In my opinion, e-commerce and subscription aren’t for those who own businesses alone. If you’re good at something, and you don't mind sharing that knowledge in exchange for some reward then a membership subscription is for you. The best part is that setting up a membership site isn’t that complicated; all you need do is set up a Shopify store in few easy steps and install a Shopify subscription app - Chargezen to get started.

The harder problem for many people is identifying their area of skill and admitting that customers will want to pay them for it.

There are membership sites for almost any subject or service you can think of, from basic issues like beginning an internet business to extremely specific topics that only appeal to a tiny set of clients; the choice is yours to make from an endless list of possibilities.

If you're having a hard time deciding what membership site or subscription is appropriate for you, here are some categories to help you make a thoughtful decision:

Categories of Membership Sites

1. Fitness Trainer Membership Subscription

This is for you if you have a certification as a dance instructor, personal trainer, yoga instructor. There are plenty of people who would rather work out online than at the gym especially amidst the pandemic where they want to maintain distance and safety. Coaches and teachers who are acquainted with video training or who have made programs for accomplishing specific fitness goals might consider this option.

Case Study: Bulldog Yoga

You can now take yoga classes without rushing to an early class with Bulldog Yoga. They offer yoga classes that you can access online, anytime you want, anywhere you are! They let yoga practitioners of all levels do yoga by watching and moving along with videos designed by experienced yoga instructors. You can choose from 4 different class styles you want to take on. Try the Bulldog Bites and join 10-30 minutes of yoga classes for all levels or choose Activate if you want a slower flow. If you’re into aerobic power yoga classes, you can pick Invigorate or Exhilarate, which is a fitness-fueled plyometric-based yoga workout. Did we even mention that this is not the traditional yoga we used to know? This is a modern take on yoga! Every online class is paired with music to keep everyone inspired, making it fun and entertaining for a full-body workout.

2. Career Coaching Membership Subscription

This is for you if you're known for providing in-depth job advice; you might have a membership site niche waiting for you.

Case Study: Book More Bride

As an expert or coach in your particular field or niche, a membership site provides a platform to share that knowledge with others for their betterment. Book More Brides does just that. The digital Acceleration membership product boasts an impressive stockpile of digital downloads, tools, media, training, live Q&As, and even access to an exclusive online community — everything you’d need to make a name for yourself in the wedding industry. 

With their rapidly growing list of members, Book More Brides earn a recurring income and are able to scale and comfortably grow their business without exhausting their resources.

3. Online Tutoring Membership Subscription

This is for you if you're a certified teacher, or can teach an in-demand language or have a knack for helping people with home works or similar things; an online membership tutoring membership subscription can be a good reward for your skill. 

Don't waste your skills dishing out tutorials for free or helping out with assignments without rewards

Case Study: LearnDutch.org

LearnDutch.org is run by a native Dutch speaker who runs personal language classes. At the moment he has over 50,000 followers on Facebook and YouTube, more than 2500 visitors per day on the membership website, and about 12,000 video views daily on YouTube; a percentage of these people buy his courses while the founder earns monthly teaching Dutch.

4. Business Development Membership Subscription

This is for you if you have built a successful business from scratch, run a consulting firm, or people ask you for business advice often. You can set up a membership subscription site for people looking to build a new business, scale an existing business, or switch careers. 

Case Study: Side Hustle School

Side Hustle School is a daily podcast and action-packed book — all designed to help people create a new source of income without quitting their job or school.

The majority of the content on the site is free, including more than two years' worth of daily podcasts. The program however offers the motivated would-be side hustlers premium access to a limited-availability membership group that comes with exclusive content and access to an online network of fellow members.

5. Industry Information Membership Subscription

This is for you if you’ve some expertise or information to share about a certain industry that is in demand. And your information doesn’t even have to be industry-specific for people to sort after it. It could be another Semrush where people source for articles across various industries. And it could well be a mixture of various industries.

The founder of the aforementioned Side Hustle School for instance also runs another membership subscription program where he shares his insight on traveling the world on a low budget.

Case Study: Semrush

Semrush is an all-in-one tool suite for improving online visibility and discovering marketing insights; but accessible only on a paid plan. The reports shared by Semrush helps marketers with prospecting and gaining access to useful information; this explains why Semrush is trusted by 7+ million marketers over 12 years.

Are You Ready To Build Your Membership Subscription Business?

Membership subscription provides the design for different membership levels, revenue sources, marketing activities, events and conferences, and finances.

Other examples of organizations that use a membership model include are:

• Clubs such as Gulf club, swim club, tennis club, gym club, etc.
• Professional Associations such as writing associations, engineering associations, nursing associations, etc.
• Nonprofits such as foundations, churches, charities, etc.
• Businesses such as online courses, Costco, Amazon Prime, etc.

The organizations that run the world's biggest membership subscription programs often attribute their success to formalizing a membership model early enough. So if you haven’t created one for your organization yet, the sooner you do, the sooner you may realize the financial benefits of membership subscription, as well as increased membership retention among other things.

Take the first step towards starting your membership business by reaching out to the Chargezen support team or writing me at success@trychargezen.com.