What happens when you build a $20M business... and then lose it all?
Stephen Diaz didn't just survive — he rebuilt from scratch using the exact same playbook that got him there the first time.
Stephen started as a wedding photographer. After discovering the power of funnels and the challenge model, he and his wife Chelsey built Rainmaker Family into one of the fastest-growing coaching companies in America — 120 employees, $3M months, Inc. 5000 #148. Then three things hit at once: a public disparagement campaign, their Instagram account got taken down, and tariffs tanked demand in their market overnight. He went from $20M/year to $1M in debt, laying off 100 people in the process.
What he did next is the whole point of this episode.
In this conversation Stephen breaks down:
How he found the ClickFunnels playbook and scaled to 8 figures with a challenge funnel
The three punches that nearly bankrupted a $55M business
What it was like to lay off 100 people — and have 44 of them volunteer to come back for free
How he rebuilt an entirely new business in under a year using AI
The "earlier is better" funnel principle that doubled his opt-in rate
His 30/30/30 rule for keeping margins healthy as you scale
Why he believes the same funnel framework works in any market
This one is raw, honest, and packed with real numbers. If you're building something right now — or rebuilding — this episode is for you.
🔧 Get 60 free credits on Stephen's 8 Figure AI Toolkit (exclusive for CFR listeners): https://go.8fig.ai/cfr
🚀 Ready to build your funnel? Get 3 months of the ClickFunnels Scale plan for just $99: https://www.clickfunnels.com/cfradio-yt
What does it actually take to run ClickFunnels from the inside?
You've heard from Russell. You've heard from Todd. But there's someone else who's been quietly building, optimizing, and steering the ship - and this is the first time he's sat down to tell his story.
Andrew Culver is the President of ClickFunnels, and in this episode, he's pulling back the curtain on everything: where he came from, how he built and sold multiple software companies, and the one skill that kept showing up in every chapter of his career - pattern recognition.
Andrew's story starts in Hamilton, Ontario - a self-described "punk computer hacker type" - and winds through consulting, building Churn Buster (a SaaS company he built, scaled, and sold), a sabbatical in Japan, developing Bullet Train (which eventually led to a relationship with Todd Dickerson), and ultimately becoming the person responsible for keeping ClickFunnels running and evolving.
In this episode, you'll hear:
How Andrew went from friend zone to building a career around his wife (literally)
Why consulting is the fastest path to your first dollar online - and how it leads to products
The "revenue as validator" mindset that guided every business decision he's made
How ClickFunnels is responding to AI - and why they're not bolting AI onto their product, they're taking ClickFunnels to AI
What's coming at Funnel Hacking Live AI in Vegas (and why Andrew says you need to be there)
If you've ever wondered what it looks like to operate behind the scenes of one of the most recognized brands in online business - this is that episode.
Get 3 months of ClickFunnels for only $99 at the link below, that's an 83% discount to get started! https://www.clickfunnels.com/cfradio
Scott Simson went from having a dollar in his bank account to generating over a billion views on YouTube - and now he runs a done-for-you agency that turns video into one of the highest-ROI traffic sources in the game.
In this episode, Scott breaks down exactly how YouTube can replace (or outperform) paid ads for your business, why long-form video converts at a completely different level than short-form, and the content packaging framework his agency uses to get results for clients from day one.
You'll also hear how Scott went from financial planner to family vlogger to agency CEO, why AI has cut his work week from 50 hours down to 15, and how one client flipped from spending $20K a month on ads to getting paid $15K a month from YouTube.
If you're building a funnel and relying on paid traffic, this episode will make you rethink your whole traffic strategy.
00:00 - Intro Bumper
00:22 - Meet Scott Simson (YouTube Expert + Background)
04:09 - 2008 Crash, Failed Business & Starting Over Broke
07:20 - Writing a Book, Speaking & Finding His Voice
10:31 - YouTube Growth (Family Channel → Full-Time)
11:56 - Why He Walked Away from YouTube
13:00 - Building an Agency from Scratch (Refined Media)
17:13 - Skill Stacking & Turning Services into a Business
19:29 - Video Marketing World → Turning Events into Clients
28:16 - YouTube Growth Formula (Packaging, Retention, Satisfaction)
33:04 - Thumbnails, Hooks & What Actually Gets Clicks
42:04 - Why YouTube Beats Short-Form (Intent vs "Toilet Dopamine")
48:47 - Plateaus, Pivots & Staying Relevant
52:11 - AI Strategy (How He Uses AI to Scale Content & Team)
01:02:26 - Landing Big Partnerships (Russell Brunson Story)
01:04:08 - AI Marketing World & Where Content is Headed
01:11:30 - Starting From Zero (How He’d Rebuild Today)
01:15:03 - Beating Creative Blocks with AI
01:16:09 - Where to Find Scott + Outro
Get 3 months of ClickFunnels for only $99 at the link below, that's an 83% discount to get started! https://www.clickfunnels.com/cfradio
What if the secret to scaling your business had nothing to do with paid ads - and everything to do with relationships?
In this episode of ClickFunnels Radio, Chris and Dante sit down with Paul Counts and Shreya Banerjee, a business duo who've generated over $100 million in revenue for their clients using a strategy called OPA - Other People's Audiences. Paul started selling pencils at 8 years old and was running email campaigns on dial-up at 13. Shreya left a stable corporate career chasing time freedom. Together they built an agency around one core belief: serve first, scale second.
They break down the OPA method from scratch, walk through a real $1M funnel they built with Russell Brunson, and share exactly how they find, vet, and build partnerships that actually last - without spending a dollar on ads.
If you're an entrepreneur looking to grow smarter, not just bigger, this one is for you.
00:00 Intro Bumper
00:26 Meet Paul & Shreya + Background
07:16 Personal Branding That Actually Sticks
09:11 Paul's Entrepreneur Journey (Early Hustles → Online)
14:19 Shreya's Shift (Corporate → Time Freedom)
18:53 How They Met + Built Their Agency
21:32 Why Live Events Matter More Than You Think
24:58 Visionary vs Operator (How They Work Together)
27:59 Building Authority First (DECA + Playing the Long Game)
32:19 Long-Term ROI vs Short-Term Thinking
35:01 OPA Strategy (Other People's Audiences Explained)
42:24 Real Examples of OPA Working
50:20 How to Start OPA From Scratch (No Audience Needed)
56:47 Choosing the Right Partners (And Avoiding Bad Ones)
58:52 PLR Funnels + Funnel Breakdown
01:09:25 What PLR Is + Why It Works
01:13:52 Starting With Nothing (Scrappy Strategy)
01:20:30 Overcoming Fear + Taking Action
01:27:06 AI, SEO & Staying Human
01:29:17 Where to Find Paul & Shreya
Get 3 months of ClickFunnels for only $99 at the link below, that's an 83% discount to get started! https://www.clickfunnels.com/cfradio
Blake Nubar went from $30K in debt to 7x Two-Comma Club winner. And it didn't start with a product, a team, or a single ad dollar.
It started with a Facebook profile.
In this episode, Blake breaks down exactly how he turned a free Facebook profile into a $25,000 sales machine in 9 days, built a $1M funnel for someone else's product before he ever sold his own, and why most people are sitting on a massive traffic source they don't even know exists.
He also gets into the 3 mistakes he sees entrepreneurs make over and over, why he says launching perfectly means you waited too long, and what pushed him to build Rocketeer, an AI ads platform designed to do what most entrepreneurs give up on entirely.
This one covers a lot of ground. Stay until the end.
00:00 - Intro Bumper
00:31 - Episode Intro + Guest Setup
01:16 - Blake's Origin Story (First Funnel + First Sale)
03:30 - The "Fast Success" Myth
07:30 - Facebook Profile Funnel (Made $25K in 9 Days)
10:30 - Biggest Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make
15:00 - Attention, Traffic & Conversion Basics
18:30 - Organic vs Paid Traffic
22:00 - Offer Clarity & Messaging
25:00 - Scaling What Works
28:00 - Rocketeer Software Intro
32:00 - Paid Ads Simplified
36:00 - Mindset Shift for Growth
40:00 - What Separates Winners
43:00 - Final Advice + Execution Focus
Get 3 months of ClickFunnels for only $99 at the link below, that's an 83% discount to get started! https://www.clickfunnels.com/cfradio