Want to turn the expertise you ALREADY have…into RECURRING income? Join me for a fun LIVE interview with Stu McLaren – one of our Funnel Hacking LIVE speakers!
Stu is an entrepreneur and Membership Expert, and founder of the non-profit organization, Village Impact. For the past 12 years, he has worked closely with tens of thousands of authors, speakers, coaches, consultants and business owners to transform what they already have expertise in (and are passionate about) into RECURRING revenue.
Many marketers often wonder, “How can I earn MORE income from what I’m doing?” or “How do I get MORE customers/members?” or “How do I get them to actually STICK for a longer period of time?”
During this interview, I can’t wait to hear more details on Stu’s journey to success, and have him share how he discovered the special membership funnel he teaches/uses to get the MOST members the fastest… With this funnel, you can turn what you ALREADY know into recurring revenue through a PAID membership. Then, on stage at FHL, he’ll go deeper into the detailed framework and process behind how his membership funnel works!
What’s up everybody I’m here today with One of my favorite people on this planet Mr Stu McLaren Stu how are you feeling Today dude it is a good day for a good Day that’s all I gotta say actually Totally be a t-shirt somebody should Make that and sell as oh my gosh This is such good news for whoever like Made that shirt it’s already been made Yeah there you go oh man I’m so pumped We are sitting here talking about funnel Hacking live and um uh as you Pro I Don’t know if you haven’t you’ve been Watching moving to our speaker Interviews last few weeks I’m so excited To uh have you on because you’re coming Back to final hockey live and you’ve Been there every single one because Um you and your wife’s charity um are Like every year we donate a bunch of Money to you guys Um but this is the second year right I Think the second time you ever had a Chance to actually speak and like Talking like all these cool things which Is exciting yeah so this year is super Special you’re right uh I have been at Every single uh funnel Hocking live and Super grateful to be there I mean time Out for everybody how amazing is it if You’re running a non-profit to say hey Uh Stu can you come to the event so we Can give you a big check uh yeah uh I’ll Be there every single time
Um so by my friends it’s really easy so I’m always grateful uh to be at funnel Hacking live this year does Mark the Second time that I’ll be speaking from Stage about something other than the Charity which is memberships and I’m Really stoked for this year’s Presentation I’m so excited too Um partially so this is this is like Student eye behind the scenes It’s like Because as you guys know for years I ran A membership site and then a print Newsletter and then like I remember I Was going to shut it down do you Remember the story I was like I’m tired And I’m gonna shut it down and she was Like no no shut it down do this one Little campaign and then so I did this Campaign you probably remember the Numbers better than me so I did a little Campaign you told me to make double the Size of membership in like a weekend and I was like okay I guess I’ll keep it for A little bit longer you’re like okay I’ll give it a try and you let’s just be Honest haphazardly did the campaign I Wanted it to fail I did wanted to fail I Wanted to be done and then you’re like Dang it it’s like it’s it’s really good Now oh it’s so good so we ran that and Then as you know uh last year we bought Dan Kennedy’s company which honestly if You look at Dan’s company it is a Membership company um it’s a newsletter
With membership site and levels and so I’ve re-geeked out I’ve gone hardcore Back into it and so selfishly Um as we were planning fun hockey live This year I was like man I want Stu to Come back um because Um it’s like one of my number one like Focuses there’s two or three focuses Like number one is Click funnels Obviously number two is like the Magnetic marketing marketing Secrets Membership site and newsletter growing That and so um I was like I want you to Come back because Um I haven’t thought about or talked About and gone deep in memberships for So long and this is the world that you Live in this is all you think about and You do and you and you talk about and so Um I’m I’m pumped that do I tell people Kind of your background how you got into This this world outside of the fact that Just you guys know soon I’ve been Hanging out at events and stuff since we Were like 10 years old but it feels like That it’s been like almost 20 years I Think since we’ve been friends hanging Out right like it has been dude it that Is crazy to think about uh it was 2004 Uh 2004 and then we Um again we did a partnership and worked Together in 2005 but it’s crazy yeah It’s coming up uh you know not too far Uh from 20 years of friendship and just
You know doing the growing businesses And all the all the good things together But um so how do you keep playing like Memberships that’s what I’m curious Because I know I kind of know but Foreign Yeah so I I mean mean maybe a lot of People can relate like I I had a Consulting business and it was going Really great you know so from 2005 to 2009 uh I had a Consulting business and Affiliate management business that’s What I was doing I was behind the scenes I was managing high profile affiliate Programs we were doing multi-million Dollar launches this is back in the day Before even YouTube this is before even YouTube like this is how old Russell and I are and internet marketing so Um but that was my background and the Business was great but uh my wife and I Got married in 2007 and then we started Having serious talks about starting a Family and what I realized was that I Was not going to be the present husband And father that I wanted to be because I Was working from early morning till late At night I was burning the candle at Both ends and the only way to grow the Business was to give more time and I Didn’t have any more time to give so at That point was it was a turning point For me because I had a conversation with One of our mutual friends and mentors
Armand Morin and he said to me he said Sue you what you ought to do is teach What you’re doing in the Consulting Business in a membership and I was like What’s that and he said think of it this Way he said it’s about taking what You’re doing one-on-one for your clients And instead teaching it one to many and Being able to scale that and it not Require any more effort on your end and I was like okay I’m in so I started Going down this road but this was in 2008 and the tech back then is not what The tech is today so I was deep in Things like HT access files and server Settings like dude I mean neither of us Are technical either just yeah no it’s Not like we know what we’re talking About that is like a whole nother level You know and and I’m swimming in that Stuff and and it ended up I had a Conversation with um somebody who became A business partner his name was Tracy Childers and I was moaning and groaning And I just said to him I’m like dude all I want to do is I just want to teach Like I don’t want to deal with all this Stuff and he said well what would it Look like if you created like the Perfect membership platform and I Started like telling him blah blah And then he said well why don’t we Create it together And I was like okay time out Trace like
Did you hear anything that I just said Like I am not The Tech Guy I’m not gonna Be able to program something and he said Why don’t we partner he said I got a Great program that I’ve been working With and we can make it happen we did That was in 2008 we created what ended Up becoming the world’s number one Membership platform for WordPress that Was called wishlist member and with that Company we grew in a six year period Where you know we were powering over 70 000 online communities and memberships And Russell that’s where I learned what Works in growing a membership and what Doesn’t when you’re behind the scenes With that many membership sites yeah you See the few that are growing year over Year while everybody else is either Flatlined or decreasing so I paid Attention to the few and that’s what I’ve been teaching ever since it’s how To grow successful membership sites it’s So fascinating I mean literally the same Thing I do in Click funnel size like What are the funnels that are crushing It every single day I get emails like The best ones it’s like I go see it and Watch it and helps you to become like Sharper and sharper and like really Fine-tune everything yeah you notice the Nuances that make a big big difference In the growth of the Exactly it like you know it’s an unfair
Advantage you know when you’re behind The scenes being able to see that volume Of uh sites grow and uh yeah it’s been Fun because since the there you go Actually go to unfair advantage.com just So you know so there you go oh dude That’s Logo I got created this is off topic but You just said that one of my favorite Words uh well there we go you know this Total you know Russell to have a promotion it write it Right it’s coming up Yeah so that’s the background and and I Love this stuff dude I have uh been Working literally with tens of thousands Of people uh and helping them grow Memberships in all kinds of markets from Photography and calligraphy to Fitness And finance and music and art and health And dog training heck uh we even have Membership sites in things like uh pet Um uh uh influencers like I don’t know If you’ve ever heard this Market but It’s yeah it’s crazy but uh there’s a Market for everybody and and we’ve been Helping them grow memberships uh and It’s been super exciting so cool ah Anyway well I’m pumped and then uh right Before we click go on this you told me We were talking about funnel acting live And I freaked out even more because I Didn’t even know that was the the title Of the presentation or the the direction
We want to tell people what you’re Talking about day number one at funnel Hacking live this year yeah so we’re Gonna talk about memberships and I’m Specifically going to dive into nine Nine different membership funnels and so Many times people think about Memberships like there’s you know Essentially one way to sell it no in Fact there are a whole bunch of Different ways to sell it and each of Them have different nuances that make Them work and we’re gonna break them Down there’s nine different membership Funnels and we’ll talk about like what They are what makes them work and we’ll Give a whole bunch of different examples Like you’ll hear about like Julie Soul As an example so Julie she did not have An audience did not have a membership When the pandemic began but she was Somebody who she just loves art and so When the pandemic happened and her kids Were home she’s like I’m gonna make the Most epic art lessons for my kids so she Did and her kids obviously were having The greatest of time and then she had Friends of hers that were coming over And said wait a minute like can you can You teach my kids these artists these Are amazing so she started a Facebook Group you know free Facebook grouping She just started sharing these art Lessons the group grew to about 2 000
People and then she did a particular Membership funnel that we’re gonna walk Through and she grew from zero to more Than a thousand paying members per month In less than six months and we’re gonna Break that all down she now by the way Has a heck of a lot more than that but Uh these are the kinds of examples we’re Going to walk you through what they are How they did it and there’s nine Different membership funnels it’s gonna Be amazing Stu is speaking my love Language talking about membership Funnels which I’m so excited for Um yeah we’ve so far with everything We’re doing in the Dan Kennedy business We’ve been Excuse me man I’m losing my voice uh We’ve been focused on one funnel type so I’m pumped to figure out what the what The nine are because I’m gonna start Adding all of our Playbook as well and Bring more people in so I’m excited man Yeah I’m curious those who are like Watching right now we have some people Watching live some movie a lot of we Watch the replays we boost this um on All the different platforms but I’m Curious like Um if any of you guys like you have Membership started now posted or if You’re like I’m thinking about one or Like I’ve got the skill set in blah Pet trading or arts or whatever your
Thing is like what could it what could It be because Um if you have an idea or could come With an idea when you come to Fond du Lac live We Can Make It Real and then Just like the story you just told like During the pandemic blew this thing up Like you guys could do the same kind of Thing in your business post fhl as well Yeah and there’s a lot of myths you know That we’re going to also speak to Russell like uh misconcept All the time like one by the way is you Know to keep the membership open all the Time and uh one of the things that’s Counterintuitive counter-intuitive is The art of actually closing the Membership and you may think like wait a Minute like if I close the membership Doesn’t make sense like nobody’s gonna Be able to join but I’m gonna show you a Variety of different examples whereby Closing the membership will actually Help you grow so much faster but there’s Interesting nuances to this Russell Because you know in my experience Literally working with tens of thousands There tends to be different phases of Growth so there’s a gr there’s a phase To grow quickly in the beginning uh There’s a phase to grow to about 3 000 Monthly members and then there’s a phase Uh to grow from three thousand to tens Of thousands now each different phase
Requires a different strategy so no Matter where you are in your journey Whether you’re right in the beginning or Whether you are a seasoned Pro there’s a Different strategy for the season that You’re in we’re going to break all that Down because keeping it open all the Time without giving somebody a reason to Join is a foolproof way to fail with Your membership growth Dude you’re just reteaching me stuff and This is funny because the campaign um That you had me do I talked about very Beginning this Facebook live Um was uh was basically that campaign Because I was gonna shut it down you’re Like wait shut it down but do this Instead and then yeah we doubled Membership base in like a weekend and so Um that’s actually really fascinating I Totally forgot about that and as I’m Thinking about the Dan Kennedy business Anyway sorry And and it’s it’s it’s fun dude because You know we have people in our community Who you know have grown from literally Just like a handful of members like Um uh I think of Jennifer Chamberlain Okay so Jennifer she is like uh as and These are her words she’s like a 50-something technophobe who you know Has you know was you know Tech is not The the thing uh on her radar whatsoever And she didn’t have an audience but she
Started really small and she started With 30 founding members of her Membership well after year one she’s Grown that to 100 after year two she had Grown that to 200 but then in year three She hit this inflection point and this Inflection point came from a particular Strategy that we may or may not talk About a funnel hacking live but she went From a couple hundred members to more Than 2 000 members in that next uh in That third year so what sparked that Incredible growth we’ll talk about Examples of people who have grown Memberships to literally tens of Thousands of people I may or may not Share an example of a membership that Has more than 50 000 monthly paying Members and by the way when you do the Math on this yes that is a multi-8 Figure membership they’re on their way To nine figures with a single fifty Dollar a month membership they do not Sell anything else they just have this 150 a month membership if you’re Interested and curious about what that Is and how they grew so quick we’re Going to talk about it at funnel hacking Live dude I’m pumped okay so if you Don’t have your tickets for Hawking live Yet you’re insane because this is Literally happening let me take my Countdown clock Hold it down we’re like 40 something
Days away from final acting live like a Little over a month which means now is The time you guys to get your tickets if You already got your tickets like I’m Excited for you this party’s gonna be Amazing um Stu speaking day number one So make sure you are not late Um and then uh if you haven’t got your Tickets yet now is the time the Roomblock’s almost sold out and I think That we are uh any speaker bonuses are Going away I believe next week so now It’s time to get your ticket to Funnelhackinglive.com which Speaking of Speaker bonuses do like if somebody is Like thinking about coming but like I Don’t know if I if I’m gonna come yet do You have any kind of bonus you could put Into like just shove somebody over the Edge so they have to come I’m gonna give People uh an incredible bonus um Especially if you have been thinking About a membership but you’ve been you Know a little fuzzy around what it might Look like because I get this question All the time like Stu you know would a Membership be a right fit for my market You know everybody’s got a different Market and everybody has you know Sometimes a challenge around wrapping Their head around would it be a fit for My market so yeah I’ve got a Bonus it’s Called membership idea and in this Three-part training uh three different
Uh parts to it we break down like number One getting clear on your membership Idea number two how to position your Idea for your market and number three How to nail your messaging because so Often people think that oh if I just Tell people there’s a whole bunch of Stuff behind this paywall they’re Automatically going to want uh to get in They’ll see the value and it’s one of Those myths that people don’t pay for a Whole lot of information that’s one of The last things that they’re interested In even more so now than ever before so How do you position it and how do you Nail the messaging of a membership so That you massively increase conversions You’re gonna get that bonus it’s a Three-part training we’re gonna give it To you free when you go get your ticket To funnel hacking live go to Funnelhackinglive.com get your ticket Today dude that’s awesome so all you Guys you have 45 days to get your ticket And then go in there and like go through Sue’s training prepare yourself and then Day number one he’s going to show you Guys the nine funnels There we go there’s nine funnels uh to Get people into your membership site Which is exciting and I just want people To understand like Um the first time I ever had a Membership site
Um the the freedom it gave me because I Remember my wife and I just got married I was trying to figure like how do I Support her you know and I remember uh At the time we wanted to get a new car a New car was like 600 bucks a month for Monthly payment I remember I was like That’s a lot like that’s a big stress to Take that on and at the time I launched This little membership site and I think I was charging 30 bucks a month I did The math I was like 30 bucks a month if I had 10 people that’s 300 a month if I Have 20 people at 600 a month if I get 20 people during membership the car is Now free and like that aha hat I was Like oh my gosh I worked my butt off Like a week and a half two weeks out 20 Members in I was like I had a free car And I was like oh my gosh like I have a Little house I should upgrade my house I Was like how many members do I have to Have to upgrade my house and I remember The house of the time I wanted it was Like Um and house prices have changed I feel Like it was like I needed like 100 120 Members or something to cover my house Payment I was like I could do that and When I spent like three or four months Got 120 members like my house is free Now and I think if you guys realize it From that standpoint it’s like what do You want in life okay go and create
Something to go and get it what I want With this go get it and like though like It gives you the ability literally to Write your own paychecks and so uh it’s Just really powerful we start Understanding the how it works the Interesting thing part about this Russell is that like when you look at uh So many companies now you start to see This huge transition toward a membership And subscription model you’ve been uh Sure to write it from the get-go click Funnels membership subscription Dan Kennedy membership is a subscription Like at the end of the day there’s a Reason why companies are moving this way Stability predictability and this is What we want for all business owners Everybody watching and coming to funnel Hacking live and Russell I I want I was I’m gonna flip a question back to you Because you know as we talk talk about We’ve known each other for many many Years and there was a phone call that You and I had way back in I was around Uh December time and it was a point in Your business that was like a really Fragile moment and I remember like we Were talking about like the newsletter Uh and uh and then I said go listen to This audio and uh you listened to it and Then after that you launched your uh Paid uh newsletter subscription and it Was a it was a a real pivotal moment and
I was I wanted to ask you like why did You decide in that moment to go Subscription because I think that’s Important for everybody here this is a Big deal this was back this is a long Time ago this is during my first Business cycle I built it and crashed And yeah that’s great that’s like such a Fun story I was Christmas time I was out Hating Christmas lights I was listening Stu on my little headphones this is Pretty iPhone pretty anything so a Little like tape or whatever we had Anyway Um but the biggest problem is like I was In a launch business where I launched Something and make much money and then It’s like feast and then famine and They’d wait and then we launched Something and fail failed in the fourth Launcher would like to make much money Again and it’s like the cycle kept Happening and uh when you send me that Stuff about continuity and memberships And newsletter and stuff like that I was Like hey I need this because I get Stressing me out I have employees I got People who rely on me I need to pay Every single month and I had no Predictive building my business at all And so when we launched our very first Um continuity thing ever our first Newsletter Um it changed everything because now I
Had stability I knew every single month There was like 50 Grand a month coming In which means I could cover payroll Like have staff and I could buy Advertising and I could eat which was Awesome for my wife and our brand new Twin boys you know like Um yeah it just it shifted everything For me and um as you know like you said Like our whole business moving forward Has always been continuity like click Funnels came out like that was the thing Like it’s this thing where every single One people were paying and uh when They’re doing that like it changes it Changes everything now you can you can Plan you can forecast you can sleep well At night because the continuity is Coming in every single month I I think That’s it you know Russell like when I Think about what we get to do as Entrepreneurs it’s incredibly exciting But let’s not discount the fact that There are moments of stress and this Subscription and continuity and Membership is the number one way to Eliminate so much of that stress as Entrepreneurs and give you that Stability to be able to be creative to Be able to test different campaigns to Be able to try new ideas without the Worry that it has to succeed because you Got the stability of that recurring Revenue this is why I’m so excited we’re
Going to break down these nine different Membership funnels I’m going to show you How to effectively sell and position Your membership to the hit the ground Running and you continue to grow year Over year over year So awesome man ah can I wait are you Guys we’re like 45 days away go get your Tickets funnelhackylive.com you’ll get Stu’s bonus all the other speakers Bonuses and give me speaker bonuses I Believe expire next week so that means If you sign up in a week now you get None of the cool stuff that all the Speakers been throwing in especially Stu’s bonus which is awesome so Um man thank you I can’t wait to see you And hang out with you it’s been way too Long Um and we’re not that far away from it Now which is which is awesome I’m Excited make sure everybody get your Seat belts ready Buckle in on day number One because we are gonna hit the ground Flying my friends it’s gonna be awesome All right thank you stu thank you Everybody we’ll see you guys in 45 days
