I never thought I would hear this from a Warrior, but...

[CmdrStidd]

I am preparing to do a launch and I have posted requests for help. One warrior who shall remain nameless responded to the requests. I explained that while I am currently doing the training videos for the members area of the site that I needed someone to help get the members area up and running.

We talked about different things including how I was going to market this because I was offering part of the profits and I could understand his desire to know just how profitable this launch is projected to be. Upon telling him that I currently have no budget as it is all tied up in the software itself that I am getting ready to launch, he informs me that if I did not have the $200 plus that would be needed to buy aMemberPro and its one plugin that there was no more need in our talking. He further informed me that I was just wasting my time if I thought this was going to sell without a budget.

Well, that is the wrong thing to say to me. That makes me want to succeed just that much more so that I can slap him in the face with it every time I see him on the forum. I told him that I was very thankful that individuals like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and others did not listen to the "Mr. Negativity" of their community and generation.

Since when is it a requirement to have a ton of money to get a product started? I owned a printing company back in the 90's. I had a total of $210 in the bank at the time that I wanted to start this up. The banks told me "No" They were not going to give me a loan to start up my business. It was too big a risk for them.

5 and a half months later and without a single banks help, I had the money to buy the building, the printing presses, supplies, and pay the utilities for 6 months. Suddenly I had banks coming to me asking me to take out one of their business loans and you know what I said? I told them that they were too big of a risk for me to gamble on.

Please tell me that this Warrior was the exception and not the rule? I am getting individuals that have given me some suggestions for the prelaunch page and they are starting to show interest in some JVing with me, so someone must think I have a damned good idea here. I will not accept that because I do not have the money to spend on some software that I am finished before I begin.

I cannot believe that no one on this forum knows of any open source solution that I can use to get me started. Please, someone, tell me that the times have not gotten so bad that there is not a single solitary open source solution for running a membership site. Help me show this guy that it can be done and that it can be done on the principle of "no money down."

Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions. I know I can count on most of you to come through in a pinch. You did it before and I know you will do it again. Also, thanks for letting me be facetious so as to make a point.

[globalpro]

Hi,

I would be interested in seeing what you have, possibly even partnering up, if you are still looking to do this.

PM me if you are.

Thanks,

John

[GregtheWriter]

Don't listen to the negative people man. Unless you use them as coal to throw them into the fire that fuels your success : )

I read a text book a while back ago named The Millionaire Mind. It was a college textbook where they did an empirical study on millionaires.

One of the big things they said that all millionaires had in common was someone
that had some sort of authority or influence over their lives telling them that they
could not ever succeed in what they wanted

Go forth, and prove them wrong my friend : )


To the top,
-Gregory

[Istvan Horvath]

Just a note: open source is not necessarily free (as in "free beer"). It is free as in "free speech"!.
iSubscribe v2.x :: Membership Website Automation Software (not affil)
This one is Open Source and comes with a price tag of $44.

[Pete223]

Here is the thread Tina was referring to...
My $15 Membership Site Blueprint..

Cheers, Pete

[Tsnyder]

Here's a link to the thread referenced by Tina... John Taylor (certainly
a credible source to all hamsterless Warriors... lol) started a membership
site for about 15 bucks... he gives you step by step how in this thread...

My $15 Membership Site Blueprint..

Tsnyder

[PatrickTnTx]

Keep doing your deal, man!

You referenced Thomas Edison in your post... He said something very interesting

(I'm totally paraphrasing here)

"If you try something 10,000 times with no results, it's not 10,000 failures. It is simply 10,000 ways you know that it won't work"...

Meaning, you learned. Now, take what you've learned, and continue on
until you get your success. Best of luck to you!

[CmdrStidd]

Originally Posted by TMG Enterprises

There are free scripts around to use for a membership site and I believe Memberwing still has a free option. I don't know about opensource programs. The membership sites I've seen are run on all sorts of platforms to I don't see why you would have to use that specific one.

There's even a post somewhere on here about starting a membership site for around $15 (I can't locate it at the moment but it's here somewhere...lol).

There's more than one way to skin a cat.

Tina G

Tina, you are such a dynamite warrior, if I wasn't married I would marry you! But seriously, you have a wonderful heart and I know you tried. You are right, there is more than one way to skin a cat, but don't let my Hermione and McGonagle hear you say that.

Originally Posted by GregtheWriter

Don't listen to the negative people man. Unless you use them as coal to throw them into the fire that fuels your success : )

I read a text book a while back ago named The Millionaire Mind. It was a college textbook where they did an empirical study on millionaires.

One of the big things they said that all millionaires had in common was someone
that had some sort of authority or influence over their lives telling them that they
could not ever succeed in what they wanted

Go forth, and prove them wrong my friend : )


To the top,
-Gregory

G. Gordon Liddy was asked one time what he would do if he lost all his money today. He answered that he would get it all back tomorrow. Later he was asked to explain that comment and what he said has stuck with me through thick and thin. He said "I have the millionaires attitude, son. I would have all my money back because I believe that I am worth it. That is what separates the good men from the great men. The great men know that they are worth it and they wont lose that attitude because they have made it this far."

That is the attitude I walk around with every day. I know I am worth it and by damned I am going to get it either by hook or by crook. (Yes, I mean that in the figurative sense here for those that are wondering. I do not use any black hat activities because they only work for so long and then someone is onto them and you have to rework your whole model. That is too much work for me.)

Originally Posted by The Pension Guy

Just a note: open source is not necessarily free (as in "free beer"). It is free as in "free speech"!.
iSubscribe v2.x :: Membership Website Automation Software (not affil)
This one is Open Source and comes with a price tag of $44.

Thanks for this tip. I will keep it in mind for later projects. I do appreciate the suggestion.

Originally Posted by Pete223

Here is the thread Tina was referring to...
My $15 Membership Site Blueprint..

Cheers, Pete

Originally Posted by Tsnyder

Here's a link to the thread referenced by Tina... John Taylor (certainly
a credible source to all hamsterless Warriors... lol) started a membership
site for about 15 bucks... he gives you step by step how in this thread...

My $15 Membership Site Blueprint..

Tsnyder

And their neck and neck coming around the far turn it is Pete the Pension Guy and Tsnyder. Its Tsnyder and Pete the Pension Guy. and at the wire its Pete the Pension Guy by a nose followed by Tsnyder. LOL

Thanks for the link guys. I knew you would come through, even if it was a race to the finish. LOL

[centextkt]

Some people in this business are just in it for the money.

I for one am a firm believer in "you reap what you sow". In other words, if you only look at making yourself successful and never help others out, you are missing on what you may be called to do.

Anyway, there are several inexpensive membership scripts available. Just do a "search" of the forums.

Good luck and don't let the naysayers get you down.

[CarolinaInvestor]

We have used DotNetNuke, which is open source, for one of our membership sites with success. You may want to check it out as we are also deliverinng video content. Now when you say open source, that does not mean that all the modules that you might need are free and open. We did purchase some modules to get the look and feel we wanted. I am also using Joomla on one of our sites specifically because of the video presentation I saw on another site. I think all of the extensions required to do that are open and free for the taking.

Of cousre a marketing budget with big $ would be great, but the bootstrap method should work also. I think whoever you were working with just didnt want to wait for the marination to happen.

Good Luck!

[profitgenie]

Getting a membership site script for free that is able to do everything for you that you want it to do can be hard. I know as I have been looking.

You can get a free amemberpro trial for 30 days to set up your site and if it takes off then you can pay the $197 they want for it which i beleive it is a one time payment. There are some cheaper ones around but they want set up fees and then monthly fees.

good luck with it.

Jamie

[kenanselo]

I tend to cancel friendships or people i know in general who are/become the mr. negativity. If i listened to them i'd be like them...or worse!

[Alice Seba]

I am not sure what's so bad about what was said.

This is how I'm looking at what you're telling me:

You wanted him to work for you (for profits only...no guaranteed pay) and he wanted to work with a specific membership site script (a pretty darned good one, by the way). It might be something he's comfortable using or just a simple preference. As the person who was charged with setting up the membership site (again, without any guaranteed pay), I'd think they could have a say.

The comment about not having a budget should be taken from his perspective. Sure, you may have all the confidence in the world that you can make this work. But again, you're asking him to work with no guarantee of pay. He has every right to be concerned.

I don't think you should be upset and neither should he. You both realized that working together wasn't a good fit before it was too late.

Good luck with your project!

alice

[CmdrStidd]

Originally Posted by TMG Enterprises

Are those what you named your cats? I love the Harry Potter books!

Tina G

Yeppers. Thems me babies. Well, except when I get a phone call cuz then they think it is time to cry and beg for attention and of course you know that I neglect them so much anyhow.

I love those two with all my heart.

[Jeremy Kelsall]

Grab a free or low cost wordpress plugin for memberships - drip feed the content - DONE...

We have been doing it that way for almost a year. We can launch a membership site with roughly $50 invested, including the domain name

[mywebwork]

There are a couple of open-source and free membership solutions out there - none of them are complete solutions and will require you to "roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty" to get them to do what you want. If you are a PHP coder you'll have no problem with them:

Awesome PHP

Free PHP Scripts - Free Membership User Login Script

This PHP script is a few years old and has the ugliest user interface imaginable, nonetheless it is fully functional membership software. The code behind it is open-source so you could modify it to suit your needs - in fact I'm currently developing my own membership software for a subscription product that I will soon be launching and I have found some great coding examples within this product.

Joomla & AEC (Account Expiration Control)

This is a combination that has been around for a few years, once you figure out the setup it's as robust as anything else out there. There is a lack of documentation, especially about getting it to work with Joomla 1.5 but once you figure it out it's actually pretty easy to use. It integrates with just about every payment processor known and of course with Joomla you also get a fully functional CMS.

AEC is at valanx.org

Simple Member

Another free PHP script, it lives up to it's name! Still it's a useful source of code if you want to roll your own.

Simple Member - Details -

Hope this helps. Best of luck with your product launch, and don't listen to the naysayers - drive and determination is what will make you sucessful.

Bill

[CmdrStidd]

Originally Posted by Alice Seba

I am not sure what's so bad about what was said.

This is how I'm looking at what you're telling me:

You wanted him to work for you (for profits only...no guaranteed pay) and he wanted to work with a specific membership site script (a pretty darned good one, by the way). It might be something he's comfortable using or just a simple preference. As the person who was charged with setting up the membership site (again, without any guaranteed pay), I'd think they could have a say.

The comment about not having a budget should be taken from his perspective. Sure, you may have all the confidence in the world that you can make this work. But again, you're asking him to work with no guarantee of pay. He has every right to be concerned.

I don't think you should be upset and neither should he. You both realized that working together wasn't a good fit before it was too late.

Good luck with your project!

alice

The fact that I have way more time and energy AND money invested in this project than he does should be a pretty good sign that I am willing to do what it takes to make this work. He clearly was not and then to tell me that I was wasting my time with this project is another insult to me. Mind you, I am not quoting him verbatim since I do not want anyone to recognize his writing style and be able to identify him that way.

However, he did specifically use bold to emphasize the insulting parts. If Thomas Edison or Henry Ford would have listened to someone like him we would all still be reading by candles and going around town in a horse and buggy.

[willye]

also look at the Dolphin Software it can be adapted to a community also don't forget about Ning

[Alice Seba]

Originally Posted by CmdrStidd

The fact that I have way more time and energy AND money invested in this project than he does should be a pretty good sign that I am willing to do what it takes to make this work. He clearly was not and then to tell me that I was wasting my time with this project is another insult to me. Mind you, I am not quoting him verbatim since I do not want anyone to recognize his writing style and be able to identify him that way.

However, he did specifically use bold to emphasize the insulting parts. If Thomas Edison or Henry Ford would have listened to someone like him we would all still be reading by candles and going around town in a horse and buggy.

Honestly...I've seen a lot of people dump a lot of money into stuff that didn't go anywhere, despite drive and best efforts. I'm just saying if you want people to work for free (at least to start with), you've got to realize that they may get cold feet when they find out certain things.

I'm sorry that he was insulting and obviously, we aren't privvy to the full exchange (nor should we be!)...but don't sweat it. It didn't work out. You'll find a better fit with someone else and I'm sure you'll be a great success.

Alice

[CmdrStidd]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Kelsall

Grab a free or low cost wordpress plugin for memberships - drip feed the content - DONE...

We have been doing it that way for almost a year. We can launch a membership site with roughly $50 invested, including the domain name

Originally Posted by mywebwork

There are a couple of open-source and free membership solutions out there - none of them are complete solutions and will require you to "roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty" to get them to do what you want. If you are a PHP coder you'll have no problem with them:

Awesome PHP

Free PHP Scripts - Free Membership User Login Script

This PHP script is a few years old and has the ugliest user interface imaginable, nonetheless it is fully functional membership software. The code behind it is open-source so you could modify it to suit your needs - in fact I'm currently developing my own membership software for a subscription product that I will soon be launching and I have found some great coding examples within this product.

Joomla & AEC (Account Expiration Control)

This is a combination that has been around for a few years, once you figure out the setup it's as robust as anything else out there. There is a lack of documentation, especially about getting it to work with Joomla 1.5 but once you figure it out it's actually pretty easy to use. It integrates with just about every payment processor known and of course with Joomla you also get a fully functional CMS.

AEC is at valanx.org

Simple Member

Another free PHP script, it lives up to it's name! Still it's a useful source of code if you want to roll your own.

Simple Member - Details -

Hope this helps. Best of luck with your product launch, and don't listen to the naysayers - drive and determination is what will make you sucessful.

Bill

Both you guys have given me some great tools to look at and consider. I think I will now have a hard time deciding which will handle my needs best. My hat is off to all the Warriors who have given me some good advice and great links and leads for my project.

[TreforWalters]

Seeing as I cannot yet post links and don't fancy filling threads with useless "Yes, I agree" comments in able to do so, if you search for:

drupal "membership site"

On google, and pick the first link, there is a thread on the page about a guy who has made a Paypal module for Drupal for subscription based membership sites. I realise that you are doing this on next to nothing, but this would seem to do the job. There is also a $5 dollar off coupon code, but the price seems to have risen. Either way, another suggestion for your perusal.

Can definitely appreciate the lack of cash thing - just finishing my first ebook, have no money and a stonking huge tax bill, so know where your coming from!

Good luck, and here is to your continued success.

T

PS: Not affiliated to the owner or promoter of this product in any way, and stand to profit by a grand total of zero in currency or otherwise as a result of this suggestion.

[BIG Mike]

Originally Posted by CmdrStidd

<snip>

Please tell me that this Warrior was the exception and not the rule?

<snip>

Unfortunately, this is the thing that holds so many people back from reaching their goals. In my experience, flexibility is a vital character attribute - otherwise everything comes to a halt sooner or later.

This is especially true when bootstrapping yourself up to a point where the profit from the product itself begins paying for all the bells and whistles you'd like to have.

Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do things a certain way, even if only temporary.

[PeteHarrison]

Hi Cmdr,

If you can wait till the weekend (I'm away from my office at the moment) I'll give you a download link to one of the pieces of software I use - I normally charge for it but what the hell, it should help you out.
If you need it drop me a PM so I remember.

Pete

[igorhelpsyousucceed]

Hey cmdr,

I would love to JV with ya, I'd help you out
with anything I can. PM me.

Igor

[sparrow]

Don't give up there is many solutions out there if not make one

[VegasVince]

Originally Posted by CmdrStidd

I am preparing to do a launch and I have posted requests for help. One warrior who shall remain nameless responded to the requests. I explained that while I am currently doing the training videos for the members area of the site that I needed someone to help get the members area up and running.

We talked about different things including how I was going to market this because I was offering part of the profits and I could understand his desire to know just how profitable this launch is projected to be. Upon telling him that I currently have no budget as it is all tied up in the software itself that I am getting ready to launch, he informs me that if I did not have the $200 plus that would be needed to buy aMemberPro and its one plugin that there was no more need in our talking. He further informed me that I was just wasting my time if I thought this was going to sell without a budget.

Well, that is the wrong thing to say to me. That makes me want to succeed just that much more so that I can slap him in the face with it every time I see him on the forum. I told him that I was very thankful that individuals like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and others did not listen to the "Mr. Negativity" of their community and generation.

Since when is it a requirement to have a ton of money to get a product started? I owned a printing company back in the 90's. I had a total of $210 in the bank at the time that I wanted to start this up. The banks told me "No" They were not going to give me a loan to start up my business. It was too big a risk for them.

5 and a half months later and without a single banks help, I had the money to buy the building, the printing presses, supplies, and pay the utilities for 6 months. Suddenly I had banks coming to me asking me to take out one of their business loans and you know what I said? I told them that they were too big of a risk for me to gamble on.

Please tell me that this Warrior was the exception and not the rule? I am getting individuals that have given me some suggestions for the prelaunch page and they are starting to show interest in some JVing with me, so someone must think I have a damned good idea here. I will not accept that because I do not have the money to spend on some software that I am finished before I begin.

I cannot believe that no one on this forum knows of any open source solution that I can use to get me started. Please, someone, tell me that the times have not gotten so bad that there is not a single solitary open source solution for running a membership site. Help me show this guy that it can be done and that it can be done on the principle of "no money down."

Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions. I know I can count on most of you to come through in a pinch. You did it before and I know you will do it again. Also, thanks for letting me be facetious so as to make a point.

Hey bro...

Whoever pitched you that bill of goods...aint no true Warrior anyway.

The Warriors I know....don't treat people like that.....and it's too bad you just so happened to pick the random bad apple.

Glad to see the responses your OP generated....because those are real Warriors, man. Those peeps are representative of the true spirit of this forum....believe me.

Truth is...part of taking **** to the next level...be it marketing or the game of life...is the ability to rise above the "haters." And yeah....haters exist in this house too.

Use them as a source of motivation...to keep moving upward and onward...cuz you wont find many bottom feeders up at the top.


xxx Vegas Vince
Legend.

Autoresponder + password protected pages can replace Amember. Look at Yaro Starak's model.

[Emily Meeks]

Ohhhhh man I'm completely in the same boat as you. Not only are my two credit cards maxed, but I'm in debt! YAY!

I make enough at a part-time job to cover my webhost/autoresponder, but other than that not much of anything. It gets really annoying to have a balance that's always in the negative (especially when I know it's my own damn fault >.< )

That said... I'm starting Ninja Safelist on a negative budget, and you know what? I have FULL CONFIDENCE that it will bring in a nice income. I'm not expecting miracles from just one website, butttttttttt after awhile the membership builds itself, thus my separate list builds itself (to whom I can announce more websites I create, etc. etc.)

This guy from an IM coaching center told me that I'd need $10,000 to start a business, and to that I say "BULL****." When I scrape the money together for Ninja Safelist, my total cost has been about $500, and that's mainly because I paid for the safelist script as well as paid my programmer. If I'd started another venture, I would've spent a lot less.

Due to maxed-out cards/debt, I've been forced to resort to free resources... and I found MANY. So really, $10,000 my ass.

(Not to mention, before I thought of starting a business I ran a blog - blogspot - that cost me exactly $0.00 to set up... I did very little promoting but still got $90 bucks from Clickbank. Now imagine if I'd actually applied myself...)

[edhan]

Sorry to hear that you had received such negative thought from a warrior.

In any business, we should clearly have positive attitude in order to success. I am always surrounded by highly positive minded people and we have great discussion to get things done. As suggested by others, you can get started with wordpress membership site utilizing plugin. It should be cost effective.

I do believe success is always at the end of the rainbow as long as you have faith and determination. Don't be taken off with such remarks. I never take seriously from negative people.

Success be with you.

[greenovni]

I am glad that you are taking the bull by the horns with no money down. I too have done that before, some businesses of mine failed and others made money.

Recently, my whole system crashed and took all my files with it. All the people that were supposed to be working with me just took my ideas and walked away.

So I had no other thing to do but to rebuild and I am nearly there getting my systems up.

Not sure if this will help you but Wordpress has a membership plugin here: WordPress › Members Only WordPress Plugins

If I find anything else, I'll let you know.

Greenovni

[Troy_Phillips]

I can show you how to run a membership site for zero cost . But know I don't come cheap. To help you ease the pain of having to pay me I will let you break it into 3 payments of $0.00 each :-)

Pm me

[rondo]

Sure it can be done for free.

However, a purpose-built script will make life much easier for you. You won't need to spend $200 when something like Memberfire costs only $47 and will integrate with payment processors, autoresponders and affiliate programs. I suggest you spend the small amount for that if you can instead of using a free script with limited functionality and no support.


Andrew

[CmdrStidd]

Originally Posted by Troy_Phillips

I can show you how to run a membership site for zero cost . But know I don't come cheap. To help you ease the pain of having to pay me I will let you break it into 3 payments of $0.00 each :-)

Pm me

Crap, I don't know if I can make those payments? This is a tough one. I am just not sure. Oh, hell I only live once, right? Consider the PM sent, but only if I can make those payments on the 6th Tuesday of the month cuz that is when my check from the state of mass confusion comes in.

[Norma Holt]

Originally Posted by Troy_Phillips

I can show you how to run a membership site for zero cost . But know I don't come cheap. To help you ease the pain of having to pay me I will let you break it into 3 payments of $0.00 each :-)

Pm me

The true spirit of warriorship. Puts those who charge to shame.

Norma

[Troy_Phillips]

Originally Posted by CmdrStidd

Crap, I don't know if I can make those payments? This is a tough one. I am just not sure. Oh, hell I only live once, right? Consider the PM sent, but only if I can make those payments on the 6th Tuesday of the month cuz that is when my check from the state of mass confusion comes in.

Hey no deal . You thought you would fool me with that 6th tuesday thing . Everyone knows that there is only 7 months that have 6 tuesdays in it (unless it is a leap year )

Shame on you for trying to cheat me

[Ben_Curtis]

Hilarious! Love this thread....
Everybody PM Troy before he raises his prices!

[Andyhenry]

There are lots of free ways to create membership sites - we've discussed this many times before. There definitely ARE people here who know how to do it.

[Barbara Eyre]

Sorry you had to go through that with another WF member.

Last night, in fact, when I was asking around for membership script/program recommendations, I was also told I needed $2000 or so to do things "right".

My reply - I guess all those millionaires who started out with mothballs in their pockets and slowly built up their empires didn't do it "right" since they didn't start with thousands of dollars from the get-go.

Not everyone has hundreds or thousands of dollars hanging around. Many of us don't have that kind of luxury due to the present economy. I won't go into specifics, but suffice to say, I make enough to pay my daily bills with not much left over. I don't go out to movies, buy things left and right, go out to eat daily, etc etc. I scrimp and save.

Like the OP, I'm looking for a free/very inexpensive way to do a membership site ... there are many of us out there, not because we're cheapskates, but because our present situations require it of us. We're building these sites to make money! Once we make the money, we can certainly upgrade should the needs warrant it.

Best of luck to you and I can't wait to see your launch!

[ikontent]

Originally Posted by CmdrStidd

I cannot believe that no one on this forum knows of any open source solution that I can use to get me started. Please, someone, tell me that the times have not gotten so bad that there is not a single solitary open source solution for running a membership site. Help me show this guy that it can be done and that it can be done on the principle of "no money down."

CmdrStidd

You can do it - Just Do It!

Originally Posted by mywebwork

There are a couple of open-source and free membership solutions out there - none of them are complete solutions and will require you to "roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty" to get them to do what you want. ...

Awesome PHP

Free PHP Scripts - Free Membership User Login Script

Joomla & AEC (Account Expiration Control)

AEC is at valanx.org

Simple Member

Another free PHP script, it lives up to it's name! Still it's a useful source of code if you want to roll your own.

Simple Member - Details -

Mywebwork had some good suggestions, here are some more.

1) Locked Area Lite is free; easy to use, but not very feature rich.. and doesn't have paypal integration. If you can use the ipn + autoresponder route, this may work.
Locked Area - User management, member's area and password protection software written in Perl and PHP.

2) SMF & PhpBB (forum scripts, but can be adapted to be used for membership) - I've got a video tutorial somewhere that shows how to integrate paypal for paid memberships.

3) There are a bunch of low cost membership site scripts (Membership Site Manager, Instant Member Site Creator and Simple Member Pro) that are floating around at the various giveaway events; I think I have all of them with giveaway rights, if you need any of these..

Last but not least - think out of the box.

I've seen at least a dozen plus warriors reply here, plus I'm willing to bet there'll be more coming along.

If you were to do a "pre-launch special offer; help me get Amember" (I don't know what you're planning to charge, but even if you were to offer it at $10 apiece and get 20 responses, that'll cover the cost of Amember and more. If it's more than $10, then you need fewer sales..)

Let me know if you do run this!!!

Plus, google "amember coupon" and you'll find at least one that gets you $30 off. Not mine, if I'm not mistaken the person offering it is a WF member.

Best wishes

[JamesFraze]

I think you guys underestimate what it takes to set stuff up "right". Yeah sure, you can find free and cheap solutions and people willing to work for $2 an hour. But don't moan about it when someone who has spent 20 years learning how to code, setup hosting, and do the "hard" parts asks for several hundred dollars to do a project.

1 Timothy 5
For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

And in case that's not plain:
1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."

Perhaps the warrior you referenced doesn't have people skills and didn't tactfully tell you that HE wasn't able to do it for $2 an hour - but don't assume that you are owed several hours of skilled labor for pennies. That's just not right.

When I go to an accountant and ask them how to save thousands of dollars per year, I pay for their brain, their experience and their support when things go wrong.

If I go to an attorney - again I pay for the knowledge and ability to save me thousands of dollars.

I am an IT guy, a very good one. When I set things up I may spend several hours researching the best possible solution, even going so far as to setup a mock up on my own system so I can lab out how it works.

Once I'm comfortable that the solutionw ill work, I recommend it and charge less than $15 an hour for the total work that I've just done. This isn't counting the hundreds or thousands of hours of base knowledge it requires to even do the tests. So someone sees a bill of $500 or $1000 and thinks wow this only takes a few hours to do.

Yes, it may only take a few hours to do - once you learn how to do it.

And what happens where there is a problem? Will your $2 an hour worker stay up late at night and give up their family time to help you? Would you?

I understand that people want to save money and find the best deals - but the best deal is not always the cheapest deal.

If someone is charging you only $2 an hour or $15 for a script setup - expect that if there are problems YOU will be the one handling them. How can a company pay employees to support a product if there is no money in the pot? You don't work for free (or you shouldn't if you have mouths to feed too), and it's not fair to expect others to work for you for free either.

You get what you pay for!

:: rant off ::

On the positive side - yes, if you look hard enough and are willing to do the sweat equity yourself, negotiate trades, think outside the box, setup payment plans, do trial offers, research - etc. You will find the lowest possible price and get the job done (correctly too).

Don't let anyone tell you that if you spend 10,000 attempts you won't eventually get it right yourself (Thomas Edison Example). But for most people they realize that sometimes it's worth it to just get it done right and move on, even though it's not the absolute cheapest method to do it. Many people don't enjoy doing certain kinds of work and can make their money better at their own trade instead of spending their time figuring out a new trade.

Memberwing + Wordpress + shared hosting = cheapest out of pocket expenses

But you still have to pay the worker his dues.

[Gail Sober]

You could always go with CCBill Businesscenter

They process the payments
Manage the subscribers
Have a built in affiliate management system
etc..

You pay % of transactions to them for the services

Just another option

[MichaelHiles]

Originally Posted by CmdrStidd

I am preparing to do a launch and I have posted requests for help. One warrior who shall remain nameless responded to the requests. I explained that while I am currently doing the training videos for the members area of the site that I needed someone to help get the members area up and running.

We talked about different things including how I was going to market this because I was offering part of the profits and I could understand his desire to know just how profitable this launch is projected to be. Upon telling him that I currently have no budget as it is all tied up in the software itself that I am getting ready to launch, he informs me that if I did not have the $200 plus that would be needed to buy aMemberPro and its one plugin that there was no more need in our talking. He further informed me that I was just wasting my time if I thought this was going to sell without a budget.

Well, that is the wrong thing to say to me. That makes me want to succeed just that much more so that I can slap him in the face with it every time I see him on the forum. I told him that I was very thankful that individuals like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and others did not listen to the "Mr. Negativity" of their community and generation.

Since when is it a requirement to have a ton of money to get a product started? I owned a printing company back in the 90's. I had a total of $210 in the bank at the time that I wanted to start this up. The banks told me "No" They were not going to give me a loan to start up my business. It was too big a risk for them.

5 and a half months later and without a single banks help, I had the money to buy the building, the printing presses, supplies, and pay the utilities for 6 months. Suddenly I had banks coming to me asking me to take out one of their business loans and you know what I said? I told them that they were too big of a risk for me to gamble on.

Please tell me that this Warrior was the exception and not the rule? I am getting individuals that have given me some suggestions for the prelaunch page and they are starting to show interest in some JVing with me, so someone must think I have a damned good idea here. I will not accept that because I do not have the money to spend on some software that I am finished before I begin.

I cannot believe that no one on this forum knows of any open source solution that I can use to get me started. Please, someone, tell me that the times have not gotten so bad that there is not a single solitary open source solution for running a membership site. Help me show this guy that it can be done and that it can be done on the principle of "no money down."

Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions. I know I can count on most of you to come through in a pinch. You did it before and I know you will do it again. Also, thanks for letting me be facetious so as to make a point.

DotNetNuke - The Leading Open Source Web Content Management Framework for ASP.NET

It's open source and it runs circles around the wordpress/amember solution so beloved by so many of the non-technical folks around here...

AND it's not subject to the script hacking vulnerabilities that you see warrior member after member posting on here about how they fell victim.

Yes, you have to host it with an ISP that offers MS-based hosting with MS SQL Server as part of the deal. Fine. No prob.

DotNetNuke / DNN Hosting - DNN Hosting Since 2004 $8.95 a month One pushbutton install of the latest DNN version. Fire and forget.

[brilliant]

Originally Posted by CarolinaInvestor

We have used DotNetNuke, which is open source, for one of our membership sites with success. You may want to check it out as we are also deliverinng video content. Now when you say open source, that does not mean that all the modules that you might need are free and open. We did purchase some modules to get the look and feel we wanted. I am also using Joomla on one of our sites specifically because of the video presentation I saw on another site. I think all of the extensions required to do that are open and free for the taking.

Of cousre a marketing budget with big $ would be great, but the bootstrap method should work also. I think whoever you were working with just didnt want to wait for the marination to happen.

Good Luck!

Also with Joomla, you still have to buy community builder plugins to build a good membership site, but it's very cheap.

[sbucciarel]

Originally Posted by centextkt

Some people in this business are just in it for the money.

I for one am a firm believer in "you reap what you sow". In other words, if you only look at making yourself successful and never help others out, you are missing on what you may be called to do.

Anyway, there are several inexpensive membership scripts available. Just do a "search" of the forums.

Good luck and don't let the naysayers get you down.

I can see both sides to the story. You approached someone with a product that he is selling, if I'm not mistaken and don't have the money to buy the product that you want and maybe offered him a partnership deal on a startup.

When I was doing mostly freelance graphic/web design work, I can't tell you how many startups contacted me and wanted me to work for free for a piece of a business that didn't even exist yet. I turned them all down. It won't pay my bills to work for free for people on startups that may or may not become successful and for people who may or may not actually deliver profits to me if it were successful.

So, of course people are in it for the money. Nearly everyone here is trying to make money in one way or another.

That being said, you may find a JV partner somewhere who can afford the software you need if you present your business plan in an enticing, mutually beneficial way.

Originally Posted by CmdrStidd

I am preparing to do a launch and I have posted requests for help. One warrior who shall remain nameless responded to the requests. I explained that while I am currently doing the training videos for the members area of the site that I needed someone to help get the members area up and running.

We talked about different things including how I was going to market this because I was offering part of the profits and I could understand his desire to know just how profitable this launch is projected to be. Upon telling him that I currently have no budget as it is all tied up in the software itself that I am getting ready to launch, he informs me that if I did not have the $200 plus that would be needed to buy aMemberPro and its one plugin that there was no more need in our talking. He further informed me that I was just wasting my time if I thought this was going to sell without a budget.

Well, that is the wrong thing to say to me. That makes me want to succeed just that much more so that I can slap him in the face with it every time I see him on the forum. I told him that I was very thankful that individuals like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and others did not listen to the "Mr. Negativity" of their community and generation.

Since when is it a requirement to have a ton of money to get a product started? I owned a printing company back in the 90's. I had a total of $210 in the bank at the time that I wanted to start this up. The banks told me "No" They were not going to give me a loan to start up my business. It was too big a risk for them.

5 and a half months later and without a single banks help, I had the money to buy the building, the printing presses, supplies, and pay the utilities for 6 months. Suddenly I had banks coming to me asking me to take out one of their business loans and you know what I said? I told them that they were too big of a risk for me to gamble on.

Please tell me that this Warrior was the exception and not the rule? I am getting individuals that have given me some suggestions for the prelaunch page and they are starting to show interest in some JVing with me, so someone must think I have a damned good idea here. I will not accept that because I do not have the money to spend on some software that I am finished before I begin.

I cannot believe that no one on this forum knows of any open source solution that I can use to get me started. Please, someone, tell me that the times have not gotten so bad that there is not a single solitary open source solution for running a membership site. Help me show this guy that it can be done and that it can be done on the principle of "no money down."

Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions. I know I can count on most of you to come through in a pinch. You did it before and I know you will do it again. Also, thanks for letting me be facetious so as to make a point.

Do you need a membership script to help you get launched ?? No I am not trying to sell you anything.. I am asking, do you need a membership script ???

James

[Steve Baker]

I can't help you with the membership script, but with Mr Negativity, I can. I was taught by a business coach of mine "that it's none of my business what other people say or think about me".

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and comments and that's ok for them.

You have done the right thing and become more determined to succeed and use the forum for what it's intended - to help each other.

Keep on shining,
Steve

[Audrey Harvey]

When I was in high school, I did work experience with a veterinarian. He told me I'd never do any good as a vet, but I should think about being a nurse or kennel hand.

Fast forward 10 years. I'd graduated with a veterinary science degree with honors, I owned my own very successful practice, and I ended up employing him as a locum. I paid his wage, with a smile each time. Don't ever tell me I can't do something!

Use their negativity as a force for your own good. There have been loads of good suggestions for you on this thread. All the best with your launch.