Have you ever dreamed of having a steady flow of income month after month, without the constant hustle? Imagine not having to chase after clients or worry about your next payday, or your next 1:1 client. Sounds pretty great, right? Well, it’s totally possible, and I’m here to chat about a game-changer in the coaching world: the membership model.

The Magic of Memberships

Before we chat a bit more, it’s good to highlight straight away that memberships can be used strategically, as a lead and recurring income generator, next to your 1:1 or group program, or can be used as a standalone offer to skyrocket your impact and recurring income, or a combo of both.

The membership model is like having a subscription service for your coaching business. Instead of selling one-time packages or sessions, you offer ongoing access to your expertise, resources, and community for a regular fee. It’s a win-win: your clients get continuous support and value, and you get a predictable, recurring revenue stream. 

But there’s more! You also create a community of hot leads who want to work with you 1:1, it is a perfect way to keep clients with you after they have finished a signature program or course and to scale infinitely without trading time for money.

Why Go for a Membership Model?

• Predictable Income: Say goodbye to income unpredictability. With memberships, you know what’s coming in each month, making planning and scaling much easier. It also allows you to take some time off from marketing or having to do 1:1s
• Deeper Client Relationships: Memberships allow you to work with clients over a longer period, deepening relationships and increasing their success (and yours!)
• Scalability: Reach and help more clients without increasing your workload. You create content and resources once but serve many, leveraging your time and expertise.

Getting Started: The Basics

Define Your Offer: What unique value will your membership provide? Will it include live coaching calls, exclusive resources, a community forum, or all of the above? Be clear about what members will get so they can see the value and what transformation your membership is delivering.

Price It Right: Finding the sweet spot for pricing can be tricky. You want it to reflect the value you’re offering while being accessible to your ideal clients. Don’t undervalue your service, but don’t price yourself out of the market either. With memberships, don’t be afraid to start lower and increase over time. It is a brilliant tactic to built-in urgency to join. 

Build Your Platform: Whether you’re tech-savvy or not, setting up a membership site has never been easier. Platforms like Kajabi, Thinkific, or even a private Facebook group can serve as your membership hub. Choose one that suits your tech comfort level and budget.

Attract and Retain: Use your existing channels (social media, email list, blog) to attract members. But attracting them is only half the battle; you need to keep delivering value to retain them. Regular content updates, engaging directly with members, and listening to their feedback are key.

Always start with a founding member’s launch: The founding member’s launch is usually more attractive in price for your first members to join. But in the founding member’s launch, it is not so much about the money. It is about getting those first results and testimonials to attract more members. A cute bonus is that once your first paying members are in, you have to deliver. It is a great accountability system for yourself. We all know how easy it is to quit a project because those moments of doubt take over. 

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Overcomplicating Your Offer: Keep it simple. You can always add more features later based on member feedback.
• Less Is More:: It is easy to overdeliver, and add TONS of content. This will actually overwhelm your members. Instead of growing with you, they will cancel. So good news is that you can spend way less on creating your membership content. The golden rule is one topic per month, broken up into bite-size chunks. 
• A Crappy Onboarding: Besides your content, the first impression is your onboarding sequence. Your new members should immediately feel like they’re home and that this was the BEST decision they could’ve made. 

Wrapping Up

Launching a membership model can truly transform your coaching business, offering you financial stability while amplifying your impact. It allowed me to build a coaching business that generates 40k per month ON TOP of my 1:1s and other offers. And if I don’t feel like working in the summer? My business is still working for me. 

Clearly, these numbers are built over time. So what is realistically possible? Check out the story of Isabel, who grew her coaching business to consistently 15k+ months within just 6 months. Click here to read how she did it.