SFR 87: Leaving ClickFunnels...

 

...sadly, it's time...

Hey. What's going on everyone. This is Steve Larsen and you're listening to Sales Funnel Radio.

Welcome to Sales Funnel Radio, where you'll learn marketing strategies to grow your online business, using today's best internet sales funnels. And now, here's your host, Steve Larsen.

All right. My voice is a little bit shot. There's another story to that, another time. I have not slept that much in the last few days and I just wanted to get this episode out to you guys, because of something that has happened very recently. I've actually known about it quite a while, but it's not been let out of the bag for quite some time now, and that is that I'm leaving ClickFunnels. I know. I know. I just heard your gasp during the recording of this. You gotta understand.

I'm not leaving ClickFunnels, like the software. I am not longer going to be employed there. The first time I ever said that, the other ...

Anyway. I should tell you some of the story, so you guys have a little context with this, then I've got somewhat of a treat for you. It is a huge bittersweet for me, a huge bittersweet. When I first got hired at ClickFunnels I was driving. I was at Rexburg, Idaho and I was driving over to Boise, Idaho.

I'd never been to Boise, you know, this is where we are now. I was driving over there, and after I was driving away after the interview, the interview went great. I think I've told you guys about that before, but the interview went great.

As I was leaving, the moment I got on the highway, they called me and they said, "Hey. We want to hire you." I said, "Oh. What? That's so cool." They're like, "Yeah, but I don't think you get it yet." They say, "We wanna hire you, but we want you to be Russell's actual funnel building assistant. We want you to sit next to him and help him build his funnels all day. Are you willing to do that?" I was like, "You're gonna pay me to do that? Uh. Yes."

The moment that I hung up with them, I first screamed like crazy, and I pretty much lost my voice in the four hour car ride home. I couldn't believe it. I mean it's like winning the lottery, even better than that. Yeah. Actually that's a stupid, stupid analogy. It's way better than winning the lottery.

I went and I called my wife immediately afterwards. I told her ... I was like, "Babe. You gotta understand that, first of all I just got hired, and ..." She was going nuts. I was like, "Babe, what you gotta understand is that like, our life just changed." Okay? It was one of those moments where I just knew the course of it had just shifted. It's a big deal, you know. I hope that you're starting to identify those moments in your life.

For me, one of the biggest first shifts, professionally, is when I first got my ClickFunnels account. Another was when I first read DotCom secrets. I had been trying to do this stuff for a long time. Someone recently said, "Steven you're so lucky. You got to sit down and Russell taught you how to build funnels." No. No, no, no, no, no, no. I was already building well before I worked there. Okay. I had my own clients. I was making money for other people. I was making money myself.

I definitely was ... I was doing it. I was in it. I was running. I was already in motion, and obviously I learned a lot, from Russell like crazy. You know, we geek out together all the time about it, but anyway ... I've had another one of those moments. Anyway, maybe I'll tell you guys the whole story sometime.

Guys, I'm an entrepreneur. Okay? I don't make a good employee, and I know that. It's my fault that I'm leaving. You know, it's not like I'm being fired. I'm not being fired at all. It's kind of a mutual agreement actually. Actually, in fact, Russell kind of suggested it that I go leave for a bit.

Gonna go pursue some of my own stuff, frankly because I keep doing my own stuff on the side as an employee there, and...

Anyway, I just so love ClickFunnels and Russell, and I can tell you from being there almost two years, that ... Man, like, guys there's not another place on the planet like that. It's not that I'm just, you know, drinking the cool aid, or indoctrinated, or whatever it is, but I can tell you that everyone who's there, truly wants to change the world. It's not like it's this accidental thing.

We are actively trying to actually change the world...

I mean it's something that is intentional. That's kind of one of the main point of this whole podcast, is that I'm leaving ClickFunnels. There's a whole bunch of stuff I've been doing and selling on the side, stuff that you guys don't know about, stuff that a lot of people don't that a ...

You know, I've been scratching my own itches, you know. Selling stuff like crazy, doing things in here and there. I mean, I've never really stopped, and ... Anyway, what made me actually, kind of just push it over the edge, cause it's been on my mind for a while, really since like, June-ish, July-ish, somewhere around there. Maybe around August-ish.

Somewhere around there, like mid-summer, late summer, somewhere around there.

What really pushed me over the edge was ... I was talking to a mentor, a different mentor. I've got several mentors, which I recommend you all do, if you don't. I was talking to a mentor and he asked me ... He said, "Hey Steven. What's your five year goal?" I think I've talked to you guys about this before. I said, "I don't know." He said, "What do you mean?" I said, "I have no idea. I have no idea. I am focused solely. I never plan past six months, because I'm trying to stay focused."

He goes, "Okay. I understand your point, but you gotta understand that you could be running in a completely different direction you actually wanna go, because you're not asking the actual hard question. What do you want to be doing in five years?" I was like, "Ah. I don't know." It stressed me out. It actually freaked me out.

He's like, "Okay, well, what's your 10 year goal?" I was like, "I have no idea. I've never thought of that question before. I don't know. I'm just focused on what I'm doing right now and being the best in the world at it." I'm trying ... Am I? No, but I know I'm close. You know, I work really, really, really hard.

Besides Russell, I don't know anyone else who's built as many funnels as I have in as many industries, like I just don't. I mean, I've worked super hard to get where I am. There's no shortcut to it. You can fluff it. Okay? This isn't some crappy thing that you ... You know, it's not a get rich quick thing.

I hope it is some day. You know what I mean? Whoever said, "Don't worry. It's not a get rich quick scheme." He's like, "Oh dang it. Really? Darn it." I understand what they're saying. I hope I get rich with it. You know what I mean. Anyway, that was always my come back when they ever said that.

The point is that, it freaked me out. I didn't know the answer to it. I did not understand what I actually wanted. That question haunted me. What's funny is that most of the time, whenever there's something that new that pops up ... Whenever, there's something that pops up that ... I'm good under that kind of pressure.

I actually perform quite well under pressure. It's one of my skills.

I like pressure, good pressure...

You know there's bad pressure too, but there's good pressure. Good stress. I love it. I love being under that kind of stress, cause it's very growing. It's very uncomfortable, and at the end, I always pop out the other side with more confidence, more skill, a better know how. You know what I mean? And so, I look forward to those things.

This guy's asking me, "What do you want to be doing?" It actually scared me. I went home and I started talking to my wife about it. I was like, what do I actually want? I didn't have an answer for a while, which scared me, because I was kind of tricking myself, cause I really did know what the answer was.

The answer was ... I kept asking myself that you guys. I mean, an obsessive question. It's not like me to do that. I like the stress. I like the questions that come, because I get to tackle 'em, challenge 'em, move forward. Tackle 'em, challenge 'em, answer it, move forward. I couldn't answer this one. It was like I was wrestling something that wouldn't go to the ground. I was like ... It's not like me.

You know, I try and just have a very aggressive attitude and it comes to my profession, cause I'm dealing with my family finances, you know? I'm not being a pansy about it. You know what I mean, I'm trying to ... I'm not trying to accidentally make money. I am trying to make money. You know what I mean?

Funny enough, I think some entrepreneurs, you know, will get themselves kind of in that rut, where they're like, "What? I don't want to feel greedy, so I'm not trying to make money. I'm making it for those peop ... I'm making it for that like ... No. I mean, you can make it for yourself, you know, with good intentions. You know, anyway. Different subject. It scared me. For honestly, probably several days at least, which in my brain is a few years, I just couldn't answer the question.

Finally, one day ... This is probably three months ago. Yeah. It was probably three months ago, maybe three and a half-ish. Anyway, one day I was sitting there and I was like ... I asked myself again. I was like, fine. I'm just gonna be totally honest. I'm gonna get to this place of vulnerability with myself. I was like, Steven. What do you want? I immediately just blurted out, "I want to run my own company. I want to run ... I've always wanted that, which is ludicrous to leave what I've been in. I get that.

You have got to stare at yourself in the mirror and answer that question at some point, you know. Maybe it's that you are scared to death and you really think you may not be able to make it as an entrepreneur. I mean, challenge that, you know. Is it something you want? Then don't back down. You know, whatever it is that you're really trying to do. I was like, "Gosh. Dang it. I don't want to leave ClickFunnels. I don't wanna leave ClickFunnels." I still don't want to leave ClickFunnels.

Most people leave their job, because they hate it, or because they finally beat the nine to five, or whatever. I could legitimately say I love Russell like a brother.

I would do anything for him. I have got to scratch this itch. The answer freaked me out. And so, after a lot of conversations, a lot of long conversations, honestly a lot of ...

I'll be open about it. I totally broke down in the bathroom at work, several times. I am not excited to leave ClickFunnels, for the sake of leaving ClickFunnels. I want to be there, but I'm trying to follow the answer and actually, the answer that I've given myself, and I've actually kind of been uncovering, which is that I wanna run my own company. I think I'll do a great job at it. In fact, I think I'll do a very good job at it. I'm cut out for that kind of thing.

You know, my brain works that way. I'm excited, which is, I think is one of the reasons I've been a good assistant for Russell, you know, cause ... It's not like I'm managing just to funnel. There are parts of things where I'll manage, like whole aspects of what we're doing. You know what I mean? I'm excited to do it.

Please understand. I'm not trying to showboat or be like, oh, Steven this, X that. You know, you're showboating. You're being whatever.

That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that, you have got to stand with full confidence in the thing that you're trying to do, and stop apologizing to others, but especially yourself for what your goals really are. Pause for effect. Okay? Think about that.

For a long time, I'm know that, that's what I want to do. I've known that since high school really. It's always been a part of me. You guys remember a few episodes ago, I went and I actually talked about the ... I called myself the seven year overnight success story.

I talked about the 17 businesses that I can remember, that I failed at beforehand. I mean, a ton of stuff. It's my not first rodeo at this stuff. It's not my first time making money on my own. It's not my first time failing on my own. It's not my first time creating awesome stuff on my own. I'm excited to go do it again, but I'm very excited.

I've had several of you guys reach out, as kind of the news spread out there a little bit. This podcast will definitely continue. This is not affiliated ... Technically it's not affiliated with ClickFunnels. I just am obsessed with it, and what I know the mission of ClickFunnels is, and what they're trying to do. I talk about it a lot. Okay?

Sorry. My voice is like shot you guys. I'll tell you what's happened in a little bit also.

Anyway. That's what the lesson of this whole show is. This episode anyway, is that ... Get honest. Okay? When Garrett White stood up, a few lives ago, he stood up and he said, "You've gotta stop lying." Okay. He said a lot of expletives. He said, "You gotta stop lying. Stop lying. Stop lying. Stop lying. Stop lying to yourself. Stop lying to your family. Stop lying about your goals. Stop lying on what you really want.

Stop lying about any desires you really have, things that freak you out.

Whatever it is, you gotta get to this place of ultimate vulnerability and it's not easy to do." What's funny is that most people don't think that, that's honestly what it does take to be an entrepreneur. You've got to do those things, just like Robert Kiyosaki said. Any venture you start in any business, funny enough, it's your character flaws, a lot of times that blow up in your face and keep you from moving on. Not other stuff. Yeah, you gotta have an opportunity.

Yes, all those other pieces get in there. All of those other ... Like that stuff matters.

Awkwardly enough, until you address some very critical, key character flaws, you won't move forward, not at a quick pace, and not at a pace that you're hoping to actually make money at. That's what this whole things been about for me is just ... I'm just trying to be real. Steven, what that have to do with building funnels? Everything. Okay? Everything, has everything to do with it. Just get real about it.

I was watching a post from someone the other day. They were saying how they're trying to build several funnels a week, or even like, one a day, or something ridiculous like that. I was like, "That's not the point. That's not the point." I know some people have used that strategy before, but some people use it as a distraction, where it's like this goal. It's this badge. "Oh, I built a new funnel every week for the last six months." Cool. And you're still not making money. Okay. You missed the whole point.

Just choose one. Get good at that one. ClickFunnels comes with hundreds of funnels that you can go build. Truly, you need one funnel to actually kill it. You know what I mean? I mean, there's a lot of stuff you can do the other's for as well. Focus on one. You know, obsess with the one. Get real with yourself about what one thing you're actually trying to do. That's my challenge to you.

A lot of you guys have asked. A lot of you guys have reached out. Steven, why on earth would you leave something like ClickFunnels? I get it. It does sound absurd, but I actually never in my life thought that I would go into the MLM industry, but I am. The reason why is cause, I'm frankly a little bit ticked off at that industry. Russell and I were looking at a definition of entrepreneur the other day.

I actually really like it. The definition was that, an entrepreneur is somebody who takes responsibility for problem that is not their own. I was like, interesting. I have been obsessed, actually, silently ...

For a lot of you guys, you don't know this, but for the last three years, I've been obsessed with trying to help fix the MLM industry, meaning, I think it's stupid that you gotta go talk to your family members and friends. I think that, just like in any other business on planet earth, if you sell the same thing, like in any MLM, or in any industry, or in anything else. If you sell the same thing as every other person out there, with the same script, the same everything, you're gonna really struggle in business, for some reason, all these MLM'ers think that it's gonna be different for them. That's not.

Uplines don't teach that crap. Corporates don't teach it, because they don't know.

I'm super fired up, really passionate about it. There's a lot of things I'm doing in the industry already that a lot of people don't know about. That's what I'm leaving to go do for a while. I've got a piece of software that I've been creating, that'll be done, honestly probably in about two months, that's killer, it's amazing. I've got a whole bunch of auto-recruiting funnels.

Got all these cool ..

Anyways, I've been building on the side for a long time. I've launched the beta of it about a year and half ago. Went great. I learned what was wrong with it, learned what was great with it. I've got a whole beta group that's been running for months. There's a lot of stuff going on, a whole podcast has been created out of this, which is killing it, so anyway, that's why. I'm very passionate about it.

I'm passionate enough about it to leave the insane, insane, amazing, incredible, other synonyms, cool job that I had at ClickFunnels.

If you compare what I'm leaving to what I'm gonna go do, it must be pretty freakin amazing. That's all I'm saying to it. I hope you get that, that I understand very much, what I'm doing and the pain is huge, which must mean that the potential for pleasure in what I'm trying to actually go do, must be even bigger, and it is, and it's stuff that no one's ever done before in that industry. I just wanna go help it. It drives me a little bit crazy.

Anyway, it's not a pitch anyone. A lot of people have been asking and I thought I'd just answer it here. Anyway, I hope you guys get real. Get real is what it is that you are trying to do in your life. If you are not doing it, I beg you to get real with yourself, and figure out exactly what it you're trying to go do, and be willing to jump out without your parachute being built yet. Don't worry.

You'll build it on the way down, cause the fear of hitting the ground's gonna be too strong. That's just how it works. That's just how it works. This game has so much less to do with being perfect before you do something, as it does with just taking action, and just doing stuff.

You know what's funny? 80% of people out there, which I'm is much more than that, are just freaked out about life in general. If you're one of the other 20% that just does, something, you're already ahead of everybody else. Just do something. That's really what's been on my mind past little bit. It's like, man. Just get out and do it. Whatever it is that you've waiting for. "I just gotta have this membership site done," or, "I've gotta just, get this last piece together," or, "I gotta get this contract done," or, "I gotta meet with my lawyers."

No you don't. "I gotta get my logo done." I hate that one. It's not true at all. "I gotta finish my website." Barf. No you don't. Okay.

The only thing you need to worry about is selling. That's it. If you've never sold your thing, but you think it's gonna be the thing that saves you and gets you out of your thing, wake up. Okay? Papa Larsen's getting real with you, okay? Wake up. Quit hanging onto that false dream.

It's not a real dream...

What you do is you get real with yourself, and you get to a place of vulnerability, which is gonna take you, learning how to trust you, and a different level you've never gone before, and you say, "Oh my gosh. This is where I actually want to go." Then you have the cohunes to get out there and try and sell it for the first time. If people are buying it, ah, awesome. Now you're getting into a spot where the possibility of you leaving your job or changing your business, or whatever you're trying to do, actually can become real. Before that, you're just lying to yourself.

Anyway, sorry my voice sounds weird. I pretty much didn't sleep over the weekend. I think I'm getting sick. I'm trying not to. I don't want to admit it, cause I feel like that's part of me getting sick. I don't know if that's true at all. I really don't want to get sick.

Anyway, so I'm leaving ClickFunnels you guys and I'm really bummed about it, but it's because I've gotta go cut my own path. I'm just being true to myself. I'm stoked to do it. I'm extremely passionate about it, but there is a level of Steve Larson that the world has not experienced yet.

I've done a lot of stuff in a nine to five setting, with Russell, which is, it's way more than nine to five, but you know, normal job. Oh Mylanta. I come back and I get all this other stuff done in the evenings, on the outside of my job there. A lot of people are like, "How do you do all that?" You haven't seen anything yet baby. Here comes Steve Larsen. Okay?

I'm super excited. I'm just gonna come out of the gate just running and I excited to do it. I'm excited to be more a part of it, the entrepreneur world. I'm gonna figure it out. I got no doubt in my mind about that. I've already done a lot of testing a lot of the way. I've already made a lot of money along the way with my testing. It's been great.

Anyway, Honestly I was planning on taking this episode an entirely different direction, but that's what was from the heart. Not necessarily about funnel strategy, but very much having to do with where you're trying to drive your ship. Some of you guys are running super hard, but in a weird direction. You just gotta get real with where you're trying to go, and not confuse, like I said before. Don't confuse your movement with achievement. It's not the same thing. If something doesn't have to do with selling your thing, quit doing it.

You know, if you're not doing the stuff that you ultimately want to be doing in the next five years, change it. Get to it.

Anyway guys. You're all awesome. I love this community by the way. I absolutely love all the guys. I love everyone who listens to this show, not just cause you're listening to it, but because I know that you guys are fighters. I was tired for years, of being around people who are just trying to just get by. "Well, I'm just trying to get by." It's like, really? "Oh Gosh. I have to work today?" I'm like, "Oh you kidding me? I get to work today." You know what I mean?

I know this podcast brings those kinds of people around. I am intentionally trying to change the world, and I hope that you are as well. I hope you're bold enough to talk about that. It'll feel weird at first. It was weird for me for quite a while. It was not comfortable for me to say those kinds of things. I'm comfortable with it now. I've developed enough now.

I'm in my own journey, in my own progression. I'm telling you right now. Iwanna change the world. Not exactly sure how, but that picture is coming more clear. Me leaving ClickFunnels is a big piece of me trying to get that picture in focus. Anyway, guys, talk to you later.

Have some cohunes about your own future, and I'll talk to you later. Bye.

Thanks for listening to Sales Funnel Radio. Please remember to subscribe and leave feedback. Wanna get one of today's best internet sale funnel for free?

Go to salesfunnelbroker.com/freefunnels, to download your sales funnel today.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands