A beginners guide answering all your questions about how to sell on Etsy in 2021. Even as a brand new Etsy shop owner, you can build a successful online business through the Etsy marketplace.
What is Etsy?
Etsy is a global online marketplace where sellers can sell handmade goods, vintage items, and craft supplies. If you are looking for an unusual handmade gift, or love everything vintage, Etsy is the place you’ll find it. If you are an artist or an avid collector of unusual items, you can list your treasures for sale on Etsy and run your own business.
Etsy is not the only e-commerce site that you can use to sell your goods, though it has quickly become one of the most globally well-known.
In fact, there are currently more than 100 online marketplaces people use to entice consumers to buy from them. Each platform has its own benefits and drawbacks.
Other e-commerce sites include Facebook Marketplace, Shopify, EBay, Walmart, Target and behemoths like Amazon and Alibaba. Of course, you could also build your own website for e-commerce purposes. That is a great option for long-term success, but takes more time, money and strategy to launch.
Why would you sell on Etsy? Well, the size of this marketplace is nothing to scoff at. According to Statista, there were more than 2.5 million sellers on Etsy on the last count. Additionally, the platform had a whopping 39.4 million buyers worldwide.
A truly global marketplace, Etsy has sellers from 234 countries. Most of them are from the United States (62%) as of June 2019 and 13% are from the UK.
The company is growing
Etsy has seen phenomenal growth since its founding in June 2005 by founders Rob Kalin, Chris Maguire, Jared Tarbell, and Haim Schoppik. Ten years after the company’s founding, in April 2015, Etsy became a publicly traded company. They traded on the NYSE at a valuation in excess of $3.5 billion while raising more than $287 million. At the time of this article, Etsy is valued at $2 billion.
Etsy supports sellers with TV ads
Etsy recently launched the ‘’Stand with Small campaign’’, which reminds buyers that by shopping on Etsy they are supporting someone’s small business. Shopping small supports creative entrepreneurs at a time when they could be struggling to make ends meet.
Etsy’s latest campaign ‘’Always Open’’, features actual Etsy sellers from around the world and the unusual items they create.
Etsy sellers can be very successful
It’s possible to run a very successful business on the Etsy platform. Some sellers have managed to make serious money with their shops. Others have been able to grow their Etsy shops into profitable full-time businesses. Two outstanding success stories are Three Bird Nest and Bohemian Findings.
Alicia Shaffer, famously referred to as Etsy’s richest seller, attributes her success to how she presented her products photographically. She styles every product with accessories to make sure it is presented to its best potential. Her shop, Three Bird Nest, raked in almost $1 million on Etsy in 2015. She has since opened her own website where she hosts her shop.
Bohemian Findings sells charms and beads on Etsy and is one of the site’s most successful stores. Bohemian Findings sells everything you need to make jewelry. Many of their customers happen to be other Etsy sellers who make and sell jewelry. What a clever business providing what other Etsy shop owners need!
Bohemian Findings has also since launched its own ecommerce site. At one point they were receiving an unbelievable 500 orders a day on Etsy!
It’s easy to start a shop on Etsy
Opening a shop on Etsy is simple and affordable. It’s an ideal e-commerce platform for small-scale businesses that focus on a niche market.
To start your own store, simply create an Etsy account, set your shop location and currency (based on where you are in the world).
Then you name your shop and create your first listing.
You will also have to set up a preferred payment method for how you will accept payments and a billing method to pay listing fees.
From there, starting an Etsy store is as simple as uploading your first listing. You can have your own shop within an hour of reading this post!
Benefits of selling on Etsy
The upfront cost to start up is low. Opening an account is free. To start listing items, you will be charged a listing fee of $0.20 for each item posted for sale. [Pro Tip: Use a referral link like mine to open your shop to get 40 free listings!]
Technically, this makes it 100% free to open a shop and list your first 40 items. By using Etsy as your launch platform, you can start building your brand and your customer base with no expense. Yes, there are other Etsy fees (discussed below,) but those are paid after a sale is made. This means they can be paid out of your sales revenue.
Another benefit about starting an Etsy shop is the speed and ease to launch a new store. You can go from concept to Etsy seller overnight. All you need is your branding and a few photos to make your first product listings.
Additionally, the Etsy marketplace provides immediate traffic and a large consumer base ready to buy. Because consumers already know about these websites, you can make sales without spending a penny on your own marketing.
Etsy is filled with customers actively looking for shops to spend money on handmade goods. New sellers benefit and do not have to spend money on advertising and building awareness. If you try to sell on your own independent website, you'd have higher additional marketing costs to find and drive traffic to your business.
Start a Business From Home
Of course, my favorite benefit? Running a business on Etsy also allows you to work from the comfort of your home. In these challenging times, that is the best possible situation to be in. It allows flexibility of schedule regardless of whether it's a side hustle or your own means of income.
Even better? You can make Etsy a family affair and teach your kids about money and business savvy in a fun way!
How Etsy has Changed Over Time
Etsy started out as a platform in 2005 where people who love making handcrafted goods could sell their products to people who were looking for and love to buy exclusively handmade goods. A lot has changed since those early days.
Exclusively Handmade to Manufactured Products
In 2013, Etsy changed its Terms of Service. Now, sellers can offer manufactured goods as well, not only handcrafted goods. While this expanded selling opportunities, it also commercialized a platform that had been dedicated solely to creative entrepreneurs.
At the time, many original handcraft sellers threatened to leave the platform. However, membership numbers didn’t drop significantly because Etsy was still a valuable platform for sellers to make money online.
According to Statista, Etsy had over 2.5 million sellers at the end of 2019. That number has continued to grow annually.
Increased Etsy Seller Fees
In 2018, Etsy increased its transaction fee for sellers from 3.5% to 5.0%. Once a product is sold, Etsy now takes a 5.0% cut of the revenue paid. This includes 5% of any shipping cost paid by the customer.
Additionally, the company announced in February 2020 that it would advertise seller’s goods on the internet for free. Though it sounds great, there’s a catch.
Etsy collects a fee of 12% – 15% from each sale that results because of their advertisements. For instance, if Etsy's advertising lands your product on Google search and a consumer buys through that channel, Etsy collects the additional fees.
Small sellers pay the higher fee of 15%, but they are also able to choose to opt-out of the advertisements. It results in less traffic, but also reduces the fees paid for the sales you do make. It is a business decision to weigh as you start your Etsy shop.
However, Etsy’s top sellers – those making $10,000 per year or more – do not have the option. They will be automatically enrolled in the program, and will be charged 12% on sales that result from an Etsy ad.
Sellers are highly encouraged to offer free shipping in their shops. Shipping prices can be set per product or for the shop as a whole.
Etsy has made it clear that they want sellers to offer free shipping for orders over $35. Shops that comply get priority in searches and advertisements. Shops that do not are pushed further down the search which makes it harder to gain traffic and customers.
For many sellers this means raising prices and running the risk of losing sales and customers. Otherwise, sellers absorb the extra cost themselves. Ultimately, if you are not carefully pricing products for profitability, this could cause losses in your Etsy shop.
As a global marketplace, this policy makes it more difficult for sellers to profit from sales to overseas buyers. Unfortunately, for a seller from a place like South Africa, shipping costs overseas can be exorbitant. With many buyers ordering a single item, it’s just not viable for global traders far from the large markets to ship one item and still make money.
Who Can Sell on Etsy?
Etsy is a global online marketplace open to sellers of all types. Anyone can sell their handmade products, vintage goods (at least 20 years old) and crafting supplies. You can be a small business or operating as an individual.
The Seller's Handbook focuses more on describing eligible products than detailing any restrictions on age, country, etc. Note that Etsy may change their policies at any time. They may also hold different policies depending on your country of operation. Make sure to check the guide yourself to confirm you are eligible to open a shop.
What to Sell on Etsy
Handmade/sewn clothes
Customized goods (Grab yourself a Cricut cutting machine and open shop!)
Toiletries and Self Care: Soaps, Oils
Gifts: Christmas ornaments, bridesmaid gifts
Jewelry, Wigs, Accessories
Digital Downloads: SVG files, printables, ebooks, etc.
Stationery, Stickers, Planners, etc.
Home Décor: Wall Signs, Doormats
Houseplants, succulents (Yes, live ones!)
Custom-made cakes, food hampers, vegan chocolate
Phone cases
What You Cannot Sell on Etsy
The following types of items are prohibited or restricted on Etsy:
Alcohol
Tobacco
Drugs
Drug Paraphernalia and Medical Drugs
Animal Products and Human Remains
Dangerous Items: Hazardous Materials, Recalled Items, and Weapons
Hate Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Hatred
Illegal Items
Pornography and Mature Content
Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Violence
Additionally, sellers may not resell handmade items. This means a seller may not list a handmade item that they didn’t design or make themselves.
How to Start an Etsy Shop
It's easy to set up a shop on Etsy. First, you follow the steps to create an Etsy account. If you already have an account as a buyer, you can use the same to open your shop. Then, you will set up your shop preferences. That includes language, country, and currency. Also note whether you will be selling part-time or full-time. Not too much else needs to be done before you are ready to launch.
What you need to start a shop
Starting a shop on Etsy is free. If you are interested in opening a shop to see the backend and learn how it works, you can get started without a credit card. The first fee you pay is when you publish a listing ($0.20 each.)
Next you choose your shop name. This can be tricky, so find some tips here.
After that, you’re ready to stock you shop by adding product listings to your shop. Make sure to take quality photographs (at least 1,000 pixels wide) of your products that show them off at their best. Remember, on Etsy this is the only way to distinguish yourself from the other shop owners on the same page.
Now you that you have set up your shop, you must choose payment and billing methods.
Financial Info Needed for Etsy
To choose how you’ll get paid, you must know if your country is eligible to use Etsy Payments. Etsy Payments gives your buyers different options to pay for their order. Then, they consolidate all the payments for you in your Etsy Payment account.
If you’re in a country is not eligible for Etsy Payments, you can use your PayPal account.
Setting up your billing will depend on the country you’re in. You may need to enter a credit or debit card to open your shop. This could be any of the following cards:
Visa
Mastercard
American Express
Discover
Carte Bleue (France)
Once you’ve entered your card details, you are ready to open your shop. Just click ‘’open’’.
The web address to get to your shop will be: https://yourshopname.etsy.com or https://www.etsy.com/shop/yourshopname.
https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook
Comparing Etsy to Other Online Marketplaces
Shopify, Etsy and Facebook Marketplace are all popular choices when you want to start your own online business. They all have their own benefits and drawbacks. Here's a quick comparison.
Etsy vs. Facebook Marketplace
More than 85% of Facebook users reside outside the U.S. and Canada, so it’s a huge global marketplace that reaches many more users than Etsy. That means more buyers than on Etsy.
Most sellers on Etsy source hand-crafted, vintage, collector's items, and craft supplies. Meanwhile, Facebook Marketplace does not restrict what can be bought and sold – even job offers are allowed. However, these days there are a lot of products for sale on Etsy that scarcely warrant the description ‘’hand-crafted’’.
Facebook Marketplace only provides a place for users to buy and sell and doesn’t handle any payments or shipping. This means there is no guarantee of product quality or non-damage or timely delivery, etc.
Facebook Marketplace concentrates on buyers and sellers in you immediate vicinity – within 40 miles usually, but you can choose up to 100 miles. Their platform warns users not to accept seller offers from a greater distance than 100 miles. Because of the physical closeness, there is no shipping involved. Buyers and sellers usually meet in person. That has to happen in a public space or one should take a friend with.
Another drawback of Facebook Marketplace is unlike Etsy, it doesn’t have a review system so buyers can see who the trustworthy sellers are. At the time of this article, this platform also does not allow the sale of digital products, while Etsy does.
Etsy vs. Shopify
Shopify is an ecommerce platform that allows users to create their own online stores. With Shopify you simply build your very own ecommerce website and upload products. These can be your own products, same as you would sell on Etsy, but also would allow you to sell affiliate products or dropshipping items.
With Etsy, you don’t have your own website. Your products are listed alongside those of other sellers on the platform. Originally Etsy distinguished itself as a marketplace for handmade, vintage and craft items, but that has now changed. After 2013, sellers became allowed to sell manufactured goods as well as handmade items.
One of the drawbacks of Etsy is that it is more difficult to create a strong brand image. Your products are listed among other products and can get lost in the crowd unless customers understand that they must enter very specific search terms to find your products. You can’t create a shop with your own branding, but you can have your own logo with your products.
Conversely, on the Shopify platform, you own the website and can customize every aspect. Unlike Etsy, Shopify does have a monthly fee in addition to paid upgrades for many customization options. Therefore, it is not free to get started or as low cost in the long run, unless you grow a large business.
All of these online marketplaces are simple to join and it’s easy to start a business on them.
Etsy vs your own website
How does Etsy compare with starting your own website? Wouldn't it be better to own an independent online store and sell your goods in your own personal space?
Yes, there are definite pros to owning your own ecommerce website. In fact, I always recommend it to business owners. The primary fact to first consider, though, is what stage of business you are in.
When you are just starting out, using a marketplace platform is a valuable way to find your target audience. You can learn what customers are looking for without running up your expenses.
When you build a website, you either need computer skills or the funds to pay someone to design and build it for you. There will also be domain and hosting fees.
[Pro Tip: Grab a free website with Groove while they are still offering them. No monthly fees to have my own shop is exactly how I started building my own website while building my brand on Etsy.]
Even more so, you will need a lot time and skill to spend on SEO to get traction on Google. It can take years for a website to appear on the first page of Google.
Getting a good ranking on Google so people can find you is a tricky business and very time-consuming.
Selling on Multiple Platforms
There is no rule that says you have to stay on just one platform forever. You can even be on multiple platforms at the same time. One trick I use and often recommend to other entrepreneurs is to get started on Etsy immediately, while slowly building your own website on the side.
That way, as you get repeat customers you can start referring them to your own site. This builds your presence and eventually cuts Etsy fees out of the picture.
Etsy Customer Service
Return Policy
Every shop owner on Etsy has a personal policy about refunds, exchanges, and returns. Policies vary from shop to shop.
Buyers are reminded to check a shop’s policies prior to making a purchase. If anything is unclear, customers should contact the seller. Etsy does its best to protect both buyers and sellers, but will lean more towards protecting the buyer if necessary. For that reason, sellers must list their policies as clearly as possible to protect themselves in refund disputes.
Seller Protections
Etsy Seller Protection offers assistance to sellers when there is a dispute between the seller and the buyer.
Good standing means that the shop owner sells qualifying items, ship orders on time, and promptly responds to messages on Etsy
Cancelling a sale
A shop owner can cancel a sale. When that happens, the buyer receives a full refund. There are steps to follow in order to cancel an order. If the buyer paid through Etsy Payments, the platform takes care of the refund. However, if the buyer paid through another method, like PayPal, the seller must refund them through that same channel.
Lost shipping
Etsy doesn't hold sellers responsible for shipping delays or errors, provided the seller can prove that they shipped the item on time to the address on the Etsy receipt.
If the item has a tracking number, the buyer can contact the shipping carrier and open a claim. However, Etsy encourages sellers to consider sending a replacement item or a refund for the order as this can build good customer relationships.
A buyer can open a case with Etsy if they have not received their item. If the seller provides proof that the item was shipped, Etsy will close out the case and the seller will be off the hook.
There are always options to insure packages of value. If you are shipping an expensive item, it may be worthwhile to insure the package at shipping. At that point, if it gets lost for longer than 30 days or more, the seller can refund the customer and afterward file as claim.
Etsy makes a lot of money from fees. The platform generates more than $330 million in revenue from marketplace fees, including listing and transaction fees.
Listing Fee
Etsy charges sellers a listing fee of $0.20 for every product they list for sale in their shop.
If you haven't opened an Etsy shop yet, make sure to ask a friend for their shared link. By using a referral link, you get 40 free listings and the person who referred you also gets 40 free listings!
Here's my Etsy referral link if I've been a good friend or resource as you start your Etsy seller journey! 🙂
Transaction Fee
When you sell an item through your shop on Etsy, Etsy will charge you a transaction fee of 5% of the price of the item.
Shipping transaction fee
The company introduced a shipping transaction fee of 5% on the cost of shipping on July 1, 2018. So, if you sell a product on Etsy, you will pay 5% of the transaction cost plus 5% of the shipping transaction cost. This is also another way Etsy uses to encourage sellers to offer free shipping.
Etsy Ads
You can pay to advertise your shop(s) and products on Etsy. You can access this option through the Advertising Dashboard in Shop Manager. There you can set up a limit for the amount you will pay for advertising your business on Etsy.
Off-site Etsy ad fees
Etsy advertises on behalf of sellers on platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, and Google. Sellers who make $10,000 or more per year are automatically included and have to pay 12 % fee on every sale that results because of the advertising undertaken by Etsy.
Shop owners who make less than that, only have to pay 15% fee and they are not obliged to participate, they can opt out.
Etsy Seller FAQ
Is Etsy safe/reliable?
Etsy is a publicly traded company that has been in business for 15 years. Millions of sellers have made a living from their shops on Etsy and they were able to do that because consumers keep on buying from them.
Personally, I shop on Etsy and also own two Etsy shops so I am happy to vouch for its reliability as a great method to start an online business.
Just like in any business, fraud can happen and customer relationships are important. As a seller, ensure you deliver on time and work for five-star ratings so buyers continue to trust and shop with you.
What if I need to leave my shop for a few weeks?
There are many reasons why you may need to close your shop for some time. You might be ill, have a family emergency, or as often happens, you need time to catch up with some orders.
When this happens, you can use Vacation Mode to put your shop on hold for a period of time.
While the shop is closed, you’ll have access to your orders, cases, and Messages. You can do refunds, cancel orders, and print Etsy shipping labels, but buyers won’t be able to view any products or make any purchases.
Is it still worth it to sell on Etsy?
When one reads the online forums you quickly come under the impression that Etsy’s days are over. Countless sellers are totally disenchanted with what the platform has become commenting that is has lost its soul – which it appears to have done, judging by the mass-produced stuff it now lists.
But if you go by the figures, then obviously the platform is still worth if for sellers and buyers. In 2019, Etsy’s annual merchandise sales volume totaled $4.97 billion US dollars. Those are not sales figures of a failing company.
Etsy may not be the right or most profitable platform for every shop owner, but it’s obviously still serving a purpose for many.
Ready to Sell on Etsy? Grab my gift – 40 free listings! Click below.
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If you’re a blogger or online shop owner, you know just how many moving pieces there are to building a business. So many steps must be taken before you feel like you actually “have something.” It’s not enough just to write a decent article anymore. Now, there is so much competition that you have to study SEO and vie for attention on a half dozen social media platforms. And if you are doing it all on your own, that can be practically impossible – especially as a side hustle!
Sure, you can make things easier with automation or paying for help. But who has extra money to spare when you are just starting out? Luckily, thanks to free trial options, I have tried out several tools to test whether they work for me as an online entrepreneur. I can also decide how far along I should be on the business side to make the cost worthwhile.
I can honestly say, Tailwind for Pinterest is the single tool I wish I had invested in YEARS ago. (And now the same is true about Tailwind for Instagram!)
Results Using Tailwind
Tailwind helped me increase my followers 15x in only 6 months and average over 200,000 monthly viewers. (Below is my header as of Jan 10, 2021.)
To grow, I have only been pinning 4 pins per day for the last 6 months. Most content has been shared from other blogs, because my blog is so new. See? You can start with Tailwind even as a VERY new blogger! [Soon I will write and share a Tailwind review about my experience using it for the first six months.]
Even though my results may not be the same for everybody, Tailwind shares some strong data about their typical results.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. I was also compensated to create this post, though all opinions are my own.
Ease of Tailwind for Pinterest
My favorite thing about using Tailwind for Pinterest is that I can batch my social media content. I can sit down on a Sunday evening with a glass of wine and schedule 300 pins for the entire month if I want to. That accounts for my 10 daily pins they recommend, and I won't have to think about Pinterest again for the entire month!
Unlike Facebook and Instagram, where you need to interact and build relationships, Pinterest is a platform built around sharing quality content. That makes it PERFECT for “set it and forget it” if you are a solo entrepreneur.
What is the Tailwind App?
Tailwind is an easy-to-use hub that makes social media marketing simple and automated. They tout that over 700,000 bloggers, brands and agencies use their tools as their “visual marketing co-pilot for winning on Pinterest and Instagram.”
Tailwind is an official Marketing Developer Partner (“MDP”) with Pinterest. This means they are authorized to connect directly to Pinterest and have security that other third-party plugins cannot guarantee.
Their website summarizes it best.
“Tailwind is the smartest way to manage your presence across the visual web (Pinterest & Instagram), and offers a complete suite of marketing tools including Smart Scheduling, Analytics & Monitoring, Content Discovery, Education, Communities, Hashtag Suggestions and more.”
What Can Tailwind for Pinterest Do?
Tailwind for Pinterest and Tailwind for Instagram are essentially the same app. It just depends which account you are opting to set up for autoposting.
Schedule and automatically post your pins days, weeks and even months in advance
Analyze the best times to post based on your audience engagement
Create SmartLoops to automatically reschedule your best content at any interval you choose
Build networks through Tailwind Communities, and easily find content to share from similar niches
Build consistency for your Pinterest presence, which drastically increases monthly views
Provide valuable insights and detailed analytics about your pins and growth progress
Consistently drive organic traffic to your blog or online store without paying for advertising on other sites.
What Can Tailwind for Instagram Do?
Schedule and automatically post photos and videos to your Instagram grid.
Analyze the best times to post based on your audience engagement
Hashtag Finder provides recommended hashtags for both high popularity and hyper-niche audiences
Visually plan a cohesive grid with preview options
Free Smart.Bio link for profile allows externally linking for more traffic to your website and shop
Summary Reports about profile performance and most engaging posts
Following your passion can be a tough thing. But figuring out what that passion is can be even more elusive.
I’m lucky — I’ve found my passion, and I’m living it. I can testify that it’s the most wonderful thing, to be able to make a living doing what you love.
And so, in this little guide, I’d like to help you get started figuring out what you’d love doing. This turns out to be one of the most common problems of many Zen Habits readers — including many who recently responded to me on Twitter.
This will be the thing that will get you motivated to get out of bed in the morning, to cry out, “I’m alive! I’m feeling this, baby!”. And to scare your family members or anyone who happens to be in yelling distance as you do this.
This guide won’t be comprehensive, and it won’t find your passion for you. But it will help you in your journey to find it.
Here’s how.
1. What are you good at?
Unless you’re just starting out in life, you have some skills or talent, shown some kind of aptitude. Even if you are just starting out, you might have shown some talent when you were young, even as young as elementary school. Have you always been a good writer, speaker, drawer, organizer, builder, teacher, friend? Have you been good at ideas, connecting people, gardening, selling? Give this some thought. Take at least 30 minutes, going over this question — often we forget about things we’ve done well. Think back, as far as you can, to jobs, projects, hobbies. This could be your passion. Or you may have several things. Start a list of potential candidates.
2. What excites you?
It may be something at work — a little part of your job that gets you excited. It could be something you do outside of work — a hobby, a side job, something you do as a volunteer or a parent or a spouse or a friend. It could be something you haven’t done in awhile. Again, think about this for 30 minutes, or 15 at the least. If you don’t, you’re probably shortchanging yourself. Add any answers to your list.
3. What do you read about?
What have you spent hours reading about online? What magazines do you look forward to reading? What blogs do you follow? What section of the bookstore do you usually peruse? There may be many topics here — add them to the list.
4. What have you secretly dreamed of?
You might have some ridiculous dream job you’ve always wanted to do — to be a novelist, an artist, a designer, an architect, a doctor, an entrepreneur, a programmer. But some fear, some self-doubt, has held you back, has led you to dismiss this idea. Maybe there are several. Add them to the list — no matter how unrealistic.
5. Learn, ask, take notes.
OK, you have a list. Pick one thing from the list that excites you most. This is your first candidate. Now read up on it, talk to people who’ve been successful in the field (through their blogs, if they have them, or email). Make a list of notes of things you need to learn, need to improve on, skills you want to master, people to talk to. Study up on it, but don’t make yourself wait too long before diving into the next step.
6. Experiment, try.
Here’s where the learning really takes place. If you haven’t been already, start to do the thing you’ve chosen. Maybe you already are, in which case you might be able to skip to the next step or choose a second candidate to try out. But if you haven’t been, start now — just do it. It can be in the privacy of your own home, but as quickly as possible, make it public however you can. This motivates you to improve, it gets you feedback, and your reputation will improve as you do. Pay attention to how you feel doing it — is it something you look forward to, that gets you excited, that you love to share?
7. Narrow things down.
I recommend that you pick 3-5 things from your list, if it’s longer than that, and do steps 5 & 6 with them. This could take month, or perhaps you’ve already learned about and tried them all out. So now here’s what you need to ask yourself: which gets you the most excited? Which of these can produce something that people will pay for or get excited about? Which can you see yourself doing for years (even if it’s not a traditional career path)? Pick one, or two at the most, and focus on that. You’re going to do the next three steps with it: banish your fears, find the time, and make it into a career if possible. If it doesn’t work out, you can try the next thing on your list — there’s no shame in giving something a shot and failing, because it’ll teach you valuable lessons that will help you to be successful in the next attempt.
8. Banish your fears.
This is the biggest obstacle for most people – self-doubt and fear of failure. You’re going to face it and banish it. First, acknowledge it rather than ignoring or denying it. Second, write it down, to externalize it. Third, feel it, and be OK with having it. Fourth, ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” Usually it’s not catastrophic. Fifth, prepare yourself for doing it anyway, and then do it. Take small steps, as tiny as possible, and forget about what might happen — focus on what actually is happening, right now. And then celebrate your success, no matter how small.
9. Find the time.
Don’t have the time to pursue this passion? Make the time, dammit! If this is a priority, you’ll make the time — rearrange your life until you have the time. This might mean waking earlier, or doing it after work or during lunch, or on weekends. It will probably mean canceling some commitments, simplifying your work routing or doing a lot of work in advance (like you’re going on a vacation). Do what it takes.
10. How to make a living doing it.
This doesn’t happen overnight. You need to do something, get good at it, be passionate about it. This could take months or years, but if you’re having fun, that’s what’s most important. When you get to the point where someone would pay you for it, then you’re golden — there are many ways to make a living at that point, including doing freelance or consulting work, making information products such as ebooks, writing a blog and selling advertising. In fact, I recommend you do a blog if you’re not already — it’ll help solidify your thinking, build a reputation, find people who are interested in what you do, demonstrate your knowledge and passion.
I told you this wouldn’t be easy. It’ll require a lot of reflection and soul-searching, at first, then a lot of courage and learning and experimentation, and finally a lot of commitment.
But it’s all worth it — every second, every ounce of courage and effort. Because in the end, you’ll have something that will transform your life in so many ways, will give you that reason to jump out of bed, will make you happy no matter how much you make.
I hope you follow this guide and find success, because I wish on you nothing less than finding your true passion.
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius
Rebecca Helene
Entrepreneur
In 2014, I obtained my MBA with dual concentrations in Finance & Competitive Strategy and stepped straight into the corporate world of merger and acquistion finance, where I build relationships with C-Suite Executives on a daily basis. Now, as a newlywed with a side-hustle, (paid off!) student loans and a passion for personal development, I am compiling and sharing all of the resources that have helped me succeed (and stay sane along the way!)
This post was authored by and originally posted on the website of Safal Niveshak and has been reposted here as material generously contributed to the Uncopyrighted initiative.
If you don’t know who Charlie Munger is, then here’s a quick introduction. He’s a billionaire and he’s 93 years old. He’s not the oldest and he is not the wealthiest but when it comes to being the “oldest billionaire”, he doesn’t have any competition.
In other words, he has the two most coveted things in this world – wealth and a long life.
His advice to us – minimize stupidity. Remarkably simple, isn’t it?
The most effective way to follow Charlie’s advice is to learn from others’ mistakes. That’s where books come into the picture. They’re the best source of vicarious knowledge.
When humans first discovered that they could persist their words and other information in physical form, it was revolutionary. According to some historians, between the years 3500 BC and 3000 BC, ancient Sumerians from Mesopotamia civilization invented the first system for storing and processing information outside their brains.
In the timescale of millions of years of human evolution, this invention is pretty recent one. Irrespective of how trivial the ability to read/write sounds, it was nothing less than a disrupting technology when it came out. Probably thousands of talented Sumerians, who were employed for memorizing information, lost their jobs.
You don’t have to teach an infant how to swallow liquid or give walking lessons to a toddler. These skills are built into the human genome. But reading isn’t part of our DNA.
The point I am coming to is this: the human brain isn’t naturally built to read. It’s an acquired skill like driving or playing Tennis. Reading involves vision which engages a certain part of the brain which in turn exercises a specific section of our neural machinery.
Although our brain processes signal received from all senses, each of the five senses is wired to different sections of the brain. Which means, reading lights up only the visual component of our brain’s circuitry.
When the brain receives the same information from different senses, it processes them slightly differently. And the interpretation changes based on which instrument (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin) was used to record the information.
Eyes usually get preference over others. McGurk Effect is the proof that our brain gives different weightage to each sense organ.
What would happen if you could involve multiple senses to absorb knowledge?
For one, our brain would frequently run into conflicts. Eyes would tell one story and the ears will say something else. But that’s not a bad news. Fortunately, unusual insights are almost always preceded by conflicts.
So I would like to argue that to learn better, one should be open to the idea of absorbing knowledge through multiple senses.
Making use of multiple senses fires up neurons in different locations inside our brain. This creates the possibility of fresh connections between previously unrelated brain cells. These unprecedented linkages enhance our brain’s ability to perceive the world and generate brand new insights.
Guy Spier, in his book The Education of Value Investor, mentions that someone gifted him an audio CD of Charlie Munger’s talk at Harvard on the 24 standard causes of human misjudgment. And there was an 18-month period, writes Guy, “during which this was the only CD in my car’s entertainment system.”
Guy probably listened to Charlie’s talk hundreds of times.
So to experiment with this idea, I have been trying to learn through my ears. One way to do that is to listen to the audiobooks. For that, I subscribed to Audible and listened to quite a few audiobooks.
My experience with audiobooks led me to the conclusion that listening to biographies and fiction is quite enjoyable. And there are again evolutionary reasons behind it.
If you recall our earlier discussion in this post, the technology of writing and reading came into existence quite late in the history of human evolution. The human brain hasn’t yet adapted naturally to the idea of learning things by reading. However, for millions of years, the knowledge was transferred from one person to another by narrating stories. So sound was the primary mode of sharing and propagating information for the majority of human history.
Which confirms my personal observation about my inability to absorb any information in audio form if the content is not in a story format.
The human brain started comprehending complex matters precisely because of the invention of the written word. We learn to do complex algebra and calculus in school because the process involves delegating all the steps to paper. If you had to do it all in your head, it would be impossible. Our brains aren’t wired to do that.
But the idea of podcasts has kind of broken this barrier. For some strange reason, our mind would find it extremely entertaining and engrossing when it’s privy to a conversation between two fellow humans.
A monologue, when it’s not a story, is boring. On the other hand, listening to a dialogue, even if the topic is fairly complex, isn’t that taxing to the mind. Maybe that’s the reason podcasts are rapidly gaining acceptance and popularity as a very effective medium to share knowledge.
For past one year, I have been listening to podcasts. I have learned a lot. It feels as if two wise people are sitting behind you and informally discussing their experiences. I find it fascinating.
So I thought of sharing the podcasts that I regularly listen to. I am also including some of my favourite episodes of each to get you started.
1. How I Built This
It’s a show hosted by Guy Raz. In his words, “How I Built This is a podcast about innovators, entrepreneurs, and idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built.” Unlike many other podcasts, the length of each episode is relatively short i.e. 30-40 minutes. My favorite stories in this podcasts are –
Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airline. Airlines is an industry marred by abysmally poor economics. In its entire history, on the whole, the airline industry has destroyed shareholder wealth. Southwest is the only airline in the world which has remained profitable for an almost entire period of its 40+ years of operation.
Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos, which was bought for a billion dollar by Amazon. After listening to this conversation, I picked up Tony’s book Delivering Happiness and enjoyed reading it.
Manoj Bhargava, founder of 5-hour energy. This guy lived as a monk for 13 years and then went on to create a billion-dollar business in less than a decade. He’s now devoting a majority of his time for tackling the hardest problems our world is facing like bringing electricity to those who don’t have it yet, converting seawater to freshwater and a few more.
John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods Market grocery chain, which was recently acquired by Amazon. Amazon acquires a company only when Jeff Bezos realizes that he can’t replicate what the acquiree is doing which speaks a ton about what John Mackey has accomplished.
Joe Gebbia is the co-founder of Airbnb. Today Airbnb is disrupting the hotel industry. Airbnb has now has more rooms than the biggest hotel chain in the world.
2. The Knowledge Project
Shane Parrish has been relentlessly sharing multidisciplinary ideas on his blog for almost a decade. The knowledge project podcast is another feather in his cap. The publishing schedule is quite infrequent and irregular, nevertheless, there’s enough wisdom here to keep you busy for weeks. My favourite episodes are –
Interview with Sanjay Bakshi. Being a Safal Niveshak tribesman, it’s almost impossible that you haven’t heard of Prof. Bakshi. He teaches a course on behavioural finance and business valuation in MDI Gurgaon, a prestigious MBA college. There’s chock full of investing wisdom in this interview. I recommend that you listen to it multiple times.
Interview with Naval Ravikant. Naval is the co-founder of AngelList. He’s been an investor in many unicorn startups including Uber, Twitter, Yammer, and many others. This 2+ hours of conversation between Shane and Naval was simply out of the world. I have already listened to this one twice and want to listen to it again few more times. Naval has been interviewed in Tim Ferriss show also and that conversation was equally amazing.
Interview with Morgan Housel. I became a fan of Morgan Housel when I first read his incisive posts at Collaborative Fund’s blog. I have read, at least twice, every single article that he’s written in last one year. He’s perhaps one of the best investment journalists out there. His insights on investing and business are truly jaw-dropping. When I start reading his posts, I always sit tight in my chair lest the Eureka moment throws me off on the ground.
3. The Tim Ferriss Show
Before I tell you what I like about this podcast, let me be honest about two things that I don’t like in this one. First is the excessive promotional content in each episode (from financial products to undergarments) which isn’t really wrong or unethical but a big put off for a new listener. Second, a lot of episodes aren’t interviews but random ranting from Tim which kind of dilutes my original purpose of listening to a podcast i.e. being privy to a dialogue, not a monologue. So if you can get past these two small irritants then there’s quite a bit of wisdom to be gained from Tim’s show. Here are few of the episodes which I liked –
Interview with Derek Sivers. Sivers is a fascinating personality. He was a musician who accidentally created a multi-million dollar company called CDBaby. He later sold the company for USD 22 million and gave away the money to a trust dedicated to musicians. I loved Sivers’ book Anything You Want and go back to all his TED talks again and again. There are actually two episodes with Derek Sivers. Like Scott Adams, Sivers has spoken to James Altucher also.
Interview with Peter Thiel, co-founder of Paypal and the first investor in Facebook. Thiel has written a book called Zero to One which mind stretching insights about future. He’s a true contrarian and he starts every decision by asking, “What important truth that I know which most people disagree with me on this one.” A fascinating conversation. Thiel interviewed with James Altucher also, so do check out that episode also.
4. The James Altucher Show
James Altucher is a prolific blogger and podcaster. His podcast has already crossed 250 episodes and his guest list is pretty awesome. James’ book Choose Yourself had a profound impact on how I think and it’s a book that I recommend very frequently. Here are my picks from Altucher’s show –
Interview with Yuval Noah Harari who shot into limelight with his book Sapiens when it was recommended by the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama, and Bill Gates. I have read Sapiens twice already and, ignoring my bias about non-narrative audiobooks, have listened to the audio version also, more than once. Harari is an outstanding thinker and a gifted writer. I challenge you that once you read Sapiens, two things will happen to you. One, you will immediately want to read it again and you won’t be able to see the world with the same eyes as you do now. His second book Homo Deus is equally fascinating.
Scott Adams is the creator of famous cartoon strip Dilbert. Adams’ story is a remarkable tale of series of lifelong experiments that he undertook to tilt the odds of success in his favour. He consciously pursued a strategy which eventually catapulted him to wealth and world fame. His insights on the science of persuasion are just out of this world. Scott Adams has appeared in Tim Ferriss show also. I loved Scott’s two books – How To Fail… and Win Bigly.
5. Masters In Business
Barry Ritholtz hosts this show. The archive contains more than 100 episodes but I have just started listening to this podcast.
The first one which I listened was a conversation with Marc Andreessen, creator of first internet browser Mosaic and founder of Netscape. Marc is also the co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. It’s was a fascinating dialogue. The breadth and depth of Marc’s knowledge about how the world works are truly remarkable.
Vishal shares that a few other wonderful podcasts from this series includes the ones with Ed Thorp, Howard Marks, and Michael Lewis.
I use a podcast aggregation app (Podcast Addict, on Android) to subscribe to these podcasts. There are many other similar apps which you can use. I find Podcast Addict quite good because it has useful features like playback speeds (slowing down or speeding up), bookmarking, adding notes, skipping, downloading for offline consumption, creating playlists etc.
Listening to podcasts is a great way to make use of your commute/travel time especially if you use public transport or taxi. I call this mode of learning – university on wheels.
I hope you’ll try out this mode of learning and if you’ve already been doing it, I would love to know about your podcasts list.
Is it just me, or are the terms GrooveFunnels, GroovePages, GrooveSell, Groove… everything… recently taking over the internet?
At first, I thought the phenomenon was simply because I surround myself with business owners and entrepreneurs. My social groups are always chatting about tech and what services are best for coaching and course launching.
Then, after paying thousands of dollars for business coaching courses, all promoting the bigwig in the industry ClickFunnels, I couldn’t help but noticing this new GrooveFunnels thing was everywhere.
I am not exaggerating went I tell you that I was JUST about to give my credit card to ClickFunnels. In fact, it was day 12 of my 14 day ClickFunnels free-trial account. In two days, I would be deciding whether to pay for their $99/month fee to grow my little side hustle business. And with two days to decide, I heard about GrooveFunnels.
So, do you know what I did?
Well, I over-analyzed of course.
Should I get GrooveFunnels or ClickFunnels for My New Business?
I went straight into analysis-paralysis mode. My goal was to learn everything I could about ClickFunnels vs GrooveFunnels. Is this new competitor's software legit? What is the cost? Is it worth it?
I saw FREE GroovePages and GrooveSell, and suddenly I had the urge to research everything from the very beginning. It was only two days from committing to a paid account with the clear leader in the market.
Here’s the thing.
The day I finally went to the GrooveFunnels website was the LAST day of this INCREDIBLE lifetime offer. So, without ever signing up for the free account, I had to make a decision. Was I ready to purchase and skip the free trial? (*Lifetime offer last day listed at the time.)
*Editor's Note: They DID extend the Lifetime Platinum offer, and have also expanded their free software offerings as of the writing of this post. The one-time fee for Lifetime Platinum WILL expire, but a formal expiration date has not been announced. The FREE account will not expire and will remain free for life once you have signed up. GrooveDigital retains the right to limit number of free accounts and may change this at any time. Hurry and grab your free account to stay “grandfathered in.” Click below to check out current offers.
But yes, it is still so new that there are very few comprehensive GrooveFunnels reviews launched online yet.
And to be honest, because GrooveFunnels is in beta mode, even the comparison reviews to understand whether Clickfunnels vs Groovefunnels is better can’t actually help a new user just yet.
GrooveFunnels hasn’t even launched half of their platform tools yet (yes, it’s THAT new.) But invest now, and get EVERYTHING they have and will continue to launch in the future.
And yet, that countdown timer was just taunting me.
What is GrooveDigital?
GrooveDigital is a fresh new contender in the world of online marketing, providing a wide array of software platforms, services and tools needed for successful digital sales.
Over just a few months during the Summer 2020, GrooveDigital hit the ground running. They launched what could almost be seen as a kickstarter campaign. Even though they did not have the full platform fully built out, they created an offer to entice and incentivize early adopters by promoting an irresistible offer: Lifetime Access to ALL the future services and tools for a single price paid upfront.
That’s right. No future upgrade temptations, no “limited use” or “maximum counts.” The best part? There is also no monthly fee.
Ever again.
That’s right. No future upgrade temptations. No “limited use” or “maximum counts.” The best part? No monthly fee.
Ever again.
Can you imagine what it would be like to shred up the bill from all of your recurring monthly technology charges?
It’s like your phone bill. You know somehow charges have creeped in over time for app downloads or cloud storage you forgot you ordered once… and yet, you’re throwing money at the solution, even though it’s still not driving any change.
That’s how I feel about starting up as a Chapter 1 mover in the internet world.
And that’s why I am all about knowing up front the true cost of something. If it’s free for life, mean it. If it’s a one-time fee, mean it. But stop making me feel like I better get $100 worth of sales this month or I’m losing money AGAIN!
You might be thinking, “Um… great, but that sounds risky. Invest in a software that is still being built? Is that worth it?”
Luckily, you and I are not the very first new movers. Yes, it’s still early for us and there's a beta mode experience. However, we can quickly get up to speed and learn alongside all of the top funnel builders in real time. What a unique opportunity for those of us brand new to digital marketing!
Imagine if you followed along daily with the people that become the experts and you were doing exactly what they did? YOU’D be the next expert. It’s like buying Apple stock early on just to see what happens….)
But at this point, the first stage of tools have launched, so we can confidently say yes, GrooveFunnels is legit and yes, even I have built my first funnel.
Yes, GrooveFunnels is legit.
Even better, with GrooveDigital currently running an amazing deal for free lifetime access to GroovePages and GrooveSell right now, so there is NO RISK to even try it out (seriously, they don't even grab your credit card info!)
There's a cool video you can watch to learn more about it and find out for yourself. Just CLICK HERE to see.
But before all that, you really have to understand just how many tools and resources are being onboarded into everything GrooveDigital is pitching.
What Tools Are Included With GrooveDigital?
While I love solid branding, I have to admit that I was confused at first about what the Company was called versus what the software was called, versus what the training program was called, so here’s my little cheat sheet. {Spoiler alert, the company refers to this whole umbrella as everything in the “Grooverse”!}
GrooveDigital -> The Parent Company
Directly reaching the GrooveDigital website will allow you to learn more about the management team, company, products, and all your standard business information.
Within the GrooveDigital toolkit, there are several tools, aptly named:
As you can see above, many things in the Grooverse speak for themselves, like the SEO optimized GrooveBlog program and the replace-your-Etsy and Shopify stores platform through GrooveKart and Groove Sell.
Thought “GrooveFunnels” sounds like a direct competitor for ClickFunnels, users of GrooveFunnels tend to use this term to talk about the entire platform, as you use GroovePages to launch landing pages and websites, which start your funnel, and connect to GrooveSell to move buyers through the funnel.
Constant bonuses are always in the works for the community as well, with upcoming plans for a GrooveKon and continued expansion of the free training for each of these tools through Groove Digital Academy.
And what’s crazy is that’s only what they had started out listing on their sales page at the time I took the plunge (September 2020.)
Since then, they have announced partnerships, integrations and bonuses that include ChatMatic accounts (automatic Facebook chatbot for your page) and YouZine accounts (replaces the need for Canva.)
GrooveFunnels Lifetime Platinum Offer
Okay, so back to that sales page countdown timer the first time I was even discovering GrooveFunnels and all that it included.
And you know what?
I took the bait.
I bought in to marketing trick 101 – “create a sense of urgency.”
Honestly, typically in these scenarios I try to tell myself I’m smarter than that. I know what they are trying to get me to do, and surely they will be happy to take my money next week, next month, or even next year, so the offers never really LEAVE.
BUT.
I have got to say, from one non-techy person to another, I have been scouring the internet for hundreds of hours as I walk through step by painful step to understand what I need to buy a domain name, build a website, host a website, learn SEO, and on and on and on.
Even with a minimal or non-existent email list, the fees paid across owning and hosting a website on a cheap server, plus the lowest monthly package for Aweber email collection and automation… the bills can absolutely mount to the ceiling for a new entrepreneur if you are not careful.
Even with a minimal or non-existent email list, the fees paid across owning and hosting a website on a cheap server, plus the lowest monthly package for Aweber email collection and automation… the bills can absolutely mount to the ceiling for a new entrepreneur if you are not careful.
I made the mental (and financial) commitment to follow through with this program to the tune of $1397.
Yes, you read that correctly. One thousand, three hundred and ninety seven dollars (US currency.)
For a new blogger or business owner, that could be seen as a big risk for a software platform that is still in beta mode. It's also an expense to evaluate against signing up and sticking with the free version.
But that’s what entrepreneurship is all about, right? Bigger risks and early movers gain bigger rewards and opportunities.
The great thing is that they do have offers to break down payments into payment plans (3 month, 6 month or even 12 month payments) so you can invest in the long-term benefit while still aligning with your current cash flow.
I am SO thrilled I caught this lifetime offer in time. Depending on when you are reading this, the offer may have closed, but if it’s somehow still miraculously open, take the plunge.
Need to justify it to your wallet?
GrooveAffiliate has a 40% Commission Program
Check out their 40% affiliate commission bonus for paid platinum members, and their unheard of 20% affiliate commission even if you are only signed up as a free user.
I have never seen an opportunity like that.
So even if you are not an affiliate marketer (or not yet at least…), you basically only have to share this new platform with TWO other users in your lifetime to recoup the cost. Pretty incredible if you picture how this software will be like when Microsoft launched it’s whole suite with Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. Pretty sure you could get two new people to need that in the future!)
Here's a sneak peek describing the GrooveFunnel affiliate program directly from founder Mike Filsame. Whether you sign up for the free account or paid account, you will see this video on your dash board if you ever decide to take part in the affiliate program.
As you get to using all of the GroovePages, GrooveSell and GrooveFunnels tools, you'll find yourself wanting to recommend this software to other entrepreneurs in your network. Recommend through the affiliate link waiting in your account, and you are just cashed in.
In fact, if the $1395 Lifetime Platinum offer is still open as you read this, consider the math:
If you are a platinum account holder and get just ONE person to grab a platinum account, you will cash in $558. 40% Commission x $1395 = $558 in your pocket
If you got just THREE people over your entire lifetime to also grab a Platinum GrooveFunnels account, you will cash in $1,674 which would completely pay back the expense for YOUR Groove account.
$558 Commission Per Referral x 3 Referrals = $1,674 in your pocket
Think of it in movie ticket terms. It's like a flash offer that says “Get 3 friends to buy tickets, and your ticket is free – plus we will throw in a little extra for popcorn and candy.”
The Value of Being a GrooveDigital Early Adopter
Just like the early 90s when those lucky enough to have dial up internet got to take over their family’s home phone line for 30 minutes to “surf the web” have had huge opportunities to take big steps in business before everybody else knew how to commercialize it, I see a big opportunity here with GrooveFunnels and now that I own it, I’ll be making the best of it regardless of what’s to come!
That said, I am truly coming at you as a hands down, brand new e-commerce entrepreneur, myself.
There is limited upside to join the competitor’s bandwagon, and while many internet coaches out there have already made tutorials and courses using the ClickFunnels suggested platform, I want to reinforce to you, the brand new entrepreneur, that you have a NEW option, and while you may currently hear about one more often, it’s likely because it’s been around awhile – but older does not always mean better.
If the Lifetime Platinum Membership is still open, or if it opens back up for any reason or any brief time period (holiday sale, short term boosters, etc) I would ABSOLUTELY do it all over again.
At the time I invested in myself and by business with GrooveFunnels, I paid a one time fee of $1395 to have access to all premium tools with unlimited use – for life.
That's the equivalent of 14 months of ClickFunnels.
But it replaces more than ClickFunnels. I will also get to replace my website hosting, Shopify fees, Aweber email list automation, Calendly scheduler, Vimeo video hosting and the list goes on.
The beta tester, one-time fee for GrooveFunnels Lifetime Platinum membership pays for itself in UNDER ONE YEAR, regardless of your stage of business.
The GrooveFunnels Lifetime Platinum membership pays for itself in UNDER ONE YEAR.
But don't forget. The FREE account is free for life.
The truth is, GrooveDigital has been constantly adding to what's included in the free account.
As a small business owner or blogger, you could successfully thrive with only the free version of Groove for life. And there is truly no catch!
Already, I’ve found quickly growing and highly supportive Facebook communities with plenty of answers, tips and tricks to get started. I’ve also watched a free Webinar and paid for the course and community pitch at the end because I am SO truly excited about finally understanding the world of e-commerce and sales funnels.
Don't forget to Pin on Pinterest to read and share later!
I’ll be tracking my growth and progress, failures and wins, and I’m looking forward to the Tribe I connect with along the way.
Have questions, or want to follow a fellow newbie along her journey? Let's connect!
Have you switched over to GrooveFunnels? Sticking with ClickFunnels? Tell me why in the comments below, and let’s connect and swap experiences on Facebook!
Have you been hearing digital marketing buzzwords about sales funnels and automated lead generation? Did you immediately feel “out of the loop” even though you KNOW they sound like valuable business assets?
I admit… I am pretty new to the funnel building world.
The little I knew about marketing funnels made be believe they were not relevant to my busines. I honestly thought using online funnels was a FAR more advanced strategy than I was ready for.
BUT…
All it took was a little bit of time and building my first simple funnel and something clicked for me.
Suddenly it was easy to understand so many ways to use funnels to support and grow my new online initiatives as an entrepreneur.
If you have ever caught yourself thinking “I’m not ready for funnels,” read this before you lock in that mindset.
Honestly, we break it down and compare online funnels to traditional retail shopping and marketing. Visualizing each step can help expand your idea about the opportunities funnels offer in all stages of your business. Yes, even if it is brand new!
What are Sales Funnels / What are Marketing Funnels?
Sales Funnels and Marketing Funnels (often terms used interchangeably,) are not new to e-commerce and internet businesses.
Funnels have long been a marketing concept, though different industries may have used different terms or theories.
In a simple way, it boils down to this.
Sales funnels are tools used to monitor and expedite the customer’s decision making by handing them exactly what they need at each stage of the buying process.
Sales funnels are tools used to monitor and expedite the customer’s decision making by handing them exactly what they need at each stage of the buying process.
How Do Sales Funnels Work?
Traditional marketing methods inundate prospects to build attention and awareness for a product or brand. The goal is to learn who the target audience is, and what the ideal customer will be interested in.
If somebody opts-in to an email list, clicks to download a freebie, watches a webinar, or otherwise shows interest, they become a “lead” and become valuable to directly market to (as in, straight to their email inbox.)
The communication continues as the company adds value and educates the prospect on topics related to their service. This way, when the customer is ready to make a purchase, they have had the opportunity to know, like and trust the businesses.
Stages of Sales Funnels
1. Awareness:
Audience first becomes aware of your business or brand. A customer is considered in the top of the funnel the first time you get their attention. Awareness starts with social media, search engines, traditional marketing or any way you get in front of prospects.
2. Interest:
At this stage in the funnel, you should be adding value and offer to help your customers. People are becoming more invested in the product or service. They may be reading reviews, comparison shopping and doing more research to understand what they need. As a company, do not sell or pitch yet. Customers in this stage are not ready. It may likely turn them away if you push too early.
3. Decision:
The customer is ready to make a purchase. They have narrowed down all of their research from the Interest stage to two or three companies they are interested in. Hopefully your business is included!
At this point, you should be aiming to have the most irresistible offer across your competition. Your service should be irresistible to the customer and convince them to make the purchase before leaving the page.
4. Action:
The customer takes action. You got the sale (or the email sign-up, or whatever result your sales funnel intended to trigger.)
Just because this is the bottom of the funnel does not mean the work is done. Now that you have made the sale and brought in a new customer, there are plenty of other pieces to the puzzle. Trying to up-sell, build loyalty, and gain repeat customers for the long haul.
Why is it called a Sales “Funnel”?
Sales funnels are aptly named based on their inverse pyramid shape. The largest number of prospects will always be at the very top of the funnel. This is where all of the advertising and marketing is captured, creating the earliest stage of brand awareness.
As the “mouth” of the funnel engages prospects and converts them into leads, there are less people following through at each additional stage.
Pin and share this cheat sheet for later!
Not every customer who first hears of your business is ready to begin a longer conversation. Then, even less will be ready to compare brands and make a decision. And finally, the fewest will take action to specifically become YOUR customers with a new sale.
Why is a Sales Funnel Beneficial?
Think about your marketing and sales process as a whole. Considering the full process “through the funnel” helps understand the path your prospects take. You need to understand how they move across the span, from when they first learn about your business. Eventually they become a buyer – and hopefully, a loyal returning customer.
If you are not following the path of your prospects, you are missing gaps in your business. It's important to recognize where people are “dropping out of the funnel.”
At those stages, you are leaving money on the table!
That is why there are so many articles about “funnel optimization,” which simply means, let’s see what is happening along your prospect’s decision path. Then, we can fix the parts where they decide not to move forward with the next step.
What is a Funnel Builder?
Some confusion about what a funnel truly is comes from the rise of e-commerce funnel builders. These are software systems you may have heard of that allow you to create sales funnels to get customers or generate higher sales.
One of the most commonly known funnel builder software programs is ClickFunnels. A new competitor to the game is GrooveFunnels.
Using these systems, business owners and marketers create a “funnel” through a webpage by simplifying customer options. Only ONE action is allowed to be taken on each page. Therefore, it acts like the sales funnel we discussed, because less and less users will trickle down through each stage of the full funnel to ultimately reach the business owner’s desired end action.
Once they reach the “end” action, they continue down a path in this funnel you have created, now offering them an upsell (“Since you bought our book, would you be interested in our flash sale for an upcoming webinar, 50% off for only $299?”) or a downsell (“Not interested in that webinar? Got it. Well we do have a second book about to launch and you can be the first to own it for only $27 right now. Interested?)
Online funnels do not have to be long, complex pathways at first.
As you build out funnels and learn more though, you will recognize that the longer you keep a customer in one of your funnels, the longer they are focused only on you, and whether they are interested to spend a few more dollars with your company (because of all the previous value you have already delivered, of course!)
How is a Funnel or Funnel Builder Different from a Website?
The value of online funnel builder software is that a company can create what LOOKS like a website, but is actually a single page (which can be known as a landing page, sales page, etc.)
Most importantly, it does not have a menu bar with tabs to browse through.
There is no “about us”, “read our blog,” etc.
It has just ONE call to action for the reader.
This simplifies the decision-making process, and keeps the reader focused on the company’s goals.
For instance, if you have launched a new lead magnet, and your end goal is to collect new email addresses to build your email list, your first funnel page would have no option other than to “enter email, get freebie.” (Of course, they can always just exit the page, so you are not forcing them if they are not truly ready.)
You do not complicate the system by saying “either enter your email address OR click here to buy our $27 book OR just get personal coaching with me for $2000.”
That is too many options, confuses the reader – and likely makes them question what you are even pitching.
Sales Funnels Summary
Going back to basics, let’s consider what the ultimate goal is for any business. To make sales, right? Let’s work backwards to how that gets done…
Well, to make sales, we need to convince customers to buy OUR product, not the competitor’s.
Part of the convincing is making sure they know, like and trust us before they make a decision.
To know, like and trust us, they have to be aware of us – they have to at first, at bare minimum, HEAR about us.
Because retail has grown hyper-competitive with the rise of e-commerce, the savvy business owner needs to be able to map out their customer’s decision making process, and show up at every stage so they are front-of-mind and seen as the clear winner when the customer makes their end decision (hopefully, a sale from you!)
I create resources for female entrepreneurs and career-driven women striving to break out of their comfort zones and through the glass ceiling.
