The Next Chapter

The year 2008 marked the time I joined the club and one of my most trusted acquaintances at the time. Stu McLaren and I put our expertise and came up with Member.

We never imagined that we'd embark on an incredible trip that was unimaginable. WordPress expanded rapidly. It was an exciting period. It was difficult to determine the answer, but there were a number of indicators that suggested WordPress could outdo Joomla and Drupal.

In order to better comprehend, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga have become popular within the modern music world. A lot of our present members were in elementary school when we began to establish ourselves.

In the world of internet-based marketing, discussion about membership websites were everywhere. There weren't many alternatives for building a membership-based website using WordPress. Many development companies focused on themes. Thus, the marketplace for premium plug-ins was almost absent.

We saw this as an opportunity to get into immediate action. Mike Lopez was our Jedi programmers who had the ability to create anything we put him to the test. The first version of Member on his own in less than 3 months.

Like my prior business that dealt with software, we realized the opportunity to develop an efficient solution to the common problem. We're not surprised that Members experienced rapid growth. The beginning of the majority of our sales came by word-of-mouth. The company grew by about a year after which we spent nothing for marketing.

They are opportunities that an Entrepreneur hopes to get the best of.

At the beginning of our journey when we first started, we got the first inquiry about selling our company. It was flattering but they wanted established brands where the founder had chosen to retire. We were young and full of life and enthusiasm, therefore it made zero sense.

Ultimately, the first inquiry proved to be a valid confirmation. Members were always "Built to sell" There were many who were interested.

After the initial inquiry, I had a conversation with a colleague who I also considered a trusted adviser. His entrepreneurial experience includes owning several different businesses. One of these is a Venture Capital Company. Its founder has also sold many firms in the last few years. So it's not a surprise that this person is a pro.

My friend gave me some helpful advice. He said, "the secret to selling an organization is to find the buyers and make sure that everything that you conduct about your business is a perfect match."

The suggestion made lots of logic to me, but I ran into a few minor problems. For one, when you're a company with partners, you're not creating a company that one person would like to be a part of. The partners are able to reach an agreement on how to construct. A second reason is we are unable to identify the purchaser.

There was a period when Stu and I formed Mike as a minor partnership. This was likely in the year 2010.

The web landscape was transformed dramatically during the final quarter of 2014. Stu decided to pursue his love of teaching and focus specifically on training people to grow successful membership websites. Mike along with me both continued to work for the software company.

At the time I was the biggest shareholder, as well as a the majority shareholder. It was scary as well as exhilarating simultaneously.

My team of leaders and I went on a trip to Colorado in order to focus on getting ready for.

It was clear we had to perform some adjustments. The company needed to shift its focus on the things we've accomplished over the years and get certain of what we're able to accomplish in the near future. Personally, I'd like to get rid of thinking about creating the kind of company that I imagined someone might want to acquire and to begin thinking about the sort of business I'd like to lead.

The past several decades have taught me several things. One simple lesson is that Isolation can be fatal to entrepreneurs. The running of a business is very lonely at moments. You absolutely must have friends and relations that help you bring peace and harmony to your business.

There is no way to know how a relationship can turn to friendship...

I was introduced to Micah Mitchell at a conference. At the time, he worked with someone who sold the same software as Member. A lot of people could have believed that they would be among the top competitors. I wasn't thinking much about the matter, but I just felt the guy was great and would like acquainted with him.

In the next few decades, Micah had decided to leave his previous firm and was launching a firm called Memberium. Also, it was the case that people considered him even more of a rival. The only thing I could remember was that I loved him.

The proof was in the fact that I bumped across him at the security checkpoint in the terminal. We enjoyed a wonderful chat, talking about what both of us was doing, and then discovered that we had been assigned to share a seat in the airplane. Is this just a ploy? Most likely, someone was able to set this up. It was just a coincidence.

In the same time the group began brainstorming ideas for the most effective April Fool's joke that we could come up with. We made the announcement that Micah has recently purchased Member. It was fun to consider that it could be called Memberium. We might add 360 to the title for a kick. Some people who read this will be able to comprehend.

It began as an unintentionally offered seat in front of my software competitor (thanks Delta!) turned into a valuable friendship. The group would meet monthly to discuss matters of business over dinner for the next couple of years. Unfortunately, the meetings came to an end as my family and me returned to Tennessee. Many great friendships were formed in Utah as well. It was truly difficult leaving the people to go.

I enjoy developing software. It's thrilling to see an idea come to life is exhilarating. It's particularly thrilling when you're part of an amazing team and your product has more features than you thought it could be. A great illustration is our latest release for the Courses Add-Ons that are available to Members.

As exciting as all of this sounds, the fact is that it's also a lot of work. Just when you get to the 1-yard mark and you're getting close to scoring it's possible that you'll be in the air exhausted by all your effort.

When we had finished with the development and the plan to release the product, I found myself feeling very fatigued. I started to realise the best option was to find a true market partner. Someone who understood the market and could help to move my member to the next level. I've made a few phone calls to my most reliable business contacts. My wife has informed me that Micah is on my shortlist. I told her I would reach out to him the following day.

The moment I first called Micah I called Micah and he replied to me via a text message. It was like having a conversation with Micah in the airplane. You can't help but feel that there's a purpose behind everything.

Discussions grew into the idea of selling Member to Micah's firm MemberShipper which is the company that is supporting Memberium. What we'd been working on using Member was exactly the type of business that MemberShipper would like to expand their portfolio.

Recently, I've had a lot of inquiries about selling the business. It's never been a good fit until now. This was a huge issue for me to watch Member grow as a company. I also wanted to make sure that our incredible staff would be taken care of.

Every stage of the process was more apparent that it was the best option for the Team, Members and the thousands and thousands of wonderful customers that have supported us throughout the years.

I'm very grateful for the leaders on both sides. They've done their best to make the transition as easy for me. It's awe-inspiring to observe the group work in a cohesive manner.

One of the most frequent questions I get now is "What's happening to you? ".

Though I believe I'd do really well retirement is it really necessary? to take a sabbatical. I'm hoping to have an extended period of space for me.

What's all this about when you're a member customer?

In the simplest terms, be sure that the team will keep coming up with new ideas. The Members platform is constantly improved and refined. This company won't stop.

I'm determined to work with Micah along with Micah and the other team members all year. They have put me in an opportunity that could describe as my ideal job. I'm currently the "Director of Strategic Partnerships" for both brands controlled by MemberShipper.

Expect to meet me at numerous conferences in the near future. The goal of my work is to deliver the most value possible over the next 12 months. I am excited to watch Member progress further under Micah's direction.

There's a chance that I'll be around for much longer than I ever expected.

I've never felt more confident about the future of Member than I do now. The company is just beginning to begin.

Read Micah's complete announcement regarding the acquisition on this page.

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