Why online businesses rarely grow evenly
This blog is part of workshed’s When Growth Asks for More series:
a practical look at how Kajabi builders can often find clues for what to focus on next by paying close attention to their own growth.
This is Phase 1:
Where it’s all about structure, experimentation,
and simply getting things to work.
The version nobody really talks enough about
Most online businesses do not begin with a grand strategy.
They begin with an idea. Usually, an idea you care very deeply about.
It might be a course you want to teach or a membership you want to create.
A service that could genuinely help someone, and a framework or process that has worked for your clients and now deserves a proper home.
Then, at some point, you make the decision, open Kajabi and start building.
And honestly? At first, it feels a little bit magical.
You’re eager to get everything moving and finally bring your unique magic into the hands of your audience. So you build a sales page, connect a checkout, figure out delivery and suddenly receive your first automated notification.
And for a moment, you sit there thinking (lightly smirking): “Wait… this actually works?”
There is something deeply satisfying about that first stage.
It is a little bit like an adult construction set. You connect pieces together, try things out, accidentally break things, fix them again, and slowly begin to understand how the machine works.
And because there is so much to learn, most people focus on one thing: Getting it to work.
And that is exactly what they should be doing.
Most businesses begin by growing unevenly
One thing I wish more people understood with compassion is that online businesses rarely grow evenly.
In the beginning, you are not building a mature ecosystem. You are building the first version.
The first version is usually built for functionality, not refinement. At this stage, growth tends to happen in pieces. You focus on what feels most urgent, exciting, or necessary in the moment.
Maybe the product itself becomes really strong, while marketing is still quite basic.
Maybe you finally get the funnel working, but customer nurture is still something you have not really thought about yet.
You might have gotten the content inside the program to be wonderful, but visually the experience still looks very much like version one.
You might well have built something technically functional, but you have not yet had the time or experience to think deeply about customer experience.
All that unevenness can feel uncomfortable, like something is wrong.
A bit like everyone else somehow knows what they are doing, and you missed an important memo.
But honestly?
Most businesses grow exactly this way.
Not because people are careless. But because this phase is about learning.
You are building much more than just a product
One of the biggest surprises for many people is realizing that you are not only building the thing (course, membership etc.). You also need to build everything that goes around the thing.
Most people begin by thinking simply: “I just need to build my course.”
And then slooooowly you realize there is also the sales page. And checkout. And delivery. And nurture emails. And onboarding. Customer support. Marketing. Integrations.
Suddenly what started as: “I’ll just build a course”
becomes: “Oh, what the heck. Seems like I’m actually building an entire ecosystem.”
Honestly, it might even be a good thing that we do not fully understand all of this at the beginning.
Because if most people saw the full scope immediately, many would probably never start. It would feel way too overwhelming.
But we need to remember that we learn piece by piece. Which is absolutely not a flaw in the process.
That is the process.
You need to start somewhere to get the ball rolling.
There is no universal “right way”
This is also the phase where comparisonitis tends to creep in.
You start seeing beautifully polished funnels from experienced creators.
They have perfect onboarding experiences with fancy automations. Their system includes a Community and fun gamification features to keep everyone excited to learn more. You notice also how intricate and polished their nurture sequences are…
And suddenly it feels like: “Am I already supposed to have all of this?”
Short answer?
No.
A good expert will never tell you that you need everything from the start.
Because no thoughtful strategist expects a first version to behave like a mature business.
A business grows through iterations.
You need to validate the idea. You improve different pieces of the puzzle continuously. You listen carefully to your audience and refine based on the feedback you get from them.
Over time, you’ll notice that the business actually tells you what it needs next 😃✨.
There is also no universal truth for how an online business “must” be built. What works for someone else may not work for you and your people.
The thing that should guide your decisions is not what the latest guru says.
In my experience, the best guide is usually much simpler:
Keep your focus on your product and your people:
💠 How do your clients like to learn?
💠 What support do they need?
💠 What helps them succeed?
💠 What actually makes their experience better?
Those answers matter far more than copying someone else’s setup.
Give future-you a fighting chance
Now, while I do not think anyone should obsess over getting everything perfect in the beginning, there are a few small things worth paying attention to while you are building.
Not because you must. But because future-you will thank you later 😉.
- Name things so you can find them again
If a sales page, checkout, nurture emails, and delivery belong to the same product, create some naming logic that helps you recognize them later.
At some point, you will absolutely return to update things. Trying to figure out: “Which checkout belonged to what again?” is far less fun than it sounds.
- Your memory is not a filing system, so…
…draw a simple map of the system you’re building. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece collage.
A simple mind map or sticky notes (glued to a safe place where they won’t be disturbed) will do fine. Some people like to draw a quick sketch or even build a table in Google Sheets or Excel to keep everything organized.
Just jot down something that helps you see what leads where and what pieces of the puzzle belong together. Add all the names of the different parts (page, form, offer etc.) in there too. If it’s digital, you can also add the direct links.
Because eventually, your system will become bigger than your memory. I promise 😉.
- Keep some visual consistency
You don’t need perfect branding to test-drive your idea. All you need is just enough consistency that things belonging to one experience feel connected.
If you have a larger system with several layers, it might be a good idea to help your audience with a bit more advanced visual guidance (that’s in line with your brand, of course). You can take this extra step if you already know your system works (for example you might be bringing a program from live to digital format, and you already know how it should be structured).
This is important to guide your clients. And surprisingly enough, this will create clarity for you too.
- Let your clients teach you
The first version does not need to be perfect. Mostly, it just needs to be useful to get you started and gather data for further development.
Clients will often show you:
- where they get stuck
- what they love
- what they ignore
- what they wish existed
That feedback becomes incredibly valuable. Version 2 of your product is almost always built smarter than Version 1.
Love the progress. Please celebrate the small wins!
This might sound small, but I think it matters. A lot.
Because in the beginning, it is very easy to only see what is still not finished.
You finally complete one thing and immediately realize that there are ten more things waiting.
And when you combine that with comparisonitis?
It becomes very easy to feel behind.
But here is the thing:
Nobody starts with the finished machine.
Even the people whose businesses now look beautifully polished once had messy first versions.
They learned along the way and adjusted how they work.
Experimentation is always important, but crucial right in the beginning. Clients will guide you and you’re absolutely allowed to change your mind, too.
Gurus of today have rebuilt parts of their systems (sometimes several times over) and they’ve figured a lot of things out as they went.
I want you to know that is normal and you should remember to celebrate every finished phase of a page, offer or a funnel. You’ve achieved a milestone!
You are not behind. You are building.
So if your business currently feels:
...uneven
...slightly messy
...experimental
...unfinished
Good.
Most likely, that means that you are in the beginning stages of building something meaningful ✨.
You are building, and you are learning.
Growth will ask for more when it is time.
For now:
💠 Build thoughtfully.
💠 Trust yourself.
💠 Learn as you go.
And remember to enjoy the moments when something (however small) finally clicks into place.
Because those moments matter too.
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