We made it! 100 episodes!

To celebrate our centennial, we reached out to membership owners across different industries and tapped into their brands to get their advice and strategies to share with you.

I asked each of these membership owners three questions that really get to the core of the membership experience.

You’ll find that some of these membership owners are very well known and others are just starting out.

You’ll learn what works, what doesn’t, and how to use their strategies for your own success.

Let’s dive in!

What is your one piece of advice for anyone starting a new membership website?

“Make sure you’re willing to show up. Think about it logically. You want your members to pay you on an ongoing basis, therefore you have to show up and show the value behind being part of your community on an ongoing basis.

That income will be recurring and predictive and your relationships as part of that community will be rewarding.”

Chris Ducker – Youpreneur

“This isn’t something you just set and forget. There’s a lot of work in the early days. But you still have to show up, create the content, and do all the support. There’s a lot that goes in and it’s never finished. If you’ve got passion for it, go for it.”

Ben Adam Smith – House Planning Help

“It’s a lot like being a parent. You’re going to have a lot of responsibility. I’ve made a point of difference in my membership by showing up every single day. A membership will suit someone who’s a nurturer and likes being social.”

James Schramko – Superfast Business

“Allow yourself way more time than you think you’re going to need. There were weeks when I didn’t think I would get everything done. I did everything myself and I joined the Membership Academy to figure the tech stuff out.

I thought I was going to be launching in January, but I ended up launching in April. You just don’t know what’s going to go wrong.”

Christina Peters – Food Photography Club

What impact has running a membership site had on your life or business?

“It’s given us freedom essentially. Freedom to have days off and work wherever we want. That predictable income helps us not worry about finding clients all the time. It’s also really enjoyable helping people from all over the world achieve results.”

Andrew and Pete – Atomic

“I’ve always worked hard, but now the hard work is my choice. I work hard on things that interest me the most and make the most difference to our audience.

It’s changed everything in how I manage my time. I’m busy when I want to be and deadlines are set when I want to be. There’s still hard work, but it’s distributed differently.”

Chris Marr – Content Marketing Academy

“Having that systemized machine working for me has allowed me to quit my job, travel the world, and raise my family. That recurring income each month allows me to have a stable team and never stress about money.

If you can take control and have a good business model, you’re going to have a wonderful business and it will change your life.”

James Schramko – Superfast Business

What would you do differently if you were starting your site again from scratch?

“I launched a new membership and tried a bit of a refocus changing our niche. I asked my members and I did what they wanted. I talked to the people that had joined and hadn’t joined and built it based on that. I also built it based on what I wanted too. I realized I didn’t like doing live trainings every month. Even though nearly every other membership does it, I’m not going to do it.

Design your membership for yourself and for your members.”

Colin Gray – The Podcast Host

“I think I tried to do too much. It was within my capability, however, to do it on a consistent basis was a huge strain. If I’d just thought more about what’s important.

It’s all about outcomes. You want your avatar to achieve a certain outcome. There are ways to do that that are less complicated. Starting out with a simple offering which you can do yourself is my top tip.”

Chris Ducker – Youpreneur

“If I were to start all over again, which I’ve thought about a million times, it all boils down to one thing: I would’ve become a member of the Membership Academy from the get go. I would’ve found this amazing resource and cut my time down. I had all of these amazing courses and resources at my fingertips. For all of us who aren’t very techy, they give all the step-by-step instructions.

It would’ve been so much less of a pain if I’d had the amazing community going through exactly the same thing.”

Bjork Ostrom – Food Blogger Pro

“I would make sure I had a clear idea of what type of content and structure I would create. Instead of it being a melting pot of all different types of content, I’d get my value proposition as structured as possible before and manage expectations.

If you’re doing upsells or downsells, your audience will clearly understand that’s an additional thing on top of the membership.”

Scott Devine – Scott's Bass Lessons

Thanks to the many membership owners who contributed their advice. I really do hope that you’ve found this advice useful and implement it as you start or re-work your membership website.

BONUS! Listen to the full podcast episode for additional insights from:

• Nathan Chan – Foundr
• Heather Crabtree – The Savvy Community
• Janneke den Draak – Learn Dragon Online
• Marisha McGrorty – SLP Now
• Janet Murray – Soulful PR
• Shannon Rogers – Hand Tool School
• Avalon Yarnes – Avalon Cake School

Thanks again to all of my guests for the show, and to everyone who listens and supports the podcast week after week – we truly appreciate it and look forward to the next 100 episodes!

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