The business of Quilter is doubled in three years with membership
Rebecca Bryan is a quilter, author, and entrepreneur behind Bryan House Quilts. Rebecca has revolutionized the industry of fabrics by creating a distinctive fabric line and thread collection while also giving in-person classes in quilting.
At the start of her adventure and search for an easier way to help her family as well as make time for her art. Find out the ways in which the switch to an online subscription based membership gave Rebecca the financial success and the peace of mind that she was looking for.
The reason you decided to enter the world of knowledge-based commerce?
The beginning of my quilting career began by publishing my first book, Contemporary Rainbow Quilts. Then, I started teaching at guilds and quilt shows throughout the United States. My workshops with the release of my second book Modern Triangle Quilts.
Then, my husband took an opportunity to work in a different location, and relocated our family, which included four school age kids over to the Netherlands. The fact that we were living overseas meant it was impossible to travel back to the US for a classroom visit!
I'd been thinking about offering my workshops online. However, this change was just the push I required.
What was your first digital product that you launched? What was the reason you chose it?
The first time I began with my new venture, I decided to begin one of my workshops that I taught using the Modern Triangle Quilts book, "Design Improv with Triangles". The workshop will instruct the student through a series of interactive exercises resulting in them designing their very personal Modern Triangle quilt blocks. I chose this class because it included my most recent book, and I was able to see the extent to which the online course can be when compared to a three-hour or six-hour live workshop. (See the Equilateral Sampler Quilt, pictured in Rockport, Mass.)
Can you share more about your training sessions that were part of only one transaction?
I thoroughly enjoyed my entire experience of digital for my students. For one, I found the experience to be awe-inspiring in the amount of fun I had teaching on camera and via Zoom. It is impossible to overstate how (painfully!) camera shy I used be, but showing up in front of my students' cameras made me feel so happy. Plus, I got to know my students as we spent time together even though it was virtual. The whole experience felt pleasantly enjoyable!
Thus, I decided offering more online courses beginning with a year-long project for the entire year. Quilting is a process that we call these "Blocks of the Month" Every month, we make a new set of quilt blocks. At the close of the year we sew all blocks of quilt together for a complete quilt. Woohoo! (See Rainbow Remix, my 2018 BOM.)
Why did you decide to create a subscription-based product?
As my catalog of "Block of the Month" programmes grew from three to, I realized I could give my students more benefit and assistance by bringing the entirety of my "Modern Triangle" projects within one club. So in the month of March in 2020 I officially opened the doors of "Make Modern Triangles" The official organization that assists quilters to design designs, create, and complete blocks that are blockbuster contemporary triangle quilts.
Inside the club, members can choose exactly what project they want to make They also get my guidance and advice, and stay motivated to "bust their blocks" as they work together with like-minded quilters from all over the world. This "Triangle Chatter" community is amazing! Everyday, I'm blown away by the project and progress photos shared by our members.
How did your audience respond to your newsletter?
Favorably, I'd say!
These Block of the Month products make for a great fun program to put together from my perspective as the teacher. However, the whole experience will be a lot more enjoyable in the group; the excitement for the next step as the piles of blocks multiply; the feeling of commiseration whenever something doesn't go as planned and the joy of finishing each stage and saying "ta da!" together! This is all wonderful and an element of the camaraderie that shared by all of us as part of a larger community.
What lessons did you take away from starting your subscription that you take to heart running your company today?
Oh boy. The most valuable lesson I've learned, the hard way that I make far too much tasks for myself. This is why I'm always searching at ways to reduce my workload.
When I began my business, one of my main goals was being able to contribute to my family's support without having to go get the "real" work. My first venture was with my children when they were just babies, with the goal of increasing my income so that it could the same level as a "real" work.
I wanted to create an online business that would allow me to spend about 25% of the time working on my computer and spending the remainder of my time working within my sewing area.
But as a creative person who enjoys teaching it was easy for me to get lost in using every quilt I'd designed and then creating a new product around the quilt. You can imagine that that gave me a lot of work to do! And that actually took me away from my sewing space and from my goal.
To keep it simple, I now focus (mostly!) on my membership. I've pared everything down into essentially one service.
What effect did launching a subscription based product have for your company?
Through simplifying and focusing on creating my membership, my income has increased by 50% over the last 3 years (thanks for the sweet and sweet statistics!). I've met my goal of building a business that can support my family as well as one that is one in which I'm not chained to my computer. I can create and make art.
I'm more relaxed. I am happy with the product I'm offering my clients. I lovewatching my members create. And I have more time. I am safe. This peace of mind clears my mind. Although it's not perfect, I am aware of what I'm creating and how I can improve it, and I can see that growth and progress coming in the next few years.
As a member, I have less pressure. For the most part, I know my business revenues in the current year. It doesn't bother me that I need to educate myself on everything new I'm working on or create a new product to sell. My focus is on providing amazing content and connection for my members but also on developing for myself. Plus, I can be present and flexible to take charge of my family.
How could you have helped you to achieve the results you wanted?
My objective was and always will be simplification, so made perfect sense. It's very simple for a business online to get complicated real quick. This tool simplifies things and I'm here for it. Everything I'm looking for is within , and apart from a few other tools (from the past when I did not use ) I use only.
What tips would you offer an individual who is looking to begin a subscription-based company?
Lean hard into your "Beta" version and keep the version "Beta" for a longer time than you believe it is necessary to. I wished I'd kept mine in beta mode longer. From your Beta, find what works, do more of that. Then, spend time and energy polishing and perfecting what's effective. Keep it simple and stay laser focused on simplicity. Start your beta now; the longer you wait and the longer you wait, the more complicated the experience becomes!