How a harpist monetized her blog and built a business with a membership community

Most knowledge entrepreneurs who offer a subscription based product do so only after creating standalone products like courses. However, harpist Anne Sullivan  subverted the norm - she jumped headfirst into a membership product when she decided to monetize her successful blog following.

She joined Kajabi in April of 2016. Six years later, she’s going strong with a blog, podcast, online courses, practice journals, playbook digital downloads, and of course, the My Harp Mastery membership.

Read on to learn about how a subscription membership helped Anne build a business out of her blog.

Why did you decide to jump into knowledge commerce?

I had a blog that I started merely as a fun experiment but I began to realize there was more opportunity to help other harpists than just writing about harp playing. That's when I hit upon the idea of a paid membership site.

What was the first digital product that you launched?

The membership site was my first product. It seemed like a great way to leverage my teaching time and serve more harpists than I could teach one on one.

Can you share more about the performance of your products that came with a one-time transaction?

I was surprised - and delighted- when my first course offering outside the membership started bringing in students. While harp playing is obviously a tiny niche, the relatively modest sales of that course inspired me to create others.

What inspired you to offer a subscription based product?

The membership meant leverage of my time, ongoing income, and more sustainable growth for me as well as long term progress and connection for my students.

How did your audience react to your subscription?

I got 30 Charter members on my initial launch and 30 more a month later. Today I maintain a steady enrollment of around 150 members. And nine of those original charter members are still with me nearly eight years later!

What did you learn from starting your subscription that you take to heart running your business today?

I learned that my business depends on the continuing connection I maintain with my students through my newsletters, blog and podcast, my coaching and my membership site. Beyond that, it's about the new ideas that I create and that Kajabi makes so easy to implement.

What impacts did starting a subscription based product have on your business? 

Truly the biggest impact was in taking my blog and turning it into a business. The membership was my entire online business - it didn't even exist as an idea before then. It allowed me to think about my harp teaching in a new way, where I could reach and teach harpists globally and on a scale that I had never even dreamed of.

It created an income base that gave me breathing room and encouragement to create other offerings. It gave me ongoing contact with my students which allowed me to tailor new courses to meet their needs, saving me from wasting time guessing what they wanted.

How did Kajabi help you achieve those results?

In the beginning, Kajabi made setting up the membership SO simple. I had it up and running easily all by myself. But over time, Kajabi has become such a resource. My email marketing, my blog - everything runs on Kajabi. I am just starting a new program for youth with its own website and of course we are building that in Kajabi too!

What advice would you give someone else who wants to start a subscription based business?

It is the easiest way to get started and make income right away. You can start small and grow, learning more about your ideal customers all along the way. And I can't think of an easier platform to use than Kajabi!

Kajabi is the best way to turn your knowledge into income

At Kajabi, we’re working to build a world where everyone can build a life and business around their knowledge. Whether you’re a blogger with a passion to teach like Anne, or just looking for a way to build recurring passive income, Kajabi can help you make it happen.

With Kajabi, you can sell your expertise online. Create online courses, establish membership sites, offer coaching programs, host a podcast, and sell other digital products. Plus, you'll get marketing tools like a website, CRM, email marketing, landing page templates, and helpful analytics to help you spread the word about your products and earn more revenue.

Fully explore what Kajabi has to offer and start building your subscription business during your free 14-day trial of Kajabi today!

‍Still researching?

Check out Kajabi’s free downloadable ebook guides on launching and growing a knowledge commerce online business!
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Read the 2022 State of the Creator Economy Report to get the latest data on industry trends and growth for knowledge content creators.

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