Our target was (mostly) clear: people building their own thing. A WordPress site with memberships, all aimed at building a recurring revenue stream they owned and controlled. A DIY-er that preferred to get their hands dirty vs. hire out. Not only because funds were tight, but because “knowing how it worked” mattered more than the time it took to get there.
What I did not anticipate is what would happen after these creators found success.
Skating into year 15, there’s a pattern repeating itself over and over again…. The same people who once said, “I’m not a developer” or “I’m just figuring this out for my own project” or “I’m the one they call on for anything ‘technology’ in our association”? They’re now supporting others – and getting paid for it.
They learned how memberships work because they had to (trial by fire). Pricing and payment gateways, access rules, content creation, renewals, edge cases, proration, events, sales, courses, email marketing, refunds, chargebacks. The list goes on.
Once you’ve tackled those problems for yourself, you possess *a very particular set of skills*. Skills that enable you to help a friend or family member. Eventually even a client.
People who never set out to become a freelancer or start a micro-agency, but here they are.
Membership sites bring a different kind of work. The ones that find success have 1) budget and 2) require ongoing work. They want to expand on features, automate manual processes, generate custom reports, build out integrations. Sure, it’s riskier than a static brochure site, but it is also far more durable.
As we close out 2025 – the first year our team began to intentionally engage with and grow the PMPro community – I’m stoked that we’re accomplishing our mission in more than the obvious way.
We’re creating a second economy around the idea of memberships. A network of freelancers, agencies, contractors, and specialists who are building sustainable businesses by supporting the very creators we originally set out to serve.
I help people get paid online. Mission accomplished.
