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Jan 22, 2016 · 18m · top-founders

Amy Tells Nathan he's Wrong on Membership Sites with Amy Schmittauer of SavvySexySocial.com

Amy Schmittauer · 9m spoken Nathan Latka · 6m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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Digital strategist Amy Schmittauer of SavvySexySocial.com joins host Nathan Latka to discuss transitioning from exhausting one-on-one client consulting to a scalable $5,000-per-month recurring membership community. Amy also shares insights on video marketing longevity, enforcing strict $5,000 keynote speaking rates, and creating sustainable boundaries in business.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 42.7% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 4.2 Guest teaching 3.0 Guest disagreement 2.8 Nathan pushing back 3.2
05100:0010:001:29–4:51 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Debunking Ageless Looks and Discussing Video Blogging Longevity Nathan opens with casual rapport and asks whether video blogging is merely a fad. Amy counters by noting she has consistently published on YouTube since 2008, before explaining why she fired consulting clients to build a membership product.4:51–8:33 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Dissecting Membership Tiers, Pricing Strategy, and Monthly Earnings Nathan drills into the exact revenue figures and pricing tiers of Amy's new site. When Amy introduces the annual premium tier, Nathan halts her to clarify confusing pricing terminology, prompting Amy to explain the price anchoring psychology.8:33–12:11 · Nathan as informed peer 7/10 Debating Membership Retention versus SaaS and Software Development Nathan aggressively challenges the membership site business model, citing previous high-earning guests and asking why she doesn't build SaaS to avoid churn. Amy firmly rejects the premise, defending her strengths in content generation while admitting monthly churn requires pivoting to annual commitments.12:11–14:47 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Keynote Speaking Fees and the Power of Saying No Nathan roleplays an organizer trying to negotiate Amy down from her speaking rate. Amy outlines her strict five-thousand-dollar floor and willingness to walk away from deals, earning Nathan's praise.14:48–17:50 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 Mid-Episode Promotion and Sponsor Spotlight on Growth Geeks After an ad read, Nathan transitions into the standard Famous Five rapid-fire format. The dynamic is cooperative and lighthearted through the standard closing questions.1:29–4:51 · Guest teaching 3/10 Debunking Ageless Looks and Discussing Video Blogging Longevity Nathan opens with casual rapport and asks whether video blogging is merely a fad. Amy counters by noting she has consistently published on YouTube since 2008, before explaining why she fired consulting clients to build a membership product.4:51–8:33 · Guest teaching 4/10 Dissecting Membership Tiers, Pricing Strategy, and Monthly Earnings Nathan drills into the exact revenue figures and pricing tiers of Amy's new site. When Amy introduces the annual premium tier, Nathan halts her to clarify confusing pricing terminology, prompting Amy to explain the price anchoring psychology.8:33–12:11 · Guest teaching 5/10 Debating Membership Retention versus SaaS and Software Development Nathan aggressively challenges the membership site business model, citing previous high-earning guests and asking why she doesn't build SaaS to avoid churn. Amy firmly rejects the premise, defending her strengths in content generation while admitting monthly churn requires pivoting to annual commitments.12:11–14:47 · Guest teaching 2/10 Keynote Speaking Fees and the Power of Saying No Nathan roleplays an organizer trying to negotiate Amy down from her speaking rate. Amy outlines her strict five-thousand-dollar floor and willingness to walk away from deals, earning Nathan's praise.14:48–17:50 · Guest teaching 1/10 Mid-Episode Promotion and Sponsor Spotlight on Growth Geeks After an ad read, Nathan transitions into the standard Famous Five rapid-fire format. The dynamic is cooperative and lighthearted through the standard closing questions.1:29–4:51 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Debunking Ageless Looks and Discussing Video Blogging Longevity Nathan opens with casual rapport and asks whether video blogging is merely a fad. Amy counters by noting she has consistently published on YouTube since 2008, before explaining why she fired consulting clients to build a membership product.4:51–8:33 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Dissecting Membership Tiers, Pricing Strategy, and Monthly Earnings Nathan drills into the exact revenue figures and pricing tiers of Amy's new site. When Amy introduces the annual premium tier, Nathan halts her to clarify confusing pricing terminology, prompting Amy to explain the price anchoring psychology.8:33–12:11 · Guest disagreement 6/10 Debating Membership Retention versus SaaS and Software Development Nathan aggressively challenges the membership site business model, citing previous high-earning guests and asking why she doesn't build SaaS to avoid churn. Amy firmly rejects the premise, defending her strengths in content generation while admitting monthly churn requires pivoting to annual commitments.12:11–14:47 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Keynote Speaking Fees and the Power of Saying No Nathan roleplays an organizer trying to negotiate Amy down from her speaking rate. Amy outlines her strict five-thousand-dollar floor and willingness to walk away from deals, earning Nathan's praise.14:48–17:50 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Mid-Episode Promotion and Sponsor Spotlight on Growth Geeks After an ad read, Nathan transitions into the standard Famous Five rapid-fire format. The dynamic is cooperative and lighthearted through the standard closing questions.1:29–4:51 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Debunking Ageless Looks and Discussing Video Blogging Longevity Nathan opens with casual rapport and asks whether video blogging is merely a fad. Amy counters by noting she has consistently published on YouTube since 2008, before explaining why she fired consulting clients to build a membership product.4:51–8:33 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Dissecting Membership Tiers, Pricing Strategy, and Monthly Earnings Nathan drills into the exact revenue figures and pricing tiers of Amy's new site. When Amy introduces the annual premium tier, Nathan halts her to clarify confusing pricing terminology, prompting Amy to explain the price anchoring psychology.8:33–12:11 · Nathan pushing back 7/10 Debating Membership Retention versus SaaS and Software Development Nathan aggressively challenges the membership site business model, citing previous high-earning guests and asking why she doesn't build SaaS to avoid churn. Amy firmly rejects the premise, defending her strengths in content generation while admitting monthly churn requires pivoting to annual commitments.12:11–14:47 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Keynote Speaking Fees and the Power of Saying No Nathan roleplays an organizer trying to negotiate Amy down from her speaking rate. Amy outlines her strict five-thousand-dollar floor and willingness to walk away from deals, earning Nathan's praise.14:48–17:50 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Mid-Episode Promotion and Sponsor Spotlight on Growth Geeks After an ad read, Nathan transitions into the standard Famous Five rapid-fire format. The dynamic is cooperative and lighthearted through the standard closing questions.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 69.2% · guest 30.8%0:00 · Nathan 69.2% · guest 30.8%3:00 · Nathan 10.5% · guest 89.5%3:00 · Nathan 10.5% · guest 89.5%6:00 · Nathan 31.7% · guest 68.3%6:00 · Nathan 31.7% · guest 68.3%9:00 · Nathan 24.1% · guest 75.9%9:00 · Nathan 24.1% · guest 75.9%12:00 · Nathan 37.5% · guest 62.5%12:00 · Nathan 37.5% · guest 62.5%15:00 · Nathan 72.2% · guest 27.8%15:00 · Nathan 72.2% · guest 27.8%18:00 · Nathan 97.2% · guest 2.8%18:00 · Nathan 97.2% · guest 2.8%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 9:15 Rejecting the Software Platform Premise

Amy forcefully pushes back on Nathan's suggestion to build software, insisting she has zero interest in chasing trendy software concepts and knows her lane is content.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 8:37 Interrogating the Membership Churn Trap

Nathan compares Amy to top female entrepreneurs from past episodes and bluntly asks why she is building a grueling recurring content model instead of a software asset.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 2:04 Debunking the Video Fad Question

Amy reframes Nathan's question about whether video blogging is a fad by pointing out she has been monetizing YouTube videos since 2008.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 11:03 Challenging the Unit Economics of Three-Month Churn

Nathan pinpoints the fatal flaw in Amy's monthly model by pointing out that if users churn in three months, she should charge one hundred eighty dollars upfront rather than sixty dollars monthly.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Debunking Ageless Looks and Discussing Video Blogging Longevity 3322 Nathan opens with casual rapport and asks whether video blogging is merely a fad. Amy counters by noting she has consistently published on YouTube since 2008, before explaining why she fired consulting clients to build a membership product.
Dissecting Membership Tiers, Pricing Strategy, and Monthly Earnings 5424 Nathan drills into the exact revenue figures and pricing tiers of Amy's new site. When Amy introduces the annual premium tier, Nathan halts her to clarify confusing pricing terminology, prompting Amy to explain the price anchoring psychology.
Debating Membership Retention versus SaaS and Software Development 7567 Nathan aggressively challenges the membership site business model, citing previous high-earning guests and asking why she doesn't build SaaS to avoid churn. Amy firmly rejects the premise, defending her strengths in content generation while admitting monthly churn requires pivoting to annual commitments.
Keynote Speaking Fees and the Power of Saying No 4232 Nathan roleplays an organizer trying to negotiate Amy down from her speaking rate. Amy outlines her strict five-thousand-dollar floor and willingness to walk away from deals, earning Nathan's praise.
Mid-Episode Promotion and Sponsor Spotlight on Growth Geeks 2111 After an ad read, Nathan transitions into the standard Famous Five rapid-fire format. The dynamic is cooperative and lighthearted through the standard closing questions.

Statements from this episode (6)

Disclosure
Schmittauer shifted her business entirely to a membership-only model in 2015.
“I usually sell product, but in the last year, I have really streamlined my offering to be membership only.”
Amy Schmittauer Jan 22, 2016 ▶ 2:36
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Schmittauer's Social Authority Membership site generated $5,000 in October 2015.
“In October alone, I think it was bringing in five K.”
Amy Schmittauer Jan 22, 2016 ▶ 6:12
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Schmittauer's monthly membership subscribers stay an average of three months.
“The average so far has been three months.”
Amy Schmittauer Jan 22, 2016 ▶ 11:00
Opinion
Schmittauer estimates average retention for membership communities is seven months.
“I think that the true average in a model like this is more like seven months.”
Amy Schmittauer Jan 22, 2016 ▶ 11:28
Disclosure
Schmittauer rejected $3,500 speaking gig offers to protect her $5,000 fee.
“I've turned down two more because the other two didn't want to pay my fee. They wanted to pay a percentage of it. I probably got somebody to come up to three, three and a half, but that wasn't my fee. So I said, I'm sorry, I can't do it.”
Amy Schmittauer Jan 22, 2016 ▶ 13:46
Opinion
Latka claims Tai Lopez was evasive and squeamy during his interview.
“I really went for the jugular in episode number 45 when Tai Lopez came on and was so foggy. That guy was so squeamy.”
Nathan Latka Jan 22, 2016 ▶ 17:35
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