You know, I should be embarrassed by the number of times I started up a membership and then closed it down. But I'm not.
It just taught me what I need to do better. And I know I said last time that I wasn't doing this to myself again, but then I really sat in it and decided to ignore that.
There's a reason why I keep coming back to this route, so this time I decided to try again but do things "right".
Memberships are a service (being honest, it can be its own separate business), and I was treating it as a side hobby. And that doesn't work. Here's some of the mistake I've made over the years and what I plan to do differently.
1) Working Alone
I tried to run everything myself. And when you’re the only person running content, community, tech, AND member support, things either get dropped or you burn out.
This go around, I hired someone to help gather and prep only what's necessary and support members as the time comes.
2) Too Many Deliverables
I thought more = better. I packed the membership with too many templates, workshops, and extras, which just led to overwhelm (for me AND members). Literally, it did the opposite of what I wanted lol.
This time, I'm utilizing the help of AI to deliver products as they need it, so they aren't going through hoops just to find one or two templates they need right now.
3) Too many Outlets
I had too many options (honestly, it was 2 but still) for members to check in, and it was overkill. And being honest, the majority of members just wanted the option of access as needed, so I was investing in platforms that weren't needed.
This time I'm keeping it simple. The core page to sign up. Weekly email roundups. LinkedIn Group for the community. And AI to dispense resources.
I'll expand as I gain my footing and get a central place. The same thing I do for scaling businesses.
I share this because it truly hit me this year that I was doing too much and that I need to lean out every aspect and work my way back up.
So I'll leave with these questions today:
- Have you ever joined a membership or course that felt like it was too much? What would your ideal learning or support space look like? Hit reply and let me know!
