If you think people stay in a membership just because the content is good, I’m here to lovingly tell you—that’s not true. In this entry of the CEO Diaries, I want to walk you through one of the most important (and misunderstood) parts of building a membership that actually works: deliverables, ROI, and systems.
Because deliverables might get people in the door—but they are not what keep people around.
And I know this because I learned the hard way.
The Biggest Membership Myth: “People Just Want the Content”
Back in 2012, when I launched my first membership, I genuinely believed that if my content was good enough, people would just… stay.
I had an audience. JillFit was about 18 months old. I priced the membership at $10/month and loaded it up with recipes, workouts, and resources. I thought:
“This is such a steal. Why would anyone ever cancel?”
Fast forward a few months—and we lost about a third of the membership.
And I remember feeling completely blindsided.
People weren’t canceling because the content was bad.
They were canceling because:
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They forgot to log in
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They weren’t using it
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They didn’t feel connected
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There was no reason to stay once they consumed what they needed
That experience fundamentally changed how I think about memberships.
People Come for the Content—but They Stay for the Community
This phrase exists for a reason.
Content alone is passive.
Community creates engagement.
Engagement creates action.
Action creates results.
And results are what drive retention.
Once we added:
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A real community
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Consistent communication
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Clear reminders of value
Everything changed.
Retention improved.
Engagement skyrocketed.
And yes—we raised prices.
Which brings me to the core of this episode: deliverables alone are not enough.
Deliverables vs. ROI: What’s the Difference?
Here’s where most memberships get it wrong.
Deliverables = What Someone Gets
Examples:
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Calls
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Templates
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Trainings
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Workouts
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Resources
Deliverables answer the question:
“What’s included?”
ROI / Promise = What Someone Becomes or Achieves
Examples:
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Scale to six figures
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Build predictable revenue
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Create consistent habits
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Improve strength, health, or confidence
The promise answers the question:
“What am I working toward?”
If your membership doesn’t have a clear promise, people will eventually ask:
“Why am I still here?”
And when they can’t answer that question clearly—they leave.
Start With the End in Mind
Before you decide what to include in a membership, you have to decide:
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Who this is for
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What result they want
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How long it should realistically take to get there
For Strategy Lab, the promise is clear:
👉 Scale your online coaching business to six figures
I don’t believe that takes five years.
I believe it can happen in 6–24 months.
Once I knew the outcome, everything else became simple:
Reverse engineer what someone needs to reach that goal.
That’s how deliverables should be designed.
Why “More Access to Me” Is Not a Scalable Strategy
My first instinct—like many coaches—was:
“I’ll just do more calls.”
More FaceTime. More access. More Jill.
And my team immediately shut that down (thankfully).
Not because calls aren’t valuable—but because:
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It doesn’t scale
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It creates a bottleneck
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It competes with higher-ticket programs
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It trains clients to rely on me, not systems
One of the best pieces of feedback I got from my mentor was this:
“You have to stop believing the only thing people will pay for is more of you.”
She was right.
If someone can only move forward when they have access to your brain, both of you are stuck.
The Real Goal: Productize Your Brain
This is where systems come in.
If I hop on a call and give someone strategy advice, I ask myself:
Can this be productized?
Can it become:
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A framework
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A template
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A launch model
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A repeatable system
Because systems:
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Remove dependency
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Increase speed of implementation
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Create leverage
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Allow scale
This is the difference between working in the business and working on the business.
What the Deliverables in Strategy Lab Actually Look Like
Instead of “more calls,” the core deliverables are plug-and-play sales and launch systems.
Every month, members receive:
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A complete money model or launch system
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Offer creation guidance
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Lead generation strategy
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Messaging + sales strategy
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Templates, scripts, swipe files
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Metrics to track success
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A debrief framework to improve next time
Examples include:
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9-day launches
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Waitlist launches
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Evergreen webinar funnels
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Low-ticket → high-ticket models
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Self-liquidating offers
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Applications and coaching pods
These aren’t ideas.
They’re ready-to-implement systems.
Because if you’re starting from scratch every time you sell something, you will never scale.
Systems Create Predictability (And Predictability Creates Growth)
If you’re not measuring it, you can’t scale it.
Winging it might feel creative—but it’s exhausting and unreliable.
Systems allow you to ask:
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How many leads do I need?
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How many sales should this convert?
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What numbers matter?
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What can I improve next time?
That’s how online business stops being a hobby and starts becoming a career.
And yes—six figures means it’s no longer a hobby.
The Four Features That Support the Deliverables
Deliverables alone don’t create results. They need support.
That’s why Strategy Lab is built on four pillars:
1. Strategy
Not mindset. Not vibes.
Real, current, step-by-step strategy that works now.
2. Accountability
Challenges, benchmarks, engagement systems—because action creates results.
If people don’t take action, nothing else matters.
3. Coaching
Community-based coaching and troubleshooting—different from anything else in the ecosystem.
This allows for personalization without bottlenecks.
4. Community
Because learning accelerates when you’re surrounded by people at your level.
This is where best practices, wins, and real conversations happen.
If You Don’t Have a Big Promise—Create Micro Goals
Not every membership needs a massive outcome like “six figures.”
But every membership needs something people are working toward.
Examples:
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12-week transformation blocks
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Seasonal challenges
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Skill-based benchmarks
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Programs within the membership
Micro goals:
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Increase engagement
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Improve retention
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Give members a reason to stay
People won’t quit halfway through something they’re invested in.
The Ultimate Question to Ask Yourself
Here’s the question my coach asked me—and it’s one you should ask too:
If you ever wanted to sell this part of your business, could you?
That forces you to think about:
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Systems
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Replicability
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Documentation
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Scalability
Even if you never sell—it makes the business stronger.
Final Thoughts: Build Memberships That Don’t Depend on You
A great membership:
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Has a clear promise
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Is built around systems
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Delivers ROI
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Scales beyond your calendar
Deliverables matter—but only when they support a larger outcome.
Start with the end in mind.
Reverse engineer the path.
Build systems that people can actually use.
That’s how memberships last.
That’s how businesses scale.
And that’s how you stop being the bottleneck.