I still remember my first overnight deployment: a mix of excitement, confusion, and more than a hint of dread. Strangely enough, launching my first sales funnel felt quite similar—minus the sand in my boots, but with just as much sweat. Nobody tells you how wild the learning curve really is or how lost you’ll feel staring at a dashboard full of tech mumbo jumbo. However, akin to your initial patrol, you persevere, make mistakes, adjust, and eventually, something begins to make sense. That’s what this post is about: making peace with chaos and finding your footing—whether you’re building a funnel or starting a new mission in life.
The Classic Rookie Blunder: Chasing Shadows Instead of Systems
If you’re anything like me, your first attempt at building a sales funnel probably looked a lot like my first deployment: a blur of activity, a mountain of gear (or in this case, tools and apps), and a whole lot of confusion. I remember spending hours perfecting a slick landing page, convinced that if I just got the tech right, the leads would pour in. Spoiler alert: they didn’t. The silence from digital platforms was overwhelming.
What I didn’t realize back then—and what most beginners miss—is that the real mission isn’t about chasing the latest traffic hack or the shiniest new software. It’s about creating a system. More specifically, it’s about mapping out a clear Value Ladder—your customer’s journey from first contact to loyal buyer. As Russell Brunson says in DotCom Secrets:
‘You don’t have a business problem, you have a Value Ladder problem.’
Why Tech and Traffic Aren’t the Real Problem
You might mistakenly believe that your sales process is flawed due to insufficient visitors or inadequate funnel software. But traffic and tech are just the surface. The real issue is not having a clear plan for guiding your prospects through each stage of the customer journey. Without a Value Ladder, you’re just chasing shadows—randomly hoping that something will stick.
Military Marketing Strategies: Your Offers as Tactical Missions
Let’s break it down with a military analogy. In the field, every mission has a purpose and a sequence:
Recon (Free Training): Your first touchpoint. Just like scouting the terrain, you’re gathering intel and building trust.
Engagement (Low-Ticket Offer): The initial skirmish. You are assessing the situation and determining who is prepared to proceed.
Main Objective (Core Offer): This stage is your primary mission—where you deliver the most value and solve your customer’s main problem.
Extraction (High-Ticket Backend): The final phase. Here, you maximize ROI with premium offers, ensuring your efforts pay off.
Each stage is a mission in your sales funnel. If you skip one, or if your “troops” (prospects) don’t know where to go next, your whole operation falls apart. That’s why mapping the Value Ladder is the backbone of any successful beginner guide to funnels.
My Rookie Mistake: A Funnel Without a Map
Let's revisit my initial funnel. I had a fantastic landing page, but no clear next step. There was no low-ticket offer, no core product, and no backend. People landed, looked around, and left. I was so busy tweaking colors and chasing new plugins that I forgot the most important part: the system that moves people forward. My funnel was a single outpost with no supply lines—no wonder it failed.
Key Takeaway: Systems Win, Not Shiny Objects
Each stage of your sales funnel serves as a crucial component in the overall process. Your customer journey—your Value Ladder—is your real mission plan. Don’t fall for the rookie blunder of chasing shadows. Build your system, stage by stage, and watch your sales process transform from chaos to command.
Decoding Funnel Building: Step-by-Step Recon (with a Military Twist)
Building your first sales funnel is a lot like prepping for your first deployment—confusing, nerve-wracking, and absolutely mission-critical. If you’re a veteran (or just a rookie entrepreneur), let me walk you through a step-by-step guide to funnel building—military style. Forget the fancy tech for now; the process is about clarity, objectives, and tactical execution.
Step 1: Identify Your Dream Customer (Target Acquisition)
Every mission starts with knowing who you’re fighting for. In funnel terms, this means profiling your dream customer—not just anybody with a credit card, but the person you genuinely want to help. Ask yourself: Who needs my solution the most? What keeps them up at night? This step is your “target recon.” Skip this step and you’re just firing into the dark.
Step 2: Find Their Hangout Spots (Intelligence Gathering)
Next, it’s time for some digital recon. Where does your audience already spend time online? Is it the Facebook barracks, the Reddit trenches, or YouTube’s endless training grounds? This is more than just research—it’s actionable intel for lead generation. Focus on engaging with your audience where they already are, and you'll significantly reduce unnecessary effort.
Step 3: Craft Your Mission Brief (Hook-Story-Offer)
Please proceed to draft your "op order"—your mission brief. In funnel speak, that’s your Hook-Story-Offer. Your hook grabs attention (think: flare in the night). The story establishes trust by explaining why you are the right choice and why this moment is important. The offer is your call to action—clear, motivating, and impossible to ignore. No generic smoke signals here; your message needs to cut through the noise and rally your prospects.
Step 4: Build the Funnel (Landing Page, Lead Magnet, Email Automation)
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Your landing page is the drop zone—simple, focused, and built for one mission: capture that lead. Your lead magnet is your recon report—something valuable you give in exchange for their email (a checklist, a cheat sheet, or a quick training). Then comes email automation: consider every email to be a sitrep (situation report) from HQ, keeping your prospects updated, motivated, and moving toward your core offer.
Landing Page: Clear headline, zero distractions, strong call to action.
Lead Magnet: Quick win, solves a real problem, easy to consume.
Email Automation: Welcome sequence, value-driven updates, and a clear path to your main offer.
Pro Tip: Don’t Worry If You Break Stuff
My first funnel was a mess—broken links, ugly pages, you name it. But like any rookie deployment, you learn by doing. The key is to keep moving, adapt, and improve with every iteration.
“The business that can spend the most to acquire a customer wins.” – Russell Brunson
Approach funnel building like a tactical op: clarity and mission objectives matter more than shiny tech. Focus on guiding your leads from the landing page to the lead magnet to the email sequence, and you’ll be well on your way to a successful mission.
Why Continuity Offers Are Your Ammo Resupply (And How to Set Yours Up)
Let me paint a picture: You’re deep in the field, adrenaline pumping, pushing forward toward your objective. Suddenly, you realize you’re running low on ammo. No resupply in sight. That’s exactly what running an online business without a continuity offer feels like. You might land a few big wins, but without recurring revenue, you’re always scrambling for the next sale—never truly secure.
Russell Brunson and Steve Larsen nailed it in The Linchpin:
“If you don’t have continuity, you don’t have a business. You have a one-time mission.”
That hit me hard. In the military, resupply lines keep you in the fight. In online business, continuity offers—like subscriptions, memberships, or recurring training—are your financial resupply. They turn a series of single wins into a resilient business engine.
Why Recurring Revenue Is Your Secret Weapon
Here’s the brutal truth: If you’re not building in recurring revenue, you’re just hustling for one-off wins. That’s exhausting. Continuity offers give you predictable income, reduce stress, and let you plan your next move with confidence. Imagine knowing that every month, you’ve got a steady stream of cash coming in—regardless of what’s happening on the front lines of your funnel.
Stability: Recurring revenue smooths out the ups and downs of unpredictable sales.
Freedom: With a membership or subscription, you can focus on serving your community instead of chasing every dollar.
Growth: Continuity lets you reinvest in your business—new offers, better tools, smarter ads—without fear of running dry.
Setting Up Your Continuity Offer: The Ultimate Guide
So, how do you set up your own “ammo resupply” line? Start early. Don’t wait until you’re desperate for cash flow. Here are a few proven continuity models that work for online business:
AI Resource Vault: Offer ongoing access to exclusive AI tools, templates, or training for a monthly fee. This works great if you’re teaching automation or digital skills.
Veteran Business Group: Create a private membership for veterans building businesses. Offer live Q&As, accountability, and networking—charge a monthly or yearly subscription.
Monthly Training Subscriptions: Deliver new lessons, workshops, or coaching sessions each month. Members stay for the fresh content and community.
Setting up is simpler than you think:
Pick a platform (like Kajabi, Teachable, or even a private Facebook group with Stripe payments).
Decide what your members get each month—resources, training, community, or all three.
Price it so it’s a no-brainer for your audience but valuable enough to support your mission.
Promote it as the next step after your core offer—make it the obvious choice for anyone who wants ongoing results.
Remember, your continuity offer isn’t just a product—it’s your business’s lifeline. When you set up recurring revenue, you’re not just surviving. You’re building a business that can weather any storm, just like a well-supplied unit on deployment.
Traffic: Earning Your Stripes Beyond the Funnel (Plus, the Automation Curveball)
Once your sales funnel is live, you might feel like the hardest part is over. But trust me, that’s just the first hill on a much bigger battlefield. In my journey, I remember staring at my dashboard, watching traffic stats spike for the first time. My heart dropped—I was convinced something broke. I spent hours, fueled by cold coffee and adrenaline, troubleshooting what I thought was a tech meltdown. Turns out, that’s just what progress looks like when your traffic generation finally kicks in.
Here’s the reality: building your funnel is like prepping your gear for deployment, but driving consistent traffic is the real mission. You can have the slickest lead magnet funnel, the sharpest sales funnel, and the best marketing tools in your arsenal—but if nobody sees it, you’re invisible. Traffic is your lifeline. And just like in the field, you need to earn your stripes every single day.
There are two main ways to conquer the traffic battlefield: work your way in with organic marketing, or buy your way in with paid ads. Organic marketing—like posting in Facebook groups, sharing value on YouTube, or writing blog posts—takes time and hustle. It's the digital equivalent of exerting effort, establishing credibility, and familiarizing yourself with the terrain. Paid ads, on the other hand, are like calling in air support. You can get results quickly, but you need to know your target and have a clear mission, or you'll waste your budget.
However, automation presents a significant challenge. When I started, I thought automation was just about saving time with automated emails or scheduling social posts. But the truth is, smart automation is what separates surviving funnels from thriving businesses. Automated emails nurture your leads while you sleep. Retargeting ads bring back visitors who almost bought. And analytics tools help you adapt your strategy in real time. In today’s world, automation isn’t optional—it’s your force multiplier.
Still, don’t fall for the “set it and forget it” myth. Traffic generation is an ongoing mission. Algorithms change, audiences shift, and what worked last month might flop today. You have to master both organic and paid tactics and be willing to adapt as you go. Embrace the chaos, keep learning, and iterate quickly. The messy, caffeine-fueled nights are part of the process.
Automation won’t replace you. But someone using automation will.
– Allen Davis | Freedom Ops AI
So, as you march forward, remember: your first funnel is just the beginning. Earning consistent traffic—and automating your operations—is how you build real, lasting freedom. Don’t shy away from the grind. Every spike, every late-night fix, and every lesson learned is a stripe earned on your path to digital command. Stand tall, keep pushing, and let your funnel do the heavy lifting while you focus on the next objective.
