Wordpress Memberships Business

2 Wordpress Memberships Business Success Stories [2024]

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Updated: October 8th, 2024

Looking to build a recurring revenue stream online? Consider a WordPress memberships business. This model involves creating a website where users pay for access to exclusive content, tools, or services.

Starting a WordPress memberships site is straightforward. You'll need a WordPress website, a membership plugin, and valuable content or services that people are willing to pay for. It could be anything from tutorial videos, downloadable resources, to a niche community forum.

The real appeal lies in the potential for predictable, ongoing income. Once set up, your primary task will be to keep your content engaging and valuable to retain members. Unlike one-off sales, this model fosters long-term relationships with your audience.

Take the plunge into the world of WordPress memberships if you’re ready for a business that promises sustainability and growth through ongoing value delivery.

In this list, you'll find real-world wordpress memberships business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a wordpress memberships business that makes money.

1. Paid Memberships Pro ($1.2M/year)

After building various websites for clients, Jason and Kimberly Coleman realized the value of focusing on a niche and creating repeatable work. In 2010, they identified a need for a membership platform specifically for WordPress sites and developed Paid Memberships Pro. They launched the plugin in 2011, offering it for free with paid support plans, and eventually shifted to annual pricing to provide ongoing value to customers. The business steadily grew, reaching $100k per month in revenue by 2020.

How much money it makes: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $30K
How many people on the team: 15

How We Developed A $100K/Month Paid Memberships Plugin For WordPress

Learn how two entrepreneurs developed a successful open-source membership plugin for WordPress that brought in an average of $100k per month in revenue and grew to over 100,000 sites while offering premium add-ons and support services.

Read this case study

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2. LifterLMS ($750K/year)

Chris Badgett noticed a problem during his time running a WordPress agency where they built high-end training-based membership sites from scratch. There wasn't an all-in-one solution that combined membership, LMS, eCommerce, and gamification functionalities. This problem became clear from his personal experience working with clients who needed comprehensive and integrated learning management features.

To validate the idea, Chris proposed the concept to his existing clients and received encouraging feedback, leading to the development of LifterLMS. They started with pre-sales and got 42 customers, including some high-end agency clients, which further validated the need. Balancing resources between client work and product development was a challenge, but they managed by reinvesting service profits into the plugin.

The key lesson Chris learned was the importance of validating the idea with real customers and being willing to invest heavily in development while keeping a close connection with the target audience's needs. This approach ensured that they were solving a genuine problem effectively.

How much money it makes: $750K/year
How many people on the team: 22