Our Next Chapter

When I was in 2008, I teamed together along with one of my closest friends of the moment. Stu McLaren and I put our skills together and created Member.

We had NO idea we would embark on an incredible and unimaginable journey. WordPress had been increasing at a phenomenal growth rate. It was a thrilling time. There was no clear answer, but there were many signs that WordPress would surpass both Joomla and Drupal.

To put this into context, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga became the talk of the town as newcomers on the scene of music. A few of our current team members were still in grade school at the time we established ourselves.

In the internet marketing world the discussion of membership sites were the talk of the town. Unfortunately, there weren't many options to create a membership site with WordPress. Many development companies concentrated on themes. Therefore, the premium plugin market was essentially absent.

We saw it as an opportunity to take action swiftly. Mike Lopez was our Jedi programmer, who was able to create whatever we challenged him with. He created the initial version of Member on his own in less than three months.

As with my previous companies in software, we also saw the need for a solution, so we developed an effective solution to this common problem. Needless to say, Member experienced some rapid growth. First year, sales were all driven by word of mouth. The company grew by more than a year before we spent not a cent on advertising.

They are the possibilities that an entrepreneur dreams of.

In the early days of our existence when we first started, we got our first enquiry about selling our business. This was a nice gesture, but they were seeking existing brands that had a strong owner who is ready to take a break. We were fresh and full of energy, so it made absolutely zero sense.

In the end, the initial inquiry provided a strong confirmation. The member was always "Built to Sell" as were people in the market.

Following the initial question I was talking to an acquaintance who I believed to be a trustworthy adviser. His entrepreneurial experience includes owning several different businesses. One of those is a Venture Capital Firm. The founder also sold numerous businesses during the past. It's no surprise that the guy is a pro.

A friend of mine shared an important tip. He said, "the secret to selling a company, is to determine who the purchaser will be and then make everything about your company a perfect fit."

The suggestion made lots of sense to me but there were some minor issues. The first is that when you're an associate, you're not building an organization that only one of the partners desires. It's a joint venture that the partners agree to build together. The second reason is that we cannot find the buyer.

At some point, Stu and I decided to make Mike an associate. I believe it was in the year 2010.

Things changed significantly in Late 2014. Stu made the decision to pursue his passion for education and concentrate on training others to build successful membership sites. Mike and I both remained at the software firm.

In a flash, I took on the role of largest shareholder along with member. It was both scary and exciting at the same time.

My team of leaders and I took a trip to Colorado in order to focus on the planning.

It became clear that we had to perform some recalibrating. The focus needed to shift on what we had accomplished in the past and get certain of what we are able to accomplish in the future. Personally, I had to stop thinking about building a company I thought that someone might want to purchase and think about the kind of company I would prefer to have.

The past several decades have taught me numerous things. One simple lesson is that Isolation is the death of entrepreneurs. Being in business can be quite lonely at times. There is no better way to build relationships and friendships that can aid in bringing balance and order to the forces.

It is impossible to predict the moment when a friendship will blossom into an actual connection...

I met Micah Mitchell at a conference. He was a partner with an individual who had an application similar to Member. Some would have considered the company to be a serious competitor. I wasn't thinking much about it , and simply felt I was an admirer of his and I'd like to get acquainted with him.

A few years later and Micah had left his prior partnership and started a company called Memberium. Again, people would have believed that he was even less of a rival. What I did know was that I loved him.

It was further confirmed when I ran into him at the security line at the airport. We enjoyed a wonderful time discussing the things each of us had been doing with our businesses We then discovered we were assigned to sit next to each other during the flight. Was this a joke? Surely, someone lined this up. Nope, it was completely random.

On that exact trip, we also began brainstorming about the ultimate April Fool's day joke, where we'd announce that Micah recently acquired Member. We thought it might be referred to as Memberium. Perhaps we'll add 360 on the title to make it more interesting. The few who are reading this article will be able to comprehend.

What started as a randomly assigned seat next to my software rival (thanks Delta!) was transformed into a long-lasting friendship. We would get together every month to discuss business issues over dinner for the next couple of years. Unfortunately, our conversations were over when my family and I returned to Tennessee. Our friendships were great throughout Utah as well. It was hard leaving them behind.

I enjoy designing software. The excitement of seeing the idea realized is exhilarating. It's particularly thrilling when you're working with an awesome team and your product is more than you ever thought it would be. An excellent example is our latest update for the courses add-ons available for member.

Although it's as exciting as this sounds, the fact is that it's also challenging. When you reach the 1-yard mark and you're nearing time to score, you can also be running through the air exhausted from all of your effort.

When we had finished up the development and planning to release the new product, I was feeling extremely tired. I started to realise that my best move would be to locate a genuine partner in marketing. Someone who understood the marketplace and could assist me take Member up to the next step. I made a couple of calls to my best business contacts. My wife told me that Micah is on my shortlist. I promised her to contact him the following day.

The moment I called Micah He randomly texted me an SMS message. It was kind of similar to sitting with him on the flight. It's not always easy to know when events happen because of a purpose.

Discussions grew to the idea of me selling Member to Micah's business MemberShipper which is also the one that is supporting Memberium. It turns out what we'd been working on with Member was exactly the kind of thing MemberShipper wanted to add to their portfolio.

Through the years, I've had hundreds of inquires about selling my company. None of them ever felt right until now. It was extremely important to me to have Member keep growing as a brand. I also wanted to make sure that the amazing staff would be looked after.

Each step, it became more and more apparent that it was the right future for Members, the team and the thousands and thousands wonderful customers that have been with our company for so long.

I am extremely grateful for the teams of leaders from both side. They've been hard at work to make the transition as effortless as it can be for me. It's very impressive to observe all of them working together.

One of the most frequent questions I get currently is "What's next in your life?".

While I do think I'd be REALLY good at retiring, what I truly need is a break. I'm planning to take the time to enjoy some well-deserved personal time.

What's the significance of this if you're a Member customer?

To put it in simple terms, you can be sure that the team will continue offering new ideas and the Member platform is constantly being developed and enhanced. This isn't going away.

I am committed to working alongside Micah as well as the rest of the team for a full year. They have put me in a job that could easily be called my dream job. I'm the new "Director of Strategic Partnerships" for both brands that are owned by MemberShipper.

You can expect to meet me at several events in the near future. My personal strategy is to offer the most value possible over the course of the year. I am excited to watch Member advance up to the next step under Micah's leadership.

Who knows, I may stay around for more time than you imagined.

I've never felt more confident regarding the future of Member as I feel now. We are just getting started.

You can read Micah's full message regarding the acquisition right here.

It is also possible to like...