EP 489 | The Summer My Business Had to Run Without Me
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How an Automated Email Funnel Kept My Business Running When I Barely Worked for Two Months
What happens to your online business when life completely hijacks the plan?
That was basically the experiment I unintentionally ran this summer.
We moved. The house we moved into had cockroaches and black mold. My kids and I spent most of the summer bouncing between my mom’s house, a friend’s cabin, vacation, and baseball while work was being done on our house.
I barely worked for two months. And while my sales absolutely dipped, my business didn’t stop. My email list kept growing. Sales still came in. Recurring payments continued.
The reason? I had already built an automated email funnel designed to keep working even when I couldn’t.
The Difference Between Making Less and Making Nothing
I’m not going to pretend I disappeared for two months and magically had my best revenue months ever. I didn’t.
But there’s a huge difference between:
My business makes less money when I work less.
And:
My business makes no money unless I’m actively working.
This summer showed me exactly why I’ve spent years building toward the first one.
I Focused on One Thing: Email List Growth
With extremely limited time, I stripped my marketing down to the thing that mattered most:
Getting qualified people onto my email list.
I used email lead magnet swaps, participated in other people’s collaborative events, and hosted my annual Birthday Bash Bundle. I didn’t need to constantly create content or launch something new. I needed the right people to enter my world.
Because once they did, my email funnel could take it from there.
My 12-Month Automated Email Funnel Did the Heavy Lifting
When someone joins my email list, they enter a 12-month automated email funnel designed to nurture them, build a relationship, introduce my offers, and create opportunities to buy.
That meant I didn’t need to manually figure out what to send every new subscriber this summer. The system already knew what happened next.
And while “making money while you sleep.” is very cool, what the bigger picture points to is the ability to make money when life gets very “life-y”.
Sometimes You Need a Boring Business
This summer, I didn’t need a clever new launch strategy. I needed boring systems that did exactly what they were supposed to do.
People joined my email list. They received emails. They were nurtured. They saw offers. Some of them bought.
Would I have made more if I had actively worked all summer? Absolutely. But the point is that I had options.
Would Your Business Keep Working Without You?
Here’s the question I think every online business owner should ask:
If you disappeared from your business tomorrow for 30 days, what would keep working?
Would new leads still come in?
Would those leads hear from you?
Would they know what you sell?
Would they have opportunities to buy?
If everything stops because you stop, that’s worth paying attention to.
The Big Takeaway
I don’t want a business that only works when I’m having a fantastic week.
I want one that works on regular Tuesdays, during baseball season, during a move—and apparently during a minor housing apocalypse.
Build the business for the season when you won’t be able to give it everything.
Because eventually, that season comes. And when it does, boring systems might be the most valuable things you have.
Want to See My Automated Email Funnel?
If you want to see what this looks like behind the scenes, I’m breaking down my actual email funnel during my live Sell on Autopilot Masterclass on September 23 at 1:00 p.m. ET.
I’ll show you how I move someone from brand-new email subscriber to nurtured lead to buyer using an evergreen email marketing strategy that doesn’t require me to manually orchestrate every sale.
Join the LIVE Masterclass on September 23 at 1:00 pm ET!
Sell on Autopilot Masterclass
Use email marketing to sell while you sleep
(or, ‘ya know…live your actual life!)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q1: What is an automated email funnel?
A1: An automated email funnel is a series of emails triggered by a subscriber’s actions or entry point. It can nurture new subscribers, build trust, introduce your offers, and generate sales without requiring you to manually send each email.
Q2: How does email list growth fit into an evergreen sales funnel?
A2: Your funnel can only work if qualified people are entering it. Lead magnets, collaborations, Bundles, partnerships, and other lead generation strategies bring people onto your list; your automated email funnel handles what happens next.
Q3: Do I need a 12-month email funnel?
A3: No. Start with what happens immediately after someone joins your list. Build a strong nurture sequence, decide how and when you’ll introduce your offer, and expand your automation from there.
🤔 Want to work together?
Here’s how to get started!
Join the email marketing membership for coaches and experts, who want to sell their offer on autopilot.
Host a bundle that builds your email list, your visibility, and your sales.
