I joined the SFM back in 2014. At the time it had only been running for four years. I didn't know what to expect but I had been burned a few times online with a number of business type courses promising to help me earn money. My lack of experience back then and my desperation was partly responsible for some of my failures. But also, many courses taught tactics which were already becoming out of date.
Some of the courses I bought taught how to get your website up in the Google rankings. If you've ever tried this, you'll know it isn't easy. It was far easier 20 years ago admittedly. But now, getting ranked for your website is becoming much more difficult.
So back to The SFM. When I joined I decided I needed to start afresh and although I had learned a number of skills, I still hadn't really made any money on the internet. With the exception of buying and selling on eBay, the other strategies I had tried just didn't get any traction.
After joining, I was immediately impressed with the information I was getting. The "over-deliver" strategy clearly worked on me! I also benefitted by joining under someone who helped me make my first couple of high ticket sales. This happened within a few months. However, I didn't fully understand the business system or what was involved. Although I'd made a couple of quick sales, for not much work, I hadn't entirely been responsible for those sales. The affiliate who referred me had set up a Facebook advertising "co-op" and helped a number of people get some traction.
After my first sales, I stopped advertising and simply took the money! This seemed like a lot of money to me back then. It was a couple of thousand pounds. I now realise that I should have re-invested it back into the advertising, which is what I am doing now, now I understand the business better.
Having made an 'early win' gave me confidence in the business system which is one of the main selling points of what The SFM offers. It also offers top-notch training too - more so now than back in 2014 when I joined. Now, I am a member of a number of Facebook private groups which I can sit in on, and watch 'over the shoulder' of those who are succeeding in this business.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't an easy business to learn. Some of my main problems have been my 'grab it and run' mindset and scarcity mindset which has stopped me from taking some important action steps. The SFM training program caters very well for this. In fact, one of their main strengths is undoubtably their ability to install an ideology of personal growth. Without this, you really will be fighting some internal battles as I have definitely done. This will hold you back if you don't overcome your mental barriers to success.
It's not for everyone either, admittedly. The business system itself is expensive and for some prohibitively so. But for anyone wanting to make full time living from the internet, I'd say The SFM is a good place to go. You'll need to work hard and invest though, and it's no easy ride. But it does offer something which many want - a digital business system which can be run from anywhere. The possibility of financial freedom, however far away you believe it to be.
If you only want the training, I'd say that was worth the money at the lower levels too. I had a failing kung fu school running when I joined and now it's doing really well. I attribute that to much of the learning and understanding I have picked up from the SFM training and education platform.
You can't really expect to earn a living though if you only join at basic level. Only by at least getting to Elite level will you be able to access the higher ticket product commissions. But if you want to learn some digital marketing and mindset skills, it's worth the training and community even if you don't want to make a full time career out of it. The community on its own is a hugely powerful resource and has benefitted me both personally and professionally.
After my first couple of high ticket sales, I decided to focus on blogging and the cheaper strategies of generating traffic. I simply didn't have a budget to risk on advertising. I decided that if I got free traffic, the sales would be worth more in profit, which is true. The problem is, the strategy I used (blogging) isn't the best one, particularly in a very competitive niche like affiliate marketing and "money-making online". I know there are people doing well with social media marketing and other free strategies, but I didn't go down this route.
The people who are making the real money with The SFM are those who go all in. They position themselves at the very top tier of the business system and promote the SFM themselves as partner level affiliates. This means they can earn the highest possible commissions from the business. Some products are sold at $35,000. Those at the top level can earn 40% of this in commissions, but they need to purchase the product themselves in order to have it in their 'online store'.
There's a lot of learning to be done too. I thought I'd make it work very quickly and be sitting on a beach counting my money. But as I persevered through the difficulties, I have changed and understood that it's a business like anything else. It's no magic bullet to instant riches. Just a business model with products within it that anyone can sell.
In order to put the most expensive items in your own personal online 'shop', you need to purchase them yourself. Reading the reviews today that I've found about the SFM I see a lot of scepticism. Many say it's a scam. Well, it's not a scam, it's real. But it's easier to say it's a scam and not have to do all the work involved in making it happen. There's plenty of people who are making it work for them, and creating amazing lifestyle businesses of their choosing.
The SFM started in 2010 and have recently partnered with Microsoft Lynda (Under the LInkedIn umbrella of companies). Microsoft Lynda now offer their own 6,500 training courses as part of the SFM curriculum.
DigitalMarketer (The world's longest standing and most highly respected B2B and B2C marketing training company) also partnered with SFM and now offer their own training as part of the SFM curriculum.
I don't think these companies would partner with any organisation that wasn't providing huge value, was well established, and wasn't 100% above board.
Since joining The SFM in 2014, I've seen some huge changes in myself. I've had to face myself and see my own limitations as stopping me move forwards within the business. Your thinking and mindset have a huge amount to do with whether you can make a success out of entrepreneurship. It's much, much easier to discount something as a scam, than it is to look within and grow yourself alongside a business.
If I had quit on my journey, I would have missed out on a greater opportunity than I could fathom at the time. I struggled and struggled, but much of my struggle was with my lack of understanding of the business model and of my own limitations. I was programmed with a poverty mindset which viciously fought against spending money. To get into the space of knowing that I need to spend in order to earn was a huge shift in my mindset.
I'm far from the best performer in The SFM, at this time, but what I've learned about myself and about my inner limitations is invaluable for the rest of my life. I will continue to learn and never quit, so watch this space, you doubting sceptics out there!
For those who are thinking about joining The SFM and to do so would mean severe poverty, I'd suggest to get in a better financial position first. I scraped by and took some chances, but it's not easy. If you are determined in this business though, there's no reason you can't make it happen. But if you can't afford it, I'd suggest another program if it's going to put you in debt.
The SFM program is more than just a sales funnel with digital products in it. It's an "all-in-one digital business system and training platform. The goal is to make long term digital entrepreneurs who can sustain an income and thrive from the sale of products over the internet. That means there's a whole lot of work to be done, if you're going to make this a full time living.
It's definitely not for the timid. Expect to be pushed, and expect some discomfort if you're going to do what you need to make it work. Remember too that affiliate marketing is performance related. No one owes you a living! You need to take charge of yourself and your business in order to make it work! Good luck!
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