Having a specialized skill like laser cutting and using it to get over a thousand paying members is not an easy feat. Gwynn Carla and I recently talked about it on the Course Creator Podcast on how she was able to help business owners, especially laser cutters, market their products online. She also has online courses with training, files, and other helpful hacks for you!
Who is Gwynn Carla Jones And What Does She Do?
What Gwynn does is laser cutting – something you will definitely have no clue about if you are not into that. Using a laser cutter, she can cut different designs on different materials like wood, acrylic and things like that. But, in order to cut certain shapes and make it as accurate as possible, Gwynn mentioned that there are files that are associated with laser cutting, which is an SVG file.
How It All Began?
Before Gwynn had her own laser equipment, she was already involved in the creative community. At first, she was into vinyl, cutting stencil,s and painting designs. She then moved into laser cutting after seeing it as the next big thing when it comes to crafting. Getting a laser cutter is not cheap, as she mentioned that her recent purchase of a laser cutter costs $13,000
From there, she started by forming a Facebook group and doing a little bit of teaching about laser cutting and making a few designs to sell. After that, she just had an idea of a subscription membership to have a monthly recurring income.
How did the group grow so quickly?
Gwynn mentioned that the group grew exponentially because she was already present in the creative community. She has been interacting with other people in other groups, sharing some of her ideas in it and when it was time for her to make her own group, people were searching for her because people saw her posts on other pages.
Additionally, she mentioned that if you know where are the people you want to reach hang out on Facebook, then it will not be that hard to reach them, especially with the kind of niche that she has.
Memberships through the SVG Files.
This is where Gwynn’s membership mainly revolves. She creates a minimum of five designs per month – depending on the season or what is currently going on in the world. Because of this, all her members have to do is make the physical designs. They do not have to think about what designs they have to make because it’s Gwynn who does it for them.
Additionally, her members get additional content like marketing photos, tips on what they can do with their laser equipment, and other strategies that will make their businesses grow which is a little different considering their niche.
Through this and her chosen niche, She has now over a thousand members and is continually growing. She even recalled that they hit their target goal for membership on a day right after they opened their membership services.
How Much Does the Membership Cost? How Do You Make It Work With a Thousand Member?
Gwynn had a founding member rate of 15 USD a month. Now, Gwynn charges new members 20 USD every time she opens her membership. Right now, she has a recurring monthly revenue of 19,000 USD
She opens her membership portal on a quarterly basis. However, before she opens that, she ramps up her free content and even shares some of her member’s products while telling potential members that this is what they are getting if they sign up. Additionally, she gives free content and upsells her membership – telling potential members that they can get more if they sign up.
When asked about how she makes all of this work considering the number of members, she said yes, it is time-consuming but the trade-off is all worth it. Also, she mentioned that not all the members will want your attention – some just take the product and go along their way. However, there are a few who will really try to pick your brain and ask for tips and strategies on how to further improve their products.
What about hosting?
Gwynn said that her website is hosted by Searchie which is more suitable if your website is based on videos. It is a platform with a search engine that when you search for a certain word, even the videos where the word you search for is mentioned will appear on the results.
Who are you mentors?
Gwynn mentioned three mentors who she really paid for their content. They are Stu Mclaren, Ashley Rate, and Sarah Aguirre. They have influenced Gwynn so much and are instrumental in why she is in a good place right now in her business. From marketing strategies to techniques on what to post and how to post on social media, they have helped her get and keep her business up and running.
She also recommends a book called “How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing” by KC Davis which focuses on saying it’s okay if you missed something or failed to do something because it does not mean that there is something wrong with you.
Last Words/Advice:
No matter who your target market is, remember that the first part of social media is SOCIAL. The more you can lean into the social side of social media, by letting your market get to know you, the more they will invest in you.
Social Media
Facebook: Gettin’ Creative with Gwynn: https://www.facebook.com/createwithgwynn/
Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gwagf/
Website: http://www.createwithgwynn.com/
PS: At the Course Creator Community we have one. of the largest Facebook Groups in the world for Course Creators. Everyone in there is super supportive and we all share tips and ideas! We would love to invite you to join our Group! Simply click the link below to joiClick here to join the Course Creator Community Facebook Group
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