They want a few valuable touchpoints that help them keep moving.
That might be:
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One workshop per month
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One group coaching call per month
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One mini-course per month
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A community discussion thread
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A coworking or accountability session
That’s enough.
And in many cases, it’s better than enough.
Subscription businesses tend to grow best when they focus not just on getting customers in, but on continuing to deliver value after sign-up. Zuora’s research notes that successful high-growth subscription businesses often derive 70% to 80% of revenue from existing customers, which is a powerful reminder that retention matters just as much as acquisition.
So instead of asking, “How can I create more?”
Ask, “How can I help members get results with less friction?”
That question will lead you to a much healthier membership model.
What This Can Look Like in Real Life
At one point, I created a mini-course each month inside my membership.
That sounds big, but it was actually pretty simple.
Each month, I recorded about five short lessons, around five to ten minutes each, focused on helping members achieve one tangible next result in their business.
That was it.
The planning and recording took around five hours. Then the content was edited and uploaded.
For a membership generating around $10,000 a month in recurring revenue, that was an incredibly good trade.
And over time, as the content library grew, the new content creation became even lighter. Eventually, the ongoing value shifted more toward coaching, community, and implementation support, instead of constantly building new trainings.
That’s a much more sustainable model.
A Smarter Way to Launch Your Membership
If I were launching a membership from scratch today, here’s the simple approach I’d recommend:
1. Build interest before you build everything
Create a launch list of people who are specifically interested in your membership topic.
2. Decide your minimum viable member count
Know how many members you need for the membership to be profitable and sustainable.
3. Create just the first month of content
Build enough to help members make real progress right away.
4. Promise a path, not a library
Show members what they’ll get now, what’s coming later, and how the journey works.
5. Keep the monthly delivery light
Choose one or two core content formats you can maintain consistently.
6. Optimize for results, not volume
A focused membership with better outcomes will usually outperform a bloated one.
That’s the whole strategy.
It’s simple on purpose.
Because the whole point of entrepreneurship is not to build yourself a fancier prison. It’s to create freedom.
Final Thoughts
You do not need a massive audience.
You do not need hundreds of lessons.
You do not need to wait until everything is perfect.
What you need is a focused offer, a clear promise, a small group of interested people, and enough content to genuinely help them get started.
That’s it.
A membership can absolutely become a stable, recurring revenue stream in your business. But the version that works best is usually the one that is simpler, more focused, and more intentional than most people expect.
So don’t let the myths keep you stuck.
Start lean. Serve well. Help your members get wins.
And then build from there.
You really can create a membership that supports your life instead of taking it over.
