Our Next Chapter

When I was in 2008, I joined with one of my best friends at the time. Stu McLaren and I put our skills together and created Member.

We didn't know we would embark on an amazing and thrilling adventure. WordPress is growing at an impressive rate. It was a thrilling time. Nothing was clear but there were a number of signs suggesting that WordPress will outdo Joomla and Drupal.

In order to put it in perspective, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga had been making waves when they first entered the music scene. A few of our current team members were in the first grade of school at the time we established ourselves.

In the world of online marketing discussion about membership websites were the talk of the town. Unfortunately, there weren't many options to create an online membership website using WordPress. Many development companies focussed on themes. Consequently, the premium plugin market was essentially non-existent.

We saw this as an opportunity and acted immediately. Mike Lopez was our Jedi engineer who could design anything we challenged him with. He developed the first version of Member by himself in just 3 months.

As with my previous business in the field of software, we noticed the need for a solution, so we developed a solid answer to the common challenge. It's no surprise that Member saw some RAPID Growth. The first year, it was all about words of mouth. We grew for well over a year before we spent not a cent on advertising.

These are the opportunities entrepreneurs dream of.

At the beginning of our journey when we first started, we got our first request for information about selling the company. The response was very flattering, however they wanted established brands where the owner had decided to go home. We were fresh and full of energy, so it made absolutely no sense.

The first question provided a strong confirmation. Member was always "Built to Sell" as were people who were interested.

After the initial inquiry I had a conversation with a friend who I also believed to be a trustworthy adviser. His entrepreneurial experience includes owning several different businesses. One of those is one that is a Venture Capital Firm. He had also sold several businesses previously. It's no surprise that this guy knows his stuff.

My friend shared a valuable piece of advice. He stated, "the secret to selling your business is to find out who is buying and to make your company an ideal fit."

This advice made lots of sense to me but I had a few minor issues. The first is that when you're an associate, you're not building a company that one person desires. It's a joint venture that the partners agree to build together. Second, we could never find the buyer.

There was a time when Stu and I formed Mike the minority partner. I believe it was in 2010.

The landscape changed dramatically in the latter half of 2014. Stu determined to follow his love of teaching and focus specifically on training others to build effective membership websites. Mike and I both remained at the software firm.

Suddenly, I became the major shareholder alongside the Member. It was both scary and exciting at the same time.

Our leadership team and I went on a trip to Colorado for a focus on planning.

It was clear we had to perform some recalibration. We needed to stop focusing on the things we've accomplished through the years, and instead get focused on what we can accomplish in the future. Personally, I wanted to put aside the idea of building the kind of company that I imagined that someone might want to purchase and begin thinking about the sort of company I'd want to own.

The last few months have shown me numerous things. The most important lesson I learned is that Isolation kills entrepreneurs. Being in business can be quite lonely at moments. You absolutely must have relationships and friendships that can assist you in creating harmony and balance to your force.

You never know how a relationship can turn into connection...

I was introduced to Micah Mitchell at a conference. At the time, he was working with a person who was selling a software product similar to Member. A lot of people would have thought that they were the most serious competitors. It wasn't something I thought about. the matter and felt that he was a great guy and I'd like to get acquainted with him.

A few years later and Micah was leaving his former collaboration and founded a business called Memberium. In the past, many would have considered him even more of a competitor now. What I did know was that I liked the guy.

This was reinforced when I ran into him at the security line at the airport. We enjoyed a wonderful conversation, discussing what both of us were working on We then discovered we were assigned to sit close to one another on the flight. Was this a joke? Sure, somebody lined it up. Nope, it was completely random.

In a funny twist, during that same trip, we began brainstorming about the ultimate April Fool's day joke, where we'd announce that Micah just acquired Member. We laughed that it could be called Memberium. Perhaps we'll add 360 onto the name for kicks. The few who are reading this article might be able to understand.

The first time I was assigned seat next to my software competition (thanks Delta!) was transformed into a long-lasting friendship. The two of us would meet every month to discuss business issues over lunch for the next few years. Unfortunately, our conversations ended after my family and I moved back to Tennessee. We made some great friendships during our time in Utah which was painful to say goodbye.

I love developing software. The thrill of having an idea become a reality is thrilling. It's especially thrilling when you're working with an awesome team and the product grows more than you ever thought that it could be. One great example is our latest release for the Courses Add-Ons for Member.

As exciting as all of this sounds, the fact is, it's also difficult. Just when you get to the one-yard line and it's close to scoring, you can also be running on empty from all your hard work.

Just as we were wrapping 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 marketing partner. An entity that was knowledgeable of the marketplace and could assist me move my Member up to the next step. I made a couple of calls to my most trusted business acquaintances. My wife told me that Micah ought to be on the shortlist. I promised my wife that I would contact him the following day.

Before I even contacted Micah, he randomly sent me an SMS message. It was similar to sitting with him on the flight. Sometimes you just know there is a reason for everything.

Our discussions progressed into an idea to sell Member to Micah's firm MemberShipper who is also the organization that supports Memberium. It turns out what we were building with Member was precisely what MemberShipper was looking to add to their portfolio.

In the past I've received a lot of questions about selling the business. The majority of them didn't feel quite right, until this moment. It was crucial for me to have Member remain a strong brand. Additionally, I wanted to make sure that the amazing staff was properly taken care of.

Each step, it became more and more clear it was the right next step for Member as well as the team, and for the thousands and thousands of amazing customers who have stayed with us for so long.

I'm incredibly thankful for the leaders on both side. They have been working hard to make this transition 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 right now is "What's coming up in your life?".

Although I think I'd be REALLY good at being retired, what do I need really is a break. I am planning to take an extended period of time for myself.

What's the significance of this when you're a member customer?

In the simplest terms, expect the team to continue innovating and Members is constantly being developed and enhanced. It's not going anywhere.

I am committed to working alongside Micah as well as the rest of the team for one entire year. They have put me into a position which could be described as my ideal job. I'm now the "Director of Strategic Partnerships" for both brands that are owned by MemberShipper.

Expect to see me at many events in the near future. My personal strategy is to give the most value possible in the coming year. It is my dream to see Member move further with Micah's direction.

Perhaps I'll remain around more time than you imagined.

I've never been more optimistic in regards to the future of member than I do now. We are just getting started.

The full message on the acquisition here.

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