Origin Story
Hi! I need to freestyle this because I got way too in my head over this challenge so I just need to write. My intention for this blog is to fulfill part of a challenge for the One Funnel Away Challenge that Click Funnels runs frequently. It’s great because they give a winning formula of a script and framework for selling and marketing which is amazing. Except when your name is Sallyanne Stewart and you’re told to follow a script — so then all you want to do is babble. But my goal is growth and leaning into discomfort so I’ll try and work around this framework.
Backstory for all ya’ll.
I decided to flip my life on its head three years ago and drop myself drastically into the unknown. What that looked like was — end a 9 relationship, pack my stuff out of newly renovated home of 7 years, quit my job of 6 years in Fire Management in rural Western Australia and head to the States to figure out what I actually wanted my life to look like. It still blows me away. I remember when it dawned on me that I was living a life that was not the one I wanted — I was so OUT OF TUNE with my true desires and HAD NO IDEA what I wanted. Deciding to leave meant creating space to work it out. Long story for another day short — after 9 months of feeling utterly lost on planet earth, inklings of what was to be in my future were starting to stir. I arrived back in Australia for a music festival in Byron Bay. Music had become quite an obvious guide post for me through the States and when I got back I had a light bulb moment “I think I want to be a music producer.” Everything sort of lined up super easily. I moved across the country to Byron where there was a uni for sound engineering and I got into it. The fact that I had no skills or experience in playing instruments, writing music, anything other than LOVE music and relish in singing, dancing and rapping on my own, in the shower, driving my car, out in the paddock — it was heaven sent that I could study with no experience required.
A successful career in music is the dream. A dream that is doing its thing to come true. Living in a removed part of the world and not honouring my true desires for so long left me HUNGRY to live a life with passion, excitement and faith in creating the exact life I want. This belief was a great driving force. But I think with so much change in my life, integrating new beliefs with old ways of doing things started to mess with logistics. I had no money. I’d spent most of my savings in search of my soul, jokes… purpose, jokes… joy for living… and working part time while studying isn’t entirely lucrative. I remember thinking — I haven’t changed every fucking thing in my life with all of the angst, loneliness and grief that came with that, finally allow myself to acknowledge my true dreams of a career in music, to not make it happen because I cant work out how to support myself financially — That sentence structure sucked sorry. Anyway, I digress. The writing was on the wall. I didn’t want to graduate as a rookie at the age of 33 and pick up shit jobs for an hourly wage. I didn’t change my whole life for that.
I needed to make money. I needed to prove to myself I had it in me that I could do it own my own and that I could surpass the beliefs around money that I had grown up with. Instead of feeling limited by it, I needed to create wealth that would support all of the goodness that I want to express into the world through writing and music.
This shit’s personal and hard to post. This is a disclaimer for myself that if anyone reads it I’m trying hard not to care what you think. No offense. I hope you’re doing well :)
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So, needed money. Needed to prove to myself this was not an unattainable task and that I was capable of creating whatever reality I chose.
Epiphany number two. I was on my comp an ad jumped up and got me before a youtube vid and it was about “ditching the nine to five” etc etc get a passive income leveraging the goodness of the internet. My ears perked. I started looking into affiliate marketing. I had never heard of it before or considered anything like it but it made a lot of sense. Why do majority of people still operate like they did in the traditional economy when the digital economy is there for the taking (for whoever is willing to take the time and set themselves up.) It all made so much sense - it would be a way of creating a community of like minded people and developing my own writing, creativity and self expression through blogs or vlogs. (And allow me to travel and study and graduate and make music. Probably shit music. You know, until I got good.) I was still getting my head around it. I enrolled in an affiliate marketing course, and another, and the initial enthusiasm started to wane with momentum as I felt quite isolated. No-one that I knew was doing anything like it and I didn’t really have my family’s support because they thought the course I enrolled seemed like a pyramid scheme scam. That, and I didn’t even really use social media so I need to flex that muscle more etc. I was sure of the potential, but belief in myself and my ability to turn words into action once again waned. I didn’t have the money to enroll in the course that provided better support I was overwhelmed by all of the different options that were now popping up thick and fast. I get shiny object syndrome at the best of times so gaining traction in any one direction online was tough. And there was SO MUCH TO LEARN.
I deferred uni , moved back to WA and that in itself came with a whole heap of challenges, feeling like i was giving up on music, losing my independence to go and work for family on their avocado farm, and live with my folks. Fuck. 33 living with your parents. Kicking goals.
But it felt like the right choice to eliminate distraction and pursue online marketing full steam.
Then I discovered Click Funnels and the One Funnel Away Challenge I was hesitant because I was subscribed to other affiliate programs spending money I barely had, but I was drawn to the fact that this would help me with momentum something I had lost working by myself. And that there would be daily coaching calls and a strong, supportive network of other online entrepreneurs. There is so much to be said for speaking with people who get where you’re coming from it totally changes confidence and approach. So I’m in it and I am blown away by what you get for $100. Bullshit excuses that I continued to tell myself previously were literally blown away in the first ten minutes in the coaching call with Steve. I’ve learned to stop arguing for my limitations. Steve and Russel have truly accelerated my knowledge and skill in marketing but more importantly boosted my belief in myself exponentially.
So I’m at the starting blocks. But with what took 6 months to incubate an idea and not take much action with other affiliate courses, within 15 days of this course I’ve started blogging, launched my website and have put together my first offer. This blog is by no means succinct. I am tired. But I will post this tonight and hope that nobody reads it. For a person who talks a lot I am yet to find find my voice on here. This is not flowing freely but I finished it thank the lord.
So far One Funnel Away is a game changer. I’m focused and taking action and for that I am super grateful.
Have a a fantastic evening. Day. Morning. You name it. Cioa. Haha I meant to write ciao but I think I prefer cioa. It’s the aussie accent.
