#311: How to Build a Successful Paid Community | Growth in Reverse

The highest month of membership revenue in Lab history was also the setup for the highest month of churn. One year later, February delivered both records.

I have been building community in some form since 2012. I ran Startup Weekend events in Columbus, led online Mastermind groups, consulted on the launch of SPI Pro, and spent 2021 leading the community team at Smart Passive Income before going back out on my own. In early 2022, I launched what became the Lab, a membership for creators earning at least $10,000 per month in non-service revenue or with 10,000 followers on a single platform. The Lab now has around 340 members across three tiers and is still standing after years of waves of communities coming and going.

In this episode, we talk about:

Why scarcity and urgency drive signups but can crater your retention a year later

The two onboarding "secrets" I kept quiet for a while

The mastermind paradox

How to think about scaling a community without accidentally eroding the culture you've built

What I would tell anyone thinking about launching a membership before they write a single line of copy

By the end of this episode, you will have a clearer picture of how a membership actually works over years, not just at launch.

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