Our Next Chapter

2008 was the year that I formed a team in 2008 together with one of my closest acquaintances at the time. Stu McLaren and I put our expertise together to form Members.

We didn't know we would be embarking on an incredible and unprecedented trip. WordPress had been growing at an impressive pace. It was an exciting time. It was unclear, however there was a lot of evidence to suggest that WordPress can beat Joomla and Drupal.

To put things in context, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga were making waves as newcomers on the scene of music. Some of the current participants were in the very first year of school when we started our journey.

The world of internet-based marketing, discussions about membership websites were popular. There were however, any options for creating an online website for membership using WordPress. Most development companies were focused on themes. Thus, the premium-plugin market was not even a thing.

We considered this to be an opportunity to take action quickly. Mike Lopez was our Jedi programmers who had the ability to design whatever we requested him to develop. He developed the first version of Member single-handed in less than three months.

As with my previous business in the field of software there was a need, and came up with the ideal solution to the problem that everyone faces. Needless to say, Member experienced some rapid growth. The initial year, the majority of sales came from word of mouth. Sales grew significantly beyond the year, and we didn't even spend a dime on advertising.

It is the potential that entrepreneurs dream of.

At the beginning of our journey at the time we started, we got our first enquiry about selling our company. The response was very flattering However, they were looking for well-established brands where the founder had chosen to leave. The company was young and full of energy So it was absolutely little sense.

At the end of the day, the initial inquiry provided a strong evidence. Members were always "Built to sell" as were also people interested.

After the initial inquiry I spoke to a friend who I also thought of as a reliable adviser. His entrepreneurial experience includes owning several different businesses. One of them is one which is an investment firm called Venture Capital. Also, he sold numerous businesses during the past. So it's not surprising that this guy is an expert.

A friend of mine shared an important point. He explained, "the secret to selling an organization is to find out who's buying it and make your company a perfect fit."

The suggestion made lots of logic, however there were some tiny issues. If you're working alongside an associate, you're building an organization that only one of the partners would like. It's a joint venture that the partners have worked out to create jointly. Another reason is there is no buyer.

In the course of time, Stu and I formed Mike a minority partner. It was probably the year 2010.

The landscape changed dramatically in the latter half of 2014. Stu decided to keep his enthusiasm for education and focusing on specifically training members to create effective membership websites. Mike along with me was employed at the company that developed software.

In a flash, I took on the role of major shareholder alongside the Member. It was terrifying but also thrilling all times.

My team of leaders and I made a visit to Colorado to concentrate on planning.

It was clear it was time to commence recalibration. It was now time to put aside the focus on what we've achieved over the years and become certain of what we are capable of doing in the years ahead. Personally, I was looking to get rid of the thought of creating the kind of company that I had imagined some one would want to acquire and instead think about the type of business I'd prefer to have.

The last few months have shown me a lot of things. One of the most obvious is that Isolation causes entrepreneurs to fail. Being in business can be quite lonely at times. It is essential to have connections and relationships that will aid in bringing peace and peace to your team.

There is no way to know when an acquaintance can develop into a real connection...

I met Micah Mitchell at a conference. In the moment, he was working with an individual selling an app like Member. A lot of people might have thought that they were among the most serious competitors. This wasn't something that I was thinking about. I just knew that the guy was great and I'd like to get acquainted with him.

The next couple of decades, Micah was leaving his former business and establishing a new company named Memberium. People might have thought he was much more of a threat. All I knew was that I loved his character.

The proof lay in the fact that I ran across him in the airport security line. We had an enjoyable conversation about what we had been up to on what we had been doing in our respective businesses after which we realized that the seats we'd been assigned were shared during the flight. Is this just a ploy? Most likely, someone came up with the whole thing up. It was just a coincidence.

In the same time we started thinking about the best April Fool's Day joke in which we'd reveal that Micah had just bought Member. It was hilarious to imagine that it could be named Memberium. It is possible to add 360 in the name to give it a more intriguing name. Some readers can understand.

The first time I was given seat in front of my software competition (thanks Delta!) turned into a valuable friendship. The two of us would meet regularly to talk about business over lunch for the next few years. Unfortunately, our conversations ended when my family and I moved back to Tennessee. Friendships were enjoyable while we were in Utah as well. It was a struggle to let them go.

I love developing software. The thrill of having an idea become a reality is thrilling. It's more thrilling working with an amazing team and the end product is better than you ever imagined it would be. An excellent example is the most current update of the courses and additions that are available to members.

While it's exciting to hear how it sounds, the reality is it can also be challenging. Once you've reached the limit of one yard and it's just a few yards from scoring, you could be on empty from all your efforts.

As we were wrapping up the development and planning for the launch of our new product, I started to get tired. I started to realise the best option would be to seek out a true partner in marketing. A partner that understood the marketplace and would help me move my Member towards the next level. I have made several calls to my most trusted friends from the business world. My wife informed me that Micah is among the prospective candidates. I told my wife I would reach out to him the following day.

When I phoned Micah Micah randomly texted me an SMS message. It was almost like sitting in a seat with Micah during the flight. It is sometimes easy to know when things happen for an intention.

The discussions led to the idea to sell Member to Micah's company MemberShipper who is also the group that is responsible for Memberium. What we were building with Member was precisely what MemberShipper wanted include in their portfolio.

Through the years I've received a lot of inquiries about selling the business. A majority of them didn't feel right until now. It was extremely important to me to ensure that Member remains a reputable name. Also, I wanted to be sure our amazing team will be properly looked after.

Every stage of the process was clearer that this was the best choice for the Member, the team and all the thousands of awesome customers who have helped us throughout the years.

I am extremely grateful for the leadership teams from both parties. They have been working hard to make the transition as easy as possible for me. It's awe-inspiring to watch everyone working cohesively.

The common question I'm getting right now can be "What's the next step to you? ".

Although I think I'd really enjoy retiring, what I really requires is some time to myself. I'm hoping to use the time to enjoy the time I deserve to spend with my family.

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

To put it in the most simple terms, expect the team to keep offering new ideas and the Member platform continues to be improved and refined. It's not going to stop.

I'm committed to working alongside Micah as well as the other members of the team for the whole year. I'm in a role which could be described as my ideal job. I'm now the "Director of Strategic Partnerships" for both the brand names that belong to MemberShipper.

You can expect to meet me at many gatherings throughout the next few months. My goal is to offer the most worth possible over the next year. It is my dream to be able to see Member take Micah's guidance.

Who knows, I may be around longer than I might have expected.

I've never been more optimistic regarding the future of the Member than I am now. It's just the beginning.

Read Micah's complete statement on the acquisition about the purchase here..

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