Welcome back to another episode of the Rise Up & Live Free podcast. Today we have Julie Stoian on the show! She has been an instrumental asset in Ryan, Brad, and Jimmy’s lives and business and is so kindly sharing her wealth of knowledge with the CashFlow Tactics community.

Julie Stoian is a world-class digital marketing expert and thought leader running several multi-million dollar businesses. We’re talking about how to build a life that matters! In this interview, we will follow Julie’s story as she walks you through building a business from scratch and how she makes financial decisions based on GOALS and VALUES.

Julie Stoian’s Journey to Entrepreneurship

Julie Stoian definitely stumbled into the world of entrepreneurship. She was raised in a conservative Christian family and after college was primarily focused on getting married and starting a family. As the years passed, she became increasingly overwhelmed with the demands of being a young wife and mother. It was an isolating position to be in, so she decided to start a blog. Her blog documented her struggles and for a while was just a vessel to help cure her depression.

She began to gain a bit of a following and continued working diligently at her blog over the next several years. Julie’s writing skills improved because of her dedication, and she started to focus on becoming a writer. At the beginning of this new career, she would write anything. She was hired to do a variety of blog posts and articles on a wide range of topics. Her initial focus was to make enough money to help with groceries and the other expenses of family life.

Julie eventually realized that the skills she was building were incredibly marketable. She realized that she held very little passion for the content she was creating and transitioned to teaching people how she set up her blog. This transition opened up an entirely new industry for her. She started setting up websites for other people who began the start of her web design agency.

The tenacity Julie Stoian showed at the start of this journey is so incredibly inspiring. So many people get stuck with a fear of progress. Julie stood up to that fear and decided to dive into the next daunting project even though she worried that she wasn’t skilled enough.

How to Set Targets That You Can Stick To

For a while, Julie’s business was going well. She was exploring her new industry, building marketable skills, and had a newfound comfortability with the extra income she was bringing in. Things hit the van when she and her husband decided to divorce. Her husband had been the primary breadwinner, so she quickly realized that she would need to go get a job. A few weeks into the divorce proceedings, she learned she was pregnant.

Julie Stoian was terrified. She worked endlessly to see if she could rely on her web design business to support her during maternity leave. Around this time, she learned about the world of ClickFunnels and Russell Brunson. She decided to pivot again and focus on helping people find customers and clients. She transitioned from building websites to building funnels. Her income quickly increased, and she never had to get a “traditional” job again.

To make this happen, Julie had to make and set small targets. Those targets outlined her forward momentum. Her life demanded that she grow quickly. Julie makes it clear that you have to make a mission outside of money. Sticking to targets means expanding our “Why”.

“If there’s no urgency in your life, then there’s urgency in your customers’ lives. Harness it as a reminder to keep moving.” – Julie Stoian

Julie Stoian Defines How to Live a Life of Freedom

The first question Julie asks herself before making a decision is whether that choice will bring her more freedom and peace of mind. It is such an essential question to ask as you move forward in reaching your goals. For Julie Stoian, the income she was making from her business was opening so many new doors and opportunities. Suddenly the decisions she was making weren’t predicated on whether or not she could afford it. Because of that, Julie had to restructure the motives behind her choices.

Extraordinary results require an extraordinary amount of effort. When it comes to building wealth, it is just as hard to keep as it is to make. When your focus is freedom, then the battle continues. For instance, Julie Stoian purchased a house for 300k some years back. Since that time, her income has dramatically increased to the point that she could now comfortably buy a home at a much higher price point. She has had to fight the urge to do so just because she can.

It’s a matter of freedom. Julie would rather live in a house below her means and be able to say yes to spontaneous vacations or be prepared for whatever emergencies may come up. As a society, we often get stuck in a consumerist mindset that we always need more. If we truly want to be free, we must evaluate all of the things that may be holding us back.

For Julie Stoian, financial freedom ultimately means peace of mind. The feeling that whatever comes her way, she is able to handle it. If financial freedom means something similar to you, we urge you to check our Facebook group. We’re committed to living life on our terms and would love for you to join. You can also find Julie on her website!