Estimated read time: 6 mins

I’m a serial monogamist. 

Ever since the 6th grade, I’ve almost always been in a relationship. 

Commitment just comes easily to me. 

This is probably why I’ve stuck with growing my business for so long. (In internet years, that is. They’re longer than dog years.) 

You know, everyone uses relationships as an analogy for funnels. But it’s not really fair. What about the people who suck at commitment? 

There’s a healthy percentage of polyamorous online business owners who just can’t seem to settle. #nojudgment 

The reason being that… welp, you guys, we’ve kinda sorta been fed a giant lie around both funnels AND relationships. 

Think about it… 

From the time you’re a kid, you’re shown this Disney version of love that never goes off the rails, never eats the last chocolate chip cookie, and where resolutions are as easy as true love’s kiss. 

And then you get into a relationship and it’s like “Holy Fudgesicles, why are we arguing about ice cube trays?” … Inside joke 😏

In online business, you’re fed a similar lie. 

Except this time, it’s Facebook ads delivering the punch to the gut instead of Disney movies. 

You’re promised that you are just one funnel away from riches beyond your wildest dreams.

That if you just follow the steps, invest in the latest programs, hire a coach, buy all the software, and get professional photos done, you’ll have it made. 

So you go and do all those things and then you realize that this is way harder and more time consuming than you thought it would be.

Not just that but there’s the crushing disappointment you feel if all the work (and money) you put into your funnel doesn’t get you the results you expected.. 

And it’s at this point that most people quit. 

They decide that this whole online business thing was just a pipe dream and let their Kajabi accounts expire without ever having seen the light of day.

Sad story, right? 

But that doesn’t have to be YOUR ending. 

In truth, that moment when you’re ready to walk away, is usually a turning point. 

That’s the topic of today’s tea, %FIRSTNAME%!

What you’ll learn in this article:

🍵💲On open loops — why you need to tie ‘em up or cut the cord 

🍵💲The phases of funnel optimization and letting things COOK. 

🍵💲Build your own “Active Listening” technology (yes, your phone is listening to you)

The tea: close that loop, listen closer, and for the love of God don’t take the cake out of the oven before it’s COOKED

I made zucchini cake last week and like a total amateur I took it out before it was fully cooked 🤦‍♀️ By the time I realized, the mushy middle was there to stay. 

And it reminded me of how many business owners I talk to who do this with their offers and funnels. It doesn’t work perfectly right off the bat so they turn it off and move on to the next thing. 

If Gordon was their business coach he’d know exactly what to say… 

There are PHASES when it comes to building profitable functional funnels that flow how they’re supposed to. 

The honeymoon phase where you’re beyond excited at what’s possible and highly motivated to do what it takes won’t last forever. 

A large percentage of people who start don’t make it past here. But in funnels and relationships, commitment creates safety. 

“The honeymoon phase is special in that it brings together the relief of reciprocated love with the excitement of a future still to be created. What we often don’t realize is that the exuberance of the beginning is fueled by its undercurrent of uncertainty. 

We set out to make love more secure and dependable, but in the process, inevitably we dial down its intensity. On the path of commitment, we happily trade a little passion for a bit more certainty, some excitement for some stability.”

• Esther Perel (marketing genius disguised as a relationship therapist 😉) 

Proof of concept is what the honeymoon phase is for. 

Commitment is where we refine. 

What’s working?
What’s not? 
What story do the numbers tell? 
Where is there potential for better communication? 
What story does the anecdotal feedback tell? 
Am I collecting enough anecdotal feedback? 
Where am I losing people? 
Is there clear offer <> audience alignment? 

Work through these questions before you burn it down. 

The bridge between honeymoon and commitment is where you close the loop you opened originally. 

You give this thing a fair shot, and if in the end it’s not gonna fly you can cut the cord and say you did all you could do. 

Let it fully cook, eventually this process will feel like a piece of cake you could eat again and again 🍰

Sip on this…  

🧋 Ummm, so you know how we all know on some level that our phones are listening to us so massive companies can market with eerie specificity? 

Now there’s proof.  They call it “Active Listening’ technology to make it sound less creepy. 

WELL, I propose we build our own active listening technology where we simply aim to have more conversations with our audience (I have a template for that if you’re overdue to survey your subscribers!)