The Awkward Years ($15K-$35K/Month)
The revenue is real. But odds are the coach at this stage looks at $50k months and can't see a path that doesn't involve burning themselves to the ground to get there.
At this point, this coach has probably thought: A) "I am getting tired of coaching, but I am really loving scaling and growing the business" or B) "I hate all the 'business stuff' and I just want to coach people"
They have probably had some really big months from collecting PIFs plus client resigns. But haven't really dialed in a sustainable lead flow.
Good news, they are making more money than ever. Bad news, they are working more than ever. They probably need to make a hire, but are not sure what the right hire to make is.
If you can relate to any of this and want a real path to doubling your income without doubling your hours, book a call to see how the next workshop gets you there.
Join Mike Crowson, Bakker Shields and Dan Effinger for a 2-day intensive
where we diagnose what's going on, what decisions you need to make, and build you the roadmap that will take you to $50-$75k.
Now you're making real money, but have little time.
These coaches built something real.
They've likely made more money than they ever expected and now they have the itch to get rich because they see the potential.
And the realization of doing over $50k a month isn't feasible by just working more hours.
What they did to scale to this stage will not get them to the next stage, so something has to change.
In short, they want to double their income, but realistically, they can't double their hours.
We're so confident that we can diagnose your bottleneck with a 100% money back guarantee.
But what all coaches at this stage really want is proof over persuasion. Coaches below were at this stage.
In fact 77% of coaches at the Awkward Years Stage purchased a second workshop.
Previous Attendees
These Coaches Have Been Solving the Wrong Problems
Most coaches at this stage think the jump to $50k plus is about dumping more money into ads.
Or... maybe made a hire, but are having to micro-mange them.
Or... they have a funnel, but it is not optimized and data is not accurate.
There are three potential issues, there could be a lot more depending on what foundational issues never got addressed. They potentially have scaled a broken model.
Real Example: This coach has a feast or famine approach for revenue. They are wearing all the hats in the business. They are working 6 to 7 days a week, they are setting calls at 8pm in the evening. They take sales calls when they can, it interferes with their personal life and family time, but they are working their tail off. They look at a $50k coach and go "how in the world are they doing this." They can taste success, but they are not sure what they are doing wrong.
99% of the time, the path to $50k is through more volume, but the current structure of the business doesn't allow for you to handle more volume. And you know this, because the harder you the work the more money you make, but the weeks where you don't work 70 hours, you don't make as much money.
Until we fix that, sustainable $50k stays out of reach.
When Bakker Says This, Everything Clicks
"Odds are you're at $25K/month. You've had some big months stacking PIFs and client re-signs, but you've never locked in a lead flow you can count on. You're making more money than ever and working more than ever. You know you probably need to make a hire, you're just not sure which one. Or worse, you made a hire and the structure is wrong and you're paying amount the same amount you're making (or more than)... And underneath all of it sits the same question you keep avoiding: do you want to keep coaching, or do you want to build the business?"
🤔 And you think:
"Dude, how does he know the exact issues I'm having in my business?"
Because it's not unique to you.
It's The Awkward Years. It's the $15K-$35K bottleneck. What got you here won't get you to $50k, and the leap always comes down to the same five suspects: model, cash flow, systems, team, or retention.
And we will reveal which one is standing between you and your next stage, then give you the roadmap to double your income without doubling your hours.
WELCOME TO THE OPERATOR WORKSHOP
100% money back guarantee, we can diagnose whythis coach is still in The Awkward Years.
The Perfect Fit For This If
You're NOT Ready If
We Don't Teach Tactics.
We Diagnose Stages.
We Identify
- Your exact stage (Foundation, Awkward Years, Chaos, Operator, Pinnacle)
- The specific bottlenecks YOU'RE experiencing from your stage's blueprint
- Why you feel stuck (it's not character, it's structure)
Then we prescribe the frameworks that solve YOUR bottlenecks:
- Revenue & positioning bottlenecks Mike's domain
- Team & operations chaos Bakker's frameworks (3-3-3, M.O.A., H.I.R.E.)
- Sales & conversion anxiety Dan's Service Over Selling
We Integrate
- Q&A with each instructor in their domain
- Panel hot seats where all 3 of us collaborate on YOUR #1 bottleneck
- 90-day action plan customized to your stage
DAY 1: DIAGNOSIS & BOTTLENECK SOLVING
Morning: Diagnosis
- The 5 Stages Framework (Bakker)
- Identify your exact stage and why you're stuck
- Bottleneck Identification (Bakker)
- Map which bottlenecks YOU'RE experiencing from your stage's blueprint
Mid-Morning: Revenue & Positioning
- Solving Revenue Bottlenecks (Mike)
- Fix underpricing, weak authority, inconsistent content
Afternoon: Operations & Sales
- Solving Team Chaos (Bakker)
- Install 3-3-3 Meeting System, M.O.A., H.I.R.E. frameworks
- Solving Sales Anxiety (Dan)
- Service Over Selling - enroll without pressure or scripts
- Your exact stage diagnosed
- Complete list of YOUR bottlenecks (written in notebook)
- The frameworks that solve each bottleneck
- Clarity on why you've been stuck
DAY 2: INTEGRATION &
ACTION PLANNING
Morning: Instructor Q&A (Back-to-Back)
- Bakker Q&A (systems, operations, frameworks)
- Mike Q&A (marketing, messaging, positioning)
- Dan Q&A (sales, enrollment, objections)
Late Morning: Panel Hot Seats
- Shark Tank Style Collaboration
- Each coach presents their #1 bottleneck
- All 3 instructors weigh in from their domains
- 20 minutes per coach × 5 coaches
Afternoon: Action Planning
- Working lunch + individual planning
- 90-Day Action Plan (Bakker)
- Rock-Road-Rail planning, Top 3 priorities, this week's actions
- Closing & next steps
- Personalized hot seat with all 3 instructors on YOUR bottleneck
- Answers to your specific questions in each domain
- 90-day action plan (Rocks, priorities, weekly actions)
- Community access for ongoing support
YOUR INSTRUCTORS FOR WORKSHOPS
Mike Crowson | CEO
Mike has built ARFunnel to $2M ARR
by focusing on proof over persuasion.
He'll show you how to fix your positioning,
build authority at YOUR stage,
and price yourself correctly.
Mike handles: Revenue bottlenecks,
content, messaging, authority, pricing.
Bakker Shields | COO
Bakker built the entire diagnostic framework you'll learn.
He's systematized businesses from $10K to $200K/month
and can tell you exactly what's broken at your stage, and how to fix it.
Bakker handles: Diagnosis, systems, operations,
team management, strategic planning.
Dan Effinger | Head of Sales
Dan leads all sales at ARFunnel using a philosophy that
eliminates pressure, scripts, and sleazy tactics.
He'll teach you how to enroll clients as yourself,
not as a character you're pretending to be.
Dan handles: Sales anxiety, enrollment,
objection handling, conversion.
Most Workshops Teach Tactics.
We Prescribe Solutions.
Other workshops:
"Here's how to post on Instagram"
"Here's a sales script"
"Here's how to use a CRM"
This workshop:
"You're at The Chaos Stage with The Leadership Gap"
"Here's why your profit margin crashed (hired too fast without systems)"
"Here's the exact framework that fixes it (3-3-3 Meeting System)"
"Now implement it in your notebook with us"
The frameworks aren't random tools.
They're prescribed medicine for YOUR bottleneck.
You Get All 3 Instructors
Working ON Your Business
Most workshops have 1-2 instructors teaching.
This workshop
- Bakker diagnoses your stage and prescribes systems
- Mike fixes your positioning and revenue bottlenecks
- Dan fixes your sales anxiety and conversion issues
Then on Day 2, all 3 sit together in panel hot seats
and collaborate on YOUR #1 bottleneck.
You get sales + marketing + systems + operations perspectives on the same problem.
Secure Your WorkshopYou Don't Leave With Notes.
You Leave With Diagnosis.
Traditional workshop:
- Take notes
- Get inspired
- Go home
- Implement nothing
- Nothing changes
This workshop:
- Identify your stage (written in notebook)
- List your bottlenecks (checkboxes in notebook)
- Learn frameworks that solve YOUR bottlenecks
- Get personalized hot seat on your #1 issue
- Leave with 90-day action plan
By Friday afternoon, you know:
WHAT YOU'LL WALK AWAY WITH
50+ page filled notebook
Your stage diagnosed, bottlenecks identified, frameworks applied
90-day action plan
Your Rocks, Top 3 priorities, this week's actions
Panel hot seat
All 3 instructors collaborating on YOUR #1 bottleneck
Q&A access
With each instructor in their domain
Private community access
Ongoing support with workshop alumni
Intangible Transformation
Thursday morning: Confused, overwhelmed, thinking "it's just me"
Friday afternoon: Clear, confident, thinking "it's not me,
it's my stage - and I know exactly how to fix it"
THE FRAMEWORKS YOU'LL LEARN
Diagnostic Frameworks
- The 5 Stages (Foundation, Awkward Years, Chaos, Operator, Pinnacle)
- The Named Problems (Pricing Trap, Capacity Crisis, Leadership Gap, Accountability Void, Optimization Question)
- The Blueprint Stack (what your business should look like at each stage)
Systems Frameworks:
- 3-3-3 Meeting System (your complete meeting structure)
- S.C.O.R.E. Format (weekly L10 execution)
- D.A.I.L.Y. Sales Huddle (daily team alignment)
- Rock-Road-Rail (quarterly planning)
- M.O.A. (metric ownership & accountability)
- H.I.R.E. (hiring decision matrix)
- Rule of 3's (prioritization)
Application Frameworks:
- Service Over Selling (Dan's sales philosophy)
- The Operator's Toolkit (what you need at each stage)
You're not memorizing frameworks.
You're getting diagnosed and prescribed solutions.
WHY ONLY 5 SPOTS?
We cap every workshop at 5 coaches because:
Panel hot seats require time
Diagnosis is personal
Peer learning only works in small groups
Quality over quantity
When we hit 5, the workshop closes.
NEXT STEPS
1. Apply
Fill out the 2-minute application below.
We ask about your revenue, team size,
and biggest challenges so we can prepare your hot seat.
2. We Review
Schedule a call to confirm details.
We'll review within 24 hours.
(We don't accept everyone
so we will cancel the call if we don't think we can help you.)
3. You're In
We send invoice, workshop details, and pre-work survey.
4. Show Up Ready
Dallas, Texas.
Bring your laptop.
We'll diagnose the rest together.
You've been to events before.
You left inspired, took notes, and nothing changed.
This is different.
Thursday morning, when Bakker walks through The 5 Stages
and describes your exact life - symptoms you thought were unique to you - you'll realize:
"Oh. It's not me. It's my stage."
"Other coaches at my level feel this exact chaos."
"This isn't a character flaw. It's a structural gap."
"And there's a system to fix it."
Everything after that is just prescribing the medicine.
Secure Your Workshop
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What if I'm between stages?
Perfect.
You'll learn both the stage you're in
AND the stage you're moving toward.
That's actually ideal
because you can build systems NOW before the next bottleneck hits.
What if my bottleneck isn't covered?
Highly unlikely.
We've diagnosed hundreds of coaching businesses - the bottlenecks are predictable by stage.
But if yours is unique,
that's what the panel hot seat is for.
All 3 of us will work on it together.
Can I bring a team member?
No.
This workshop is for the business owner/founder only.
You'll bring back the frameworks and teach your team,
but the diagnosis and strategic work must be done by you.
We will have the hard convos about the team
and how you need to manage them.
IF YOU WANT- You can purchase a second ticket for them for $2,500 each additional person.
What if I can't make the dates?
We run these monthly.
If this one doesn't work,
we'll put you on the list for the next one.
First come first serve.
I'm not on ARFunnel yet, can I still attend?
Yes.
The frameworks work regardless of your CRM.
That said, if you want to switch to AR,
we can help with that too.
What if I need to cancel?
Full refund if you cancel 30+ days before.
We can also find a new date as we host these monthly.
50% refund if 15-29 days before.
No refund if less than 14 days (we've turned away other coaches to hold your spot).
Will this be recorded?
Yes for content. Not for replay.
What's the dress code?
Dress the part. You will be on camera.
Where do I stay?
We'll send hotel recommendations near the venue.
P.S. - Why This Works
Most coaches are stuck because they're solving the wrong problems.
They think:
"I need better content" (but the real issue is positioning for their stage)
"I need to hire someone" (but they don't know WHO
because they haven't diagnosed the bottleneck)
"I need more sales training" (but the issue is actually fulfillment capacity,
not conversion)
You can't fix what you can't diagnose.
That's what we do on Thursday morning.
The rest of the workshop is just applying the frameworks that fix YOUR specific bottlenecks.
See you in Dallas!