This might seem like an odd article to write. After all, you’d think that I’d want to be attracting as many creative business owners to my membership as possible.
Actually, I don’t want just anyone joining Makers’ Momentum Club. I want the right people to join.
Yes, I could attract anyone and everyone, but people who aren’t right for my membership would join, stay a month, and then leave.
I’d get their money for that month, but that is absolutely not why I created my membership. I’d feel pretty deflated if people joined my membership and left.
That’s why I’ve aimed Makers’ Momentum Club at a specific group of people who I know I can help and love to help, too.
So if you’re thinking about joining Makers’ Momentum Club and want to make sure it’s the right fit for you, read on…
The 9 Types of People Who Shouldn’t Join My Membership
1. You view your creative products as a hobby rather than a business
‘Oh, it’s just a little side hobby.’
‘I’m just doing it to earn a little pocket money.’
‘I’m not interested in earning much, I just love doing it.’
I often hear these phrases from artists, makers and craftspeople, especially those who are just starting out.
I’ll start by saying there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to earn a little extra cash from a hobby. But if that’s you, then Makers’ Momentum Club just isn’t the right fit.
Who is the right fit?
Makers’ Momentum Club is for those who want to own a creative business and (even if they haven’t done this yet) want their business to provide them with their main source of income. That’s why our members either aim to quit their jobs or have already done so.
They want to embrace everything that comes with running a business (or at least learn about it). That includes marketing, finance, branding, pricing strategy, website development and everything in between.
2. You’re not a maker, artist or craftsperson
I find it humbling when someone wants to join our membership who doesn’t class themselves as a maker, artist or craftsperson.
Of course, what I teach within the membership, such as pricing your products correctly, social media marketing, photography, branding, money and budgeting (and a lot more) could be just as useful for any business owner.
BUT, makers, artists and craftspeople have their own obstacles and opportunities. For example, there are different ways makers, artists and craftspeople can use social media marketing, price their products or attract more leads and sales.
Generic business and marketing advice often doesn’t work for creative businesses, and that’s one of the reasons I created this membership.
Who is the right fit?
I’m an artist myself, so I understand what goes into building a profitable, creative, product-based business.
That’s why Makers’ Momentum Club is aimed solely at makers, artists or craftspeople. Some of my 400+ members include:
- Artists
- Painters
- Potters
- Bookbinders
- Soap makers
- Jewellery makers
- Clothes designers
- Textile artists
- Knitters
- Yarn dyers
3. You’re a fan of drama!
Always a controversial one! Makers’ Momentum Club is about getting stuff done and building a healthy, profitable business that supports the life you want to lead.
To achieve this, our members are focused on their goals and growing their businesses. We haven’t got time for drama. Drama is distracting and brings others down, and that’s not what we’re about!
I talk more about this in my blog post ‘Why Artists, Makers and Craftspeople Shouldn’t Join Free Facebook Groups’.
Essentially, we avoid anything that pulls us away from positively building our businesses. That doesn’t mean we don’t have fun. But we don’t have big debates about controversial topics, like Etsy fees or social media algorithms that ultimately are a giant time-suck!
We don’t own Etsy or Instagram (would be nice if we did), so debating their business practices is pretty pointless. Everyone’s short on time, so when these topics come up we focus on what to do to adapt to the changes and keep growing.
Who is the right fit?
Our membership is about championing you, supporting you when you’re feeling a bit down and, even, giving you a much-needed kick up the backside.
If this sounds like something you need and you want to be part of a “drama-free” community, then we’re the right fit for you.
4. You don’t want to push yourself
You cannot escape it. When you run your own business you will have to do things that push you out of your comfort zone. This could be anything from understanding the financials to learning how to market your business, or even raising your prices.
Running a business is all about making decisions, and sometimes those decisions can be scary.
Although my membership is incredibly supportive, we will push you when we think you need to make these decisions or learn something new. This is because we want you to build a sustainable and profitable business that you love.
If you struggle with pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, Makers’ Momentum Club might not be for you.
Who is the right fit?
You know that what got you this far won’t get you to where you want to be.
And even though you’re often doing it scared, you’re willing to try new things for the reward of having a thriving maker business.
You don’t have to find it easy, but you have to be willing to push yourself. And, of course, we’ll support you when you do.
5. You don’t have any time to dedicate to your business
Time is perhaps the biggest barrier between you and success. Because we all struggle to find it, right? You may have a job, family and want an actual social life. And on top of all that, you want to grow a creative business. It’s a lot.
To do that, you need time. You’ll need to dedicate time each week not just to customer communication and fulfilling orders but also to managing your finances and marketing. You’ll also need to spend time learning about these things.
Luckily, my membership also teaches you how to save time. Instead of trawling through the web watching tons of YouTube videos or reading blogs, you get step-by-step, bite-sized videos telling you exactly how to get something done.
I also help you with exactly what to focus on right now, to stop you from jumping from one idea to the next and never getting anything done.
But even though I help you save time, you’ll still need to spend some time doing the actual learning. If you haven’t got any time spare or can’t make any in your day, this membership isn’t right for you.
Who is the right fit?
Ideally, the right person will make time each week (even if it’s a small amount) to dedicate to learning and implementing what they’ve learnt in our membership.
6. You don’t want to invest any money into your business
Not wanting to invest any money into your business is just as damaging as not investing your time. Yes, it’s difficult investing money because there’s always a risk, and I’m not for one second suggesting you should invest everything you have.
But underspending can be just as damaging to your business as overspending.
Unfortunately, they often go hand in hand.
So many makers overspend freely on advertising, stand fees, or fancy cameras. These can be a big drag on profits for several years.
Investing in product photography, email marketing or your own learning and development (such as in my membership) might feel less urgent, but this is spending that can generate money for your business.
In Makers’ Momentum Club we love a good spreadsheet. We can help you to cast a critical eye over all your potential expenses and understand which bring a return and which can be reduced, delayed or avoided altogether.
But you will still need to invest in certain places, such as product photography or branding or in your own learning and development (such as my membership).
Who is the right fit?
Makers’ Momentum Club is currently £19 per month (or £190 per year).
But our members know that not all spending is the same.
Investing your money into your own development and education means you get to skip over some of the more painful parts of the learning curve – because you’ve got me there to tell you about the time I did just what you’re about to do and it didn’t go well.
Avoiding an expensive mistake is just as valuable as learning how to make more sales and we can help you to do both.
7. You need a 1-2-1 service (or someone to do it for you)
I do get asked if I provide 1-1 coaching and as much as I’m flattered by this, the answer is no. I don’t take on 1-2-1 clients and Makers’ Momentum Club is the only way to work with me on your business. I’ll help you with what to do and help you figure out how as well, but the membership is a “do it yourself” option only.
Who is the right fit?
Anyone who wants to learn themselves! The things I teach you in my membership aren’t just tactics, it’s everything you need to know about running a business. Imagine you’re the CEO of your business, this is what my membership helps you to become. And you can’t outsource that!
8. You hate feedback
Of course, I will tell you when I think something works well, but I’ll also equally say when something can be improved. After all, that’s why you should be joining something like this. It’ll do you no favours if I simply compliment you all the time – you need to know how to get better results so you can become more profitable.
But if you absolutely hate feedback, then my membership might not be right for you.
Who is the right fit?
Someone who views feedback as a positive thing that will help them grow their business and improve. Of course, it can sting when we receive feedback that’s less than perfect, but that is the way to get better.
9. You want to remain in free Facebook groups
I’ve already published an article on why you shouldn’t use free Facebook groups to grow your business.
The problem with these groups is they can take up a lot of time, you don’t always get the best advice and there’s often a lot of drama!
My membership is the opposite of that. It’s wonderful to have a community of like-minded business owners supporting and championing one another. One thing we have in common is that we like to get stuff done! We do the work and achieve results, and we don’t like to get swept up in things that, ultimately, don’t allow us to grow.
Who is the right fit?
Someone who wants a community that is business-focused. If you hate wasting time and want to grow your business, we are the right fit for you.
Fancy Joining?
If you’ve read this nodding your head and thinking, ‘Makers’ Momentum Club is definitely right for me!’, then we would love to welcome you! 400 like-minded, creative business owners would love to welcome you, too!
You can join here. Or, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
