I Launched a Membership; Here’s What Happened

Summary

The author launched a membership for their online business, targeting women, and despite a modest start, is confident in the value and growth potential of their membership model.

Abstract

The author of the article transitioned from traditional blogging to a membership model for their online business, recognizing the power of recurring income. They emphasize that a large following is not necessary to start a membership, but rather the right audience who resonates with the message. With a few hundred followers on various platforms and an email list, the author launched their membership with a handful of sign-ups and a scholarship recipient, affirming the importance of inclusivity and giving back. The author plans to nurture their community, refine their offerings, and expand their reach while maintaining the quality of service for their founding members.

Opinions

Memberships provide convenience for customers and a stable income for business owners.
The right audience, not just a large following, is crucial for a successful membership launch.
Regular communication and rebranding may lead to some subscriber loss but are important for alignment and clarity.
Starting with a smaller membership base allows for better refinement of the offering and community management.
Giving back, such as through a scholarship fund, should be part of a membership owner's business strategy.
Personalized services like coaching packages can cater to individuals who may not thrive in larger group settings.
The author believes in the value of their membership and its potential for scalable growth.

The power of recurring income

A few years back, I decided to create an online business. I thought that blogging was the ticket to financial independence, but I was soon introduced to the world of recurring income through memberships.

We all belong to memberships, Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, Amazon Music, Netflix, gym memberships, car washes, spa and massage, etc. Memberships are convenient for both the user and the business owner.

Offering membership for things we once looked at as services to pay-as-you-go has become a genius way to serve customers while creating recurring income for a small business owner.

What does it take to start a membership?

You may think you need a large following to start a membership, but according to membership guru Stu McCleran, you don’t. What you need are the right people following you. If you’ve been honing and clarifying your message and collecting followers who are clear about your message, you can sell a membership.

It took me a while to build the courage to launch my membership, but I opened the doors last month.

Here’s what I had to work with

About 400 members in my Facebook group.

600+ email subscribers that I had not been nurturing. Once I started emailing regularly before and during the membership launch, I lost some subscribers. But that is to be expected considering I had not been in touch with them and I also rebranded.

1,500 followers on Medium, with about 500 signed up to receive my published articles by email.

1,000-ish followers on Instagram.

The results

3 women signed up for the yearly membership option.

One chose the monthly subscription.

We chose one woman as the recipient of our scholarship fund. I wanted to make sure that any woman who wanted to be part of our community but could not afford the membership still had an opportunity. Stu McCleran instilled in me the belief that giving should be part of every membership owner’s business strategy.

I realize this is a modest start, but we are confident that the foundation we’ve built with our followers and the incredible value we provide inside our membership will propel growth in a scalable trajectory. Truthfully, you don’t want a membership to start too big — you need time to refine your offering, get feedback from founding members, and ramp up the time you’ll spend on maintenance and community within in the membership.

Next steps

We are nurturing our email list regularly.

We have an Instagram strategy that will lead to email subscribers.

We have created a plan that allows us to serve both our free Facebook group and the membership without losing our minds.

I plan to serve the heck out of those founding members so they find value in the membership, want to stay in the community and share it with others.

I’ve added coaching packages. I understand that not every woman thrives in large online groups.

What about you? What skills or resources do you have that would serve a membership? It just might be the idea that will propel you toward recurring incoming and financial independence.

At The Decluttered Soul, we help women lead intentional lives by slowing down and finding the quiet spaces where God can be found.

We create a container where you can drive out the distractions to make room for what really matters.

Find out how you can get involved and start decluttering your life today!