really love what he stands for.
A few years back someone else I know in the online marketing space took a very public jab at Russell for his “One Funnel Away” slogan. I don’t remember the exact details (I didn’t engage in any of the dialogue), but I think it got a lot of attention (clickbait?).
I realize I am going a little sideways here, but what “One Funnel Away” actually represents is hope.
There are zero promises in that tagline.
The point of One Funnel Away was that it only takes one funnel to make a difference. It may take you 50 tries to get there, but you only need one to be a success.
Moving on…
I love what Russell Brunson & the team at ClickFunnels have created. I don’t really identify as a funnel hacker and Funnel Hacking Live has gotten a little too big for my taste (not that I wouldn’t go again, but I have zero desire to trek to Orlando. Maybe if they pick a different location next year).
Back to the platform…
I have zero desire to continue piecing pieces of technology together at this stage in my business.
Here’s the video to the preview of ClickFunnels 2.0 that was teased at last year’s Funnel Hacking Live.
I probably won’t do it justice, but here is a list of what is included in ClickFunnels 2.0:
- Funnel Hub
- Blog / SEO
- Funnels
- CRM
- Shopping Cart
- Shop (competes with Shopify)
- Email marketing
- Affiliate program
- Memberships
- Courses / digital products
- Coaching
- SPEED! They’ve speed tested against multiple platforms
- Real-time data, split testing, analytics
- Visual flows for funnels, offers, email
- Customer center
- Global features (update once, appears everywhere)
- Multiple sites in one account (and can transfer)
I don’t have any idea what ClickFunnels 2.0 is going to cost, but even if the base account is $197 or $297, I’ll be ahead of the game with the different things I pay for outside of WordPress and hosting.
Jason and I are going to host a Twitter space (coming SOON) where we talk about “The Elimination Game”… meaning, what are the things we want to eliminate in our business that will streamline things and make create a better flow?
I want to focus on creating, selling, and serving.
Spending time on tech isn’t the best use of my time (which ties directly in with knowing I’m going to be hiring some help in the fall, so this is all leading up to that as well).
Now let’s break down the 90-days and what this looks like (keeping in mind that this is a starting point and plan. I have no doubt this will evolve and change over time).
The First 30 Days
The first 30 days are going to be all about elimination.
Eliminating tools, subscriptions, and things that aren’t in alignment with where I’m going. I tend to leap before I look and I’m sure I’m paying for things I haven’t used in months (seriously, it’s a little ridiculous).
I absolutely love getting rid of things, so I’ll do a clean sweep of things on my computers (I do this pretty regularly), and phone, and I’ll probably mirror that in my personal life too (I have a couple of piles of clothes that need to be donated. I won’t ever wear them here and most are too big now).
This also means cleaning up my email lists, tags, and segments too (which I also do pretty regularly). I have another announcement next week that I’ll be making that ties directly into eliminating things that no longer serve me.
I have no doubt I’ll be doing some reflecting on things as I do this so there are really two buckets here: tangible and intangible.
I’m not exactly sure what the intangible will be but I have no doubt it will present itself as I start this process.
The Second 30 Days
The second 30-days will be partly dictated by how the first 30-days go and what I’ve planned for this chunk of time.
I see the middle piece of this sprint is about making sure everything is organized and ready to move.
Here’s what I mean:
- Are all my products/courses backed up and easily organized in Dropbox (or Google Drive)?
- Do I have all my email sequences for each product or offer backed up on a Google doc?
- Have I checked all my licenses and renewals for WordPress? (I have a lot of lifetime licenses or developer licenses, many that won’t need renewal)
- Has ALL of my business been moved into Notion? (I’m talking to you Sandi Eveleth!
- )
My gut tells me that even though ClickFunnels 2.0 will be available on October 4th, 2022, I’ll use the remainder of the year with both platforms (WordPress & CF).
It’s going to take a decent amount of time to move all my content from WordPress (I’ll pay someone else to do this), but I’ll probably do a lot of the blog formatting and will have to SEO every single post and page).
It would be fantastic if there was a way to import it, but I won’t hold my breath on that one.
I can begin by putting my products and email into ClickFunnels while someone else is copying & pasting my content.
I’m *thinking* about moving my #FtheHUSTLE newsletter to beehiiv.
I’ll move all my other email marketing into ClickFunnels, so in this case, I’ll be paying for another platform (the option with beehiiv that I’m looking at is $99 a month for 3 newsletters, a referral program, options to monetize, and more. I’m going to start offering sponsorships and classifieds in #FtheHUSTLE, so this will easily pay for itself).
Beehiiv is created by some of the guys behind “The Morning Brew” and I’ve been super impressed with what they’ve done with the platform in such a short period of time. My gut tells me they’ll incorporate a way to sell advertising as well… I haven’t heard anything about that but that’s what I’m thinking.
The Last 30 Days
This is where the rubber meets the road so-to-speak.
If the first 60-days have gone according to plan, this is all about launching.
There will be an #FtheHUSTLE group coaching program with me, more products that support that message (along with email & newsletter products because they’re a HUGE part of #FtheHUSTLE), and more content that is in alignment with #FtheHUSTLE as well.
I have a feeling these last 30-days may include tying up loose ends from the first 60-days (I’ve finally accepted that most things take longer than I think they will and there are always unexpected things that show up).
I’ve also got INKED Email that is launching (we’re starting to talk to potential clients – you can go to InkedEmail.com to check that out). INKED will also be moved to ClickFunnels so I’m pretty tempted to not put any content on the site until then.
Through referrals and my personal brand, I think we’ll have plenty of work, so I don’t think we need to jump too heavily into that.
INKED may also simply be a service extension of KimDoyal.com.
I like the idea of it being a separate brand because it allows much more flexibility as it grows and everything under #FtheHUSTLE takes off.
Either way, it’s moving to ClickFunnels 2.0 also.
I’m sure this rough estimate of the next 90-days will evolve. I’m definitely going to have to schedule time every week to make sure I’m progressing on all of this and hitting milestones. I’ve started working on some calendars (I felt like doodling), but I also don’t need to create extra work. SO… it’s probably all just going to go into Notion.
I’ll admit it, I’m a little sad to be saying Goodbye to WordPress
But I think it’s time.
I’ve watched friends who built their businesses based on WordPress leave and thrive (hat tip to you Dave Foy) and of course, I still have plenty of friends who have thriving businesses because of WordPress.
There are so many options for building something online these days, it has to be about what works for you.
I’ve logged into both Wix and Squarespace and can’t wrap my head around them
, but I have friends who have always felt that way about WordPress.
I will forever be grateful to WordPress and the community (well, those who supported me, because there were a handful of developer trolls who took every opportunity to remind me I wasn’t a developer) for helping me really find my footing and voice online.
I never intended to build websites.
And I feel like I’ve finally found my way to what I was meant to do all along.
I’ve done a Twitter thread that goes into each piece of this… you can read that here.
It’s been an amazing journey so far, and I’m just getting started.
It certainly hasn’t been a straight path (it never is, is it?), and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I’m excited about the next 90-days (less now since I’ve started this process) and this new chapter in my business.
Here we go!