Five months ago, the StrongLifts Inner Circle changed from a free to a paid-only community. Since then, I've received several emails from ex-free Members upset about this change. After reading every single one of these emails, and now that five months have passed, I have some observations and conclusions.
First, I am sure switching to a paid community was the correct decision. Recently StrongLifts achieved a new breakthrough by reaching over a million people per month from over 187 countries. We are changing more bodies and lives than any other strength training website. And we're just getting warmed up: my goal is to help 100 million people a year by StrongLifts' 10th anniversary in 2017.
To accomplish this goal we need to hire talented people. Which also means we need stable and scalable streams of income to pay for their work. It was obvious StrongLifts couldn't keep relying on ads and affiliates to generate 80% of its revenue. We had to change to a freemium model where StrongLifts.com remains 100% free while StrongLiftsInnerCircle.com becomes paid-only.
This change has paid off. Revenue has boomed. As a result, the StrongLifts 5x5 App for iPod/iPhone was released (100% free), and revenue continues to be poured into its development to add more features requested by guys like you (Android is coming as well). Revenue is also being poured into the development of the new workout tracker inside the StrongLifts Inner Circle Community. None of this would have been possible if we had clinged to the old revenue model.
Second, nothing has worked better to keep the spam, trolls and bullies out of the StrongLifts Inner Circle Community than charging a fee. With our thousands of paid Gold Members from all over the planet, this not only continues to make us the biggest private strength training community on the Internet, but also the most friendly and helpful one. This, together with the new workout tracker that is being developed, continues to keep us far ahead of the competition.
Three, even though we've made the right decision by keeping StrongLifts 100% free while making the StrongLifts Inner Circle a paid-only community... and even though this has increased the quality of the experience for the thousands of existing Gold Members, the founding Members deserved a better treatment.
I blew it by disabling your free account weeks after promising you could remain for free. I blew it by disabling all accounts of free Members who did nothing wrong when a few free Members were trying to bring the place down because they didn't agree with the changes. And I blew it by disabling your free account without warning and without giving you the opportunity to backup your training log or exchange information with the friends you made over the years.
Hundreds of ex-free Members became paid Gold Members anyway in the days, weeks and months that followed. But some were too upset to ever trust me with their hard-earned cash and lost access to their training logs as a result.
Therefore, because I know your training log was vitally important to you, I'd like to offer you a free copy of your training log(s) at no cost. Simply submit a ticket inside our helpdesk, mention your username, and you will receive a free copy of your log within seven days. Dozens of ex-free Members like Adam and Andreas have already received copies of their logs during the past months. So will you.
Click here to request a free copy of your training log.
I've also decided to offer every ex-free StrongLifts Member who helped building our community (registered before 2011 and with over 100 posts) a 20% Gold Membership discount if you become part of our community again. Simply submit a ticket in our helpdesk next time the doors open to get the special discount.
I really want to help 100 million of guys change their body and life. I've been doing this for not even five years, so I still have to learn a lot. I apologize if I disappointed some of you, and will keep working hard so StrongLifts and the StrongLiftsInnerCircle continue to be the best strength training resources ever.
-Mehdi
These guys helped you get you where you are today and provided a big selling point for the paid service. Your forum is full of useful information because of them. Their accounts should be restored, IMO. It is just the right thing to do. Let the paid service be for new subscribers.
A brilliant explanation for the switch and a very noble gesture to all those who were unhappy with the change. Bravo Mehdi, this is pure class.
I’m not yet a Gold Member, becouse of a broken hand which keeps me from doin StronglLifts 5×5, and I just want to point out that;
SOMETHING is always MORE than NOTHING.
Money makes the world go ’round and SL5x5 needs just that.
Giving a discount on the final product to inaugural beta testers is standard procedure in the software business and applies well to this situation. Should not have taken this long to give users a copy of their logs, but better late than not at all. Plus, dude said he was sorry. That’s got to count for something.
Not many folks will own a mistake.
Honesty ultimately breeds a more secure and profitable ethical business.
Had it been me it would have stung.
This is what comes of being “too nice” reading each email, trying to help out everyone. At some point we break and shut down somehow. There is always collateral damage in a situation like that.
Week 9 and I am stronger than ever before – 25% BF to 22.5% BF 223 lbs to 218 lbs.
Thanks Medhi
I feel that strong lifts is a great program and excellent leader. If it were a bit easier to use like there app I would be all over it. I found very difficult to run and input logs after every workout. Being a busy dad, boss, husband, and get workouts in are hard enough. If there were a way of inputing logs direct from your phone or tablet while at the gym would make it so much easier.
I don’t think we should start down the road of ‘these guys helped you get where you are today’ attitude as highlighted by Nick. I am sure the guys as much out of it as they put in and therefore it was mutually beneficial arrangement.
The trouble today is that everyone wants something for nothing. Why should a new subscriber have to pay, simply because they have just discovered the service. Everyone should or shouldn’t pay. Everyones contribution counts.
Like Mehdi says, the tracker, the hosting, the time invested has all been provided. We should all rightly be paying for the service. If your unhappy about it, don’t pay but don’t then complain about it. Those that are complaining should really ask how much of their professional services they provide free of charge IMO.
Iam sorry to hear about the mistakes you made in the past with the ex-members,about their membership, we all make mistakes. But it takes a big man to admit that he did something wrong,if their was no fees there would be no stronglifts.
…Get some SL 5X5 T-SHIRTS!!!
…agreed, i want a StrongLifts 5×5 t-shirt!! And i agree with u mehdi, when people have to pay 4 something, they will appreciate it more
Mehdi,
From a non-gold club member (not yet inner circle member) point of view…
Shows a lot of integrity to admit and own the mistake like that. Also to take the time to explain why the fee is being instituted is very honarable.
I just missed joining the gold members as I had not at first realised it was pay to join until the last minute and pulled back (hesitated and missed the window?).
I just read this from you and can understand the reasons you have explained to make the inner circle membership ‘premium’.
I also get that you can’t rely on 80% of your revenue on advertising, if you aren’t getting in bed with ‘the machine’ (bro-science etc]… then that’s a damn good reason! Anyway I see I should have joined when the door was opened. We all make mistakes. After all when I think how much i started to spend a month on magazines and the ‘bro-science’ advice i got from them and still stalled (creatine, prework out cafein loaded crap, a few bottles with acronyms) i think i learnt more off your free site access and my motivations through the roof to continue… that membership fee is starting to look like a bargain, no brainer. Where doi sign up my friend???
Thanks for taking the time to explain this ‘service fee’.
P.s i just cancelled two magazine subscriptions so i’m ready :-)
Hope to join soon Mick.
with various acronyms etc). I can’t say thete is a right or wrong with these members but seeing that you are trying to make right the best youcan is
T-Shirts are the best idea yet! I reckon most people on here would get one and wear them to there gym creating more interest in sl 5×5 creating more buissness for sl 5×5! why not have a competition for the best designs ????
as a IT related worker, sometimes you just blow a database and can do almost nothing about it. Shit happens, but you know what? its been since november that I’m just procrastinating about finding the right gym, even a simple one, and the emails from these list really keep nagging me in a good way. Who knows? Maybe I’ll have the money to pay myself an innercircle account, I’m also getting myself into android coding, so lets see the bright future ok? :D
Yeah yeah, no pain no gain and you know what? nobody takes free stuff for serious, seriously. Stronglifts will grow a lot, even if those poor like me (for the moment) are left aside. Just keep us on the mailing list n__n
Shirts- singlets- great idea!!!!…I want 1
more power to you Mehdi, you have something really great going on here, I have been following your site for some time and the Stronglifts 5×5 workout routine and it is awesome, thank you, i will be a paying member some time soon.
thanks again Mehdi, keep up the great work and be blessed.
Conrad.
ps, I would love to buy a 5×5 t-shirt to.
We don’t work for nothing, so why should Mehdi? He’s been gracious enough to give us SL 5×5 for free; as most would’ve made us all pay 49.99 for just the basics. Thank you Mehdi.
@ Renae, Conrad
There is a US store at http://stronglifts.spreadshirt.com/ and a EU store at http://stronglifts.spreadshirt.be/.