Hi, I'm Aisha and I love helping others achieve financial independence though blogging. I run a portfolio of 6 blogs and teach others how to grow and monetise their blogs using evergreen strategies that don't stress you out! Follow me for valuable blogging tips and digital nomad hacks.
7 Lessons from Running My Membership
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I write this email at 5 am on a Friday- why? Well, my baby is asleep, and I want to knock some work out before she wakes O_O It feels great to want to wake up so early to steal precious time to work! Anyway, I am in month 2 of running my side hustle: a monthly paid snail mail subscription! You can check it out here; I updated the sale page. Let me know what you think :) It's been a wild learning curve. When I launched, it was crickets O_O But now I have 33 paying subscribers! It's my birthday month, so I want to share some lessons in case you too want to run a membership or sell products to earn a bit of extra money These aren't polished takeaways; they're raw, honest reflections from someone actually doing this who is also trying to figure out her way through it 1. Show the value, again and again and AGAIN!I'll be honest, I got the humbling of a century when I initially launched my snail mail I don't know WHAT I was thinking! Clearly I got caught up with all the IG highlight reels showcasing thousands of new customers upon launching. When I launched ...I think two people signed up, and I was shocked, because I just KNEW how valuable this thing was and how much my community would like it. Upon reflection, my current audience is interested in business and making money online, NOT whimsical art and stationery BUT I tweaked my snail mail to include a featured book discussion, a personal video with lessons and strategies, and I kept sharing the value of my product again and again and AGAIN They have SEEN this. I told my friend, I don't want to bore them with the same stuff! Turns out people do need to see your product multiple times because now I have 33 subscribers! I think I read somewhere people need to see your product's value multiple times, like 7 times, before they actually bite. Stop assuming one post will do it. Keep showing up. Keep reminding people why they need what you're offering. 2. People will cancel (and that's okay!)Someone canceled in my first month right after they gave me feedback on how much they loved it. I was shook O_O My first instinct was to take it personally. Then I realized that's not rejection; that's just life! I thanked them for supporting me for one month and asked for feedback to improve They said they had to cancel because they were moving house and could no longer afford it. Cancellations happen. It doesn't mean your product is bad or you've failed. It's normal. Keep going anyway. 3. Admin work is an opportunity to connectThere's a lot more admin involved than I expected- payment renewals, expired cards, insufficient funds. Yes, insufficient funds happens every month. O_O I feel awkward having to email or message my subscriber, but I also know people allocate money into different accounts with different cards, so it makes sense. At 33 subscribers, it's manageable, and honestly? It's become an opportunity. When I reach out to sort these issues, I get to personally connect with my subscribers. These little touch points matter more than you'd think; I learn about their birthdays, what's going on in their lives- it's fun! 4. Managing a membership is easier than you thinkA couple of years ago I opened up a waiting list for a paid blogging membership with me, to get a feel for whether people would be interested. 186 people expressed interest, knowing the cost. But I didn't go ahead with it Why? Because I am a commitment phobe and the thought of running a membership TERRIFIED ME. I went in expecting to be on call constantly, managing chaos from every angle. Reality check: I'm not. It's actually manageable. The workload is real, but it's not the all-consuming monster I imagined. Take that pressure off yourself. That said, managing a membership is also more difficult than I thought in specific ways. Payment failures, expired cards, people not having sufficient funds, chasing renewals... these things take more mental energy than I expected. It's not the volume; it's the friction of keeping people subscribed. But honestly? It's still doable. Talk to me when I have 3000 subscribers though... FINGERS CROSSED A GIRL CAN DREAM EH! 5. Stick to your weight limitI've really learned my lesson with this one! I got carried away with the July snail mail and added loads of cool stuff, and the weight hit 45g. Lo and behold, the price quadrupled, especially for USA and international subscribers. Lesson learned: discipline matters. Stick to your weight limits. The costs balloon fast, and your margin disappears. Having said that, August is my birthday month, so I totally want to get carried away, so we will seeeee! 6. I've built real relationships with suppliers and the post officeI'm building relationships with local suppliers and the post office staff, and I didn't expect to! It's actually quite sweet. A lot of these staff work long hours for little money, so I try to buy them little treats like steamed buns, fried bananas, sweet treats - they really appreciate it! These relationships are gold. They answer questions, offer insights, and actually care about my success. Don't underestimate the power of showing up and being genuine with the people who help you ship. 7. Social media is your growth engine (unless you're paying for ads)I've resisted a social media strategy for the longest time. But I've decided to suck it up and LEARN. This is a visual niche. Social media is hugely important if you're not using ads. It's also been a fun skill to learn; I'm getting better at it every week. If you're bootstrapping and building organically, social is where you live. Embrace it, learn it; the skill will benefit and help you with every business you run. What's next?Month 2 has been a fun learning curve. I came in with expectations; reality taught me what actually matters. I'm excited to keep going, keep improving, and keep building something real with you all. And sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly! Thanks for being part of this journey. Before you go - What's one lesson you've learned recently, in business, life, or otherwise? Hit reply and tell me. I read every single email :) Thanks for reading Aisha Preece from Outandbeyond.com PS: I share my bare minimum low-effort strategy to grow my blogs on my Instagram stories — if you want more behind-the-scenes like this, come hang out: @aishapreece PPS; I'd love you to join my snail mail; it's the cost of a meal or two coffees and SO worth it :) PPPS: I went for a hike after writing this email, and it was glorious! Here are some pics My Courses:
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Out And Beyond | Blogging & Side Hustle Tips
Hi, I'm Aisha and I love helping others achieve financial independence though blogging. I run a portfolio of 6 blogs and teach others how to grow and monetise their blogs using evergreen strategies that don't stress you out! Follow me for valuable blogging tips and digital nomad hacks.
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