I have found that membership websites are great, but also very upsetting if you are doing it for the first time.

The first time I launched a membership website, I used 6 differenet membership website software solutions before I found one that I loved and have stuck on.

If you are interested in setting up your own income generating membership website, I suggest you start with the free membership website guide by Yaro Starak.  Keep in mind if you want to join his training center, it is only open for a couple of days.

What I learned from starting a membership site is this:

1. Find a simple solution and stick with it.  I now use WordPress, WP Wishlist Member and 1ShoppingCart.  And with these tools I can get past the set up and ecommerce issues in under an hour.
2. Simplicity is key – I started out feeling like I had to have tons of content to justify the cost of the membership site.  Later I realized most people do not read all the stuff and it is better to focus on Quality – not quantity.
3. Marketing will be most challenging – while it is easier to set up a membership site once you get the hang of it and get the right membership site software solutions, it is still not easy to sell it.  You should anticipate a lot of work on the marketing side to make it a success.

Membership Websites are not the automatic cash machine that people make them out to be online.  However, once you get better at setting them up and doing it, you can make money with membership sites.