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What is GrooveFunnels Lifetime Membership and is it Worth it?

What is GrooveFunnels Lifetime Membership and is it Worth it?

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?

Editor's Note: If you are not sure what a Sales Funnel is or how to get started using them for business, check out our Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Sales Funnels.

woman working girl sitting
Photo by Alexander Dummer on Pexels.com

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!

crop payroll clerk counting money while sitting at table
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Is GrooveFunnels Legit and Worth It?

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: 

  • GrooveFunnels (www.groovefunnels.com)
  • GrooveMail
  • GrooveVideo
  • GroovePages
  • GrooveSell
  • GrooveMember
  • GrooveKart
  • GrooveBlog
  • GroovePay
  • GrooveAds
  • GrooveAcademy
  • GrooveDesk
  • GrooveWebinar
  • GrooveCalendar
  • GrooveSurvey
  • GrooveQuiz
  • GroovePages Pro – Prebuilt Layouts and Templates
  • GrooveAffiliate

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.

Final Thoughts About GrooveFunnels

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.

I will be producing another blog post to compare what you get in the lifetime platinum plan versus the free plan soon. Jump here to Groove's chart comparing the Free vs Paid Versions of GrooveFunnels.

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!

Click here to connect on Facebook

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!

Blogging Journey: Should I use my own name as my domain?

Blogging Journey: Should I use my own name as my domain?


I am all about admitting my faults and the excuses I have made along the way that has caused my blogging journey to start far later than I have been dreaming about it. One of the biggest excuses was not being decisive in the very important and very entry stage – the decision about my domain name. 

Choosing a domain name is a valuable step, and yes, it deserves time and thoughtfulness. 

My personal struggle was a constant back and forth in trying to decide, “Should I use my own name as my full domain name?” 

Not a picture of me… but clearly she shares the dilemma.

At first, I’d like the idea of anonymity. After all, it’s taken me this long to put my writing out into the world already – having my name in bright lights just felt odd and uncomfortable. There was no hiding from failure, and no undoing whatever text was put out there. 

Below, I have put together 5 things to consider when deciding whether to use your own name as your domain name. 


Should I use my Own Name as a Domain Name?

There are all types of opinions and advice on the topic, from professional marketing articles to expert podcasts to personal bloggers.

I was hyper-aware of all of the points and the pro/con list, but after remaining on the fence for far too long, I finally took the plunge and am sharing my step-by-step thought process because that's all I was hoping for from others in my same boat!

After you've taken the plunge, share your story and decision with me in the comments below!

1. What are you writing about, and will it pass the time-test? 

Straight off the bat – here's an easy one. What are you writing about? Give it a quick time-test. Is it a topic you will want to be affiliated with for the long haul? 

Maybe you are writing about dating in your teens, or creating blogs about meeting somebody online and all of your dating fails. For some people, using your own name as a domain name is great, because it’s authentic. For others, you may want your stories told, but not broadcast with your name highlighted at every corner. 

2. Why are you writing? What is your end-goal?

Are you writing as a creative outlet, or is it to report on progress for a personal hobby?

If your plan is to build a website up and later sell it to a larger company in the space, creating a brand for your niche-focus makes much more sense than creating a brand around your name. 

3. Is there a chance you may want to change categories in the future? 

Who knows where any of us will be in 5, 10 or 20 years? It’s fair to consider who knows what you’ll want to be writing about and if you’ll change topics. What you should consider is whether you are the kind of person who would prefer building up one strong foundation now and completely revamping it if and when the time comes. 

4. Do you have any professional conflicts? 

Is there a reason to tread lightly about announcing your expertise or broadcasting your personal opinion on a website? For instance, if you are a CPA at a big-four firm, there might be limitations on how you position yourself or conflicts of interest if you make money through an external method that’s related to your day-job. 

You may also be in a niche where you share  personal stories about problems in a workplace. In that case, will you be more comfortable writing on WorkplaceProblems.com or YourFullName.com?

5. Will your name change?

Life is funny and unpredictable, and there are several stages of life that can offer name changes for one reason or another. If you build a brand under your name, but then your name changes, will you be able to pivot? 

Many people have personal and professional names that differ, so it might not phase you either way. 

There are always options to transfer a domain name later down the line, so you’re not stuck in a permanent commitment, but with how popular the internet has become, every passing year eliminates more domain options, and your personal domain name may not be available the longer you wait!  

5 Secrets to Winning an Essay Contest: Shared by an Essay Scholarship Judge

5 Secrets to Winning an Essay Contest: Shared by an Essay Scholarship Judge

One of my favorite freelancing jobs to-date is acting as the sole consultant hired to judge a College Essay Scholarship contest put on by a law group based in the Pacific Northwest. The contest was such a success and beneficial way to give back to the next generation, that the Company has expanded the contest to quarterly prompts and has become my first long-term client in the new LLC I established outside of my corporate finance day-job.

The prompts are highly topical for millennials, ranging from the changing concept of the American dream to today's concerns about student debt and the affordable housing crisis. Submissions must range in length from 500 to 1000 words, a standard modest length for today's scholarship essay contests.

Despite the changing topics, I have quickly come to notice several threads of commonality across applications, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to share five honest secrets from an essay scholarship judge.

1. You're not as original as you think. While starting with a hook is vital, just as we've all been taught, one quarterly essay prompt delivered 50% of applications beginning with the Webster's Dictionary definition of the focus word in the topic. Another set of applicants delivered an essay beginning with a triad of questions that reiterated the essay prompt. At that point, a question is no stronger a hook than a more powerful, unique, well-written introductory sentence. It might ace your English class, but it will stand alongside all of the others acing their classes with the same opening paragraph.

2. Write about the topic. Sounds like it should go without mentioning, doesn't it? You would think that, but 1 in 20 applications are clearly recycled, generic essays about “hardships I overcame” or “why I am pursuing college.” If you went so far as to research and find a scholarship to apply to, didn't you see there was a specific topic to apply with? If you are not prepared to write on the new prompt, save your time and energy and don't submit an essay that doesn't directly correlate to the scholarship.

3. Read (and follow!) the directions. If the application provides a minimum or maximum word count, consider them hard guidelines, not just suggestions. Double-check your word count and intentionally stay within. Use the count to put yourself in the judges shoes to imagine what they are expecting to see based on that length. In 500 words, concise, powerful, unique viewpoints are more expected than citations and resources. If there is no minimum but a five-page maximum, you likely should aim for 3-4 pages of a true-form, paragraph-structured essay.

4. Citations never hurt. Not all essay winners are English majors and journalists. You are not expected to have an MLA or APA, perfectly formatted resource paper- in most cases, at least. However, throwing in an insightful quote or a few quantitative facts to support your argument from a reliable source is often a booster- even if it's an opinion-based essay. Your paper will immediately stand out above many others and prove that you put in the extra time and thought into your writing. This can create a sense of credibility for a judge before they even read the first line, which is a strong first impression when they have hundreds of papers to read.

5. Formatting matters. If there is a formatting directive in the prompt, such as 12-point font, double-spaced, refer back to Tip #3 above and use it! If there's not, take a step back to look at the document itself when you have finished writing. Is it easy to read? Is it broken out into paragraph format?

Without getting so creative that your essay becomes a graphic design entry rather than document (though there are times that can work!) find ways to make your paper visually stand out or become easier to read.

Often, using header labels to break out sections can be simple and effective. It can also give the judge clarity that you have addressed the prompt in full, which can be a difference-maker. For example, if the prompt is to “define the problems and name a few solutions you propose” on a topic, a clear Section I: Introduction, “Section II: Problems and Section III: Solutions creates a clear sign for a reader or judge who has hundreds, if not thousands of entries to peruse!