How ClickFunnels Grew to $170 Million in Annual Revenue

If you’re involved in online marketing, you’re no doubt familiar with Russell Brunson and ClickFunnels. In this interview, Russell shares the behind-the-scenes details of how he and co-founder Todd Dickerson launched ClickFunnels and reached $100 million in revenue in just three years.

Russell also shares their future plans for ClickFunnels, keys to success, and his top advice for entrepreneurs.

How much revenue and profit does the business generate?

It’s been an insane journey with ClickFunnels. We’ve been blessed to hit revenue numbers I could only dream of when starting out. Within three years of launching, we hit $100 million in annual revenue without any venture capital backing. That’s almost unheard of. And it was a huge milestone, for sure. But today, ClickFunnels generates over $170 million in yearly revenue, and we’re just getting started!

Tell us about yourself and your business.

Hey there! I’m Russell Brunson, the co-founder of ClickFunnels. Over the past 19 years, I’ve built a following of over 4 million passionate online entrepreneurs (aka “Funnel Hackers!”) and have even become a 3X New York Times best-selling author along the way.

Funny enough, it all started back when I was a kid, collecting and studying junk mail, of all things. From this, I fell in love with direct-response marketing and was hooked for life!

As I grew my own businesses, I realized that building, launching, and scaling these “sales funnels” often required so many different tools and a ton of ‘tech know-how.’ (Which wasn’t my specialty, to say the least…) So I wanted to create a solution that would make it easier, faster, and cheaper to build out these online funnels. That’s when my partner Todd Dickerson and I started ClickFunnels.

It’s an “all-in-one” platform that helps entrepreneurs with everything they need to create, manage, and optimize sales funnels and marketing campaigns without the headaches I dealt with for years. This saves time and money.

ClickFunnels is an all-in-one platform that gives entrepreneurs everything they need to create, manage, and optimize their sales funnels and marketing campaigns. With ONE goal in mind: Simplify everything else, so entrepreneurs can focus on what they do best—creating!

Todd and his team of coders took our years in the trenches and built ClickFunnels with all the proven marketing and sales strategies we’d discovered baked right in. (Plus, we made it super easy to use.) Whatever you need – A/B testing, drag-and-drop page editing, powerful analytics, and more – anyone can create a high-converting sales funnel that drives serious results.

How does your business make money?

We keep it simple at ClickFunnels. We operate on a subscription model, offering different plans to cater to the needs of entrepreneurs at every stage of their business journey.

Whether you’re just starting out or running an established company, we’ve got a plan that’ll help you crush your goals. Our subscription tiers include basic plans for startups and advanced packages loaded with extra features for businesses that are really taking off.

The best part? We’re constantly innovating and adding new tools to help our users succeed. (Many based on actual user requests!) We actually use ClickFunnels to run our own business, so we’re always finding ways to make the platform better and stay ahead of the curve.

In addition to our software, we also generate revenue through books, coaching programs, and events. For example, our annual Funnel Hacking Live event is a MASSIVE hit—getting nearly 5,000 “Funnel Hackers” every year who come to see expert speakers, learn in-the-trenches sales strategies, and get inspired to take their businesses to the next level. It’s part marketing event and part ROCK CONCERT!

What was your inspiration for starting the business?

Honestly, my inspiration for ClickFunnels came from my own frustrations. I was struggling with the limits (and headaches) of all the different tech and software that had to be “band-aided” together to make everything work seamlessly.

I knew there had to be a better way. That’s when Todd and I put our heads together to develop ClickFunnels. We wanted to eliminate the need for multiple tools and simplify the entire sales funnel process. Our goal was to help entrepreneurs focus on what really matters—growing their businesses and making an impact.

How and when did you launch the business?

We officially launched ClickFunnels in October 2014. We poured our hearts and souls into creating this tool that could meet not only our needs but also those of online entrepreneurs like us. That really addressed our own pain points and the obstacles we faced while trying to build our own sales funnels. 

Todd was the genius behind building the actual software, and I focused my energy on marketing and selling it to the world. Man, those months leading up to the launch were intense! We worked around the clock, developing, testing, and fine-tuning ClickFunnels to make sure it was the best it could possibly be for our first users.

How much money did you invest to start the business?

We bootstrapped ClickFunnels from day one. And we invested our own money into the development and launch. NO VENTURE CAPITAL ALLOWED! 😉 

As for the exact amount, it varied as we grew. It was a BIG investment of both time and resources. But maintaining control over our vision and direction was ‘non-negotiable.’ It gave us the freedom to build ClickFunnels exactly how we knew it needed to be built—with the needs of our users always coming first.

How did you find your first few clients or customers?

We found our first customers through my existing network and followers that I’d built over the years. Remember, I’ve been in this game for a while now, so I had a solid community of entrepreneurs who trusted me and were excited about what we were building with ClickFunnels.

We also used Facebook ads to promote free trials, as well as my book, which included upsells to ClickFunnels. Leveraging social media and my personal brand was huge for us. It allowed us to reach a ton of people and show them the value of ClickFunnels through real-life examples and success stories.

Before we knew it, our customer base started growing like crazy, reaching over 100,000 active, loyal users (many of whom are absolutely crushing it).

Tell us about your first year in business.

Oh man, that first year was a rollercoaster! Intense, but rewarding. We were laser-focused on getting people in, listening to them, and making ClickFunnels amazing.

To be honest, we had high hopes for our launch day—hoping to hit 5,000, maybe even 10,000 users. But that was wishful thinking, to say the least. Our ad campaigns weren’t performing, and our conversion rates were in the toilet.

But we didn’t let that stop us. In a last-ditch effort to find our first customers, I gave a presentation at an event in San Diego. Which ended up with a mind-blowing 30% close rate! We turned that presentation into an ‘on-demand’ webinar, and it quickly became the cornerstone of our growth. By the end of that first year, we scaled ClickFunnels from 100 beta testers to over 10,000 paying customers!

Still, getting as many users as possible wasn’t our number one goal. Our main focus was making sure ClickFunnels was the best freaking funnel-building software on the planet. And we only achieved that by listening to our customers and continuously updating!

What strategies did you use to grow the business?

We’ve always been centered around giving MASSIVE value to our customers. Whether it’s through content, tools, or opportunities to connect, network, and learn from each other (ie Funnel Hacking LIVE) – we’re all about helping our users succeed. Goodwill and trust build a stronger business and more efficiently than any amount of ads.

Of course, we used a mix of direct marketing strategies, leveraging my personal brand and offering valuable content like webinars, books, and coaching programs. We also created multiple sales funnels, including free book funnels, challenge funnels, and lead magnets, to acquire new customers and upsell them on the ClickFunnels platform.

Tell us about your team.

That’s simple: It’s the top talent from whatever field we’re talking about. Whether that’s coding, development, marketing, or customer support, we’re a team of A-players. Every single member of our team brings something unique to the table. Their skills, perspectives, and passion for what we do are what drive ClickFunnels’ success

And don’t get me started on Todd (my co-founder), who makes sure ClickFunnels remains as cutting-edge and user-friendly as day ONE. And he does a kick-butt job at that if you ask me!

What are your future plans for the business?

Like I said, we’re just getting started! For example, e-commerce is huge right now. We just announced a new partnership with Zendrop, which gives our users access to a directory of ready-to-sell products. This is a game-changer for anyone looking to start or grow an online business.

Other than that, we’re also working on some really cool customer relationship management tools (more important for a business’s success than most realize) and more advanced A.I. features as well. Our goal is to keep innovating and providing our users with the most powerful, easy-to-use tools possible.

At the end of the day, whatever will help our entrepreneurs succeed, THAT’S what our future plans are. That’s what drives us every day.

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What is the most important lesson you’ve learned growing the business?

Resilience and adaptability. Growing a business is a journey, and it’s not always smooth. There will be challenges and setbacks along the way, but the key is to stay focused on your vision and be willing to pivot when necessary.

Every single obstacle we’ve faced has taught us something valuable—about our product, our market, or ourselves. Those lessons have been instrumental in our growth and development as a company.

I embrace challenges and use them as opportunities to grow and become better. That’s a winner’s mindset and one that’s been a game-changer for us at ClickFunnels.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome?

One of the biggest challenges we faced was overcoming the initial technical hurdles in developing ClickFunnels. Man, we faced so many setbacks and had to iterate multiple times before we got it right. From building the software to finding the right sales pitch to dealing with development issues as we scaled… you name it, we dealt with it.

No joke, when ClickFunnels was just starting to grow, I was on a flight to England with my family. By the time I landed, all the people who had been praising us for months seemed to be screaming and sending me threats. Why? ClickFunnels went down while we were in the air, and I had no idea. So I called my co-owner, and the only words I remember him saying were, “…if we do get it back online.” Here I was, looking down the barrel of the end of ClickFunnels already.

I knew I had to take full responsibility. So I went live in the community and explained everything I knew and everything we were doing to fix the problem. And you know what? Our tribe gave us the most incredible support. It allowed us to find a solution, and what seemed like an insurmountable obstacle was suddenly gone.

We’ve faced challenges like that multiple times, but each one has taught us valuable lessons and made ClickFunnels stronger. Overcoming those obstacles reinforced the importance of persistence and continuous improvement, which are now core principles of our company culture.

What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs?

Stay persistent and never stop learning. Really take the time to understand your market, listen to your customers, and don’t be afraid to take risks. The more problems you can solve for your customers, the more success you’ll achieve. Plain and simple.

It’s also so important to focus on building a strong team that shares your vision and complements your skills. Entrepreneurship is a journey with a lot of ups and downs, and having the right mindset and support system can make all the difference in achieving long-term success. (And you want ‘long term’ success because success doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of consistent effort, day in and day out.) 

So keep pushing forward, even when things get tough. That’s what separates the dreamers from the doers.

What is your favorite quote?

It’s a quote from T. E. Lawrence, “All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to find that it was vanity; But the dreamers of day are dangerous men. That they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.”

It captures the essence of what it means to be an entrepreneur. Most people are content to dream by night and let their ideas stay locked away in their heads. But entrepreneurs like us? We’re the “dreamers of the day.” We’re the ones who are willing to put in the work to turn our visions into reality.

Wishing isn’t enough—we have to take action every single day to achieve our goals. We have to be willing to face challenges, overcome obstacles, and keep pushing forward, no matter what. That’s what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

What are some of your favorite books, blogs, podcasts, or YouTube channels?

I’m a firm believer that you should always be learning. So I’m always on the lookout for great resources to help me grow both personally and professionally.

Some of my favorite books include classics like “Think and Grow Rich” and “Outwitting the Devil” by Napoleon Hill. Those books have had a huge impact on my mindset and approach to business. I also love “How To Get Anything You Want” by Elsie Lincoln Benedict and “Influence” by Robert Cialdini. They’re must-reads for anyone looking to master the art of persuasion and sales.

When it comes to podcasts, I’m a huge fan of Tom Bilyeu’s Impact Theory and Business Wars by Wondery.

At the end of the day, I believe that the more we can learn and grow, the better equipped we’ll be to face challenges, seize opportunities, and make a real impact in the world.