So, time to follow on from my post a month or so ago:
http://forum.saysomethingin.com/t/ssieverything-where-we-go-next-aka-interesting-times/
As I said then, we need to try and build some more momentum - to be able to publish more, and more quickly, in both Welsh and Spanish, and to start producing courses in more languages.
We’ve got the technical set-up more or less as it needs to be, so…
Introducing - the SSi Growth Club
Over the years, many of you have been kind enough to ask if you could give us some more money - and we’ve always said no (perhaps a little unwisely!).
So now you can.
But we’ve been trying to work out how to make it good for you as well as for us.
Here’s what we’ve got so far (and we’d warmly welcome any further suggestions).
When you go to your subscription settings (click on ‘Learn’ up there, then your name on the top right, then ‘Subscriptions’ from the drop-down menu), you’ll see 3 ways to become a founder member of the SSi Growth Club - £10 a month, £20 a month, and £50 a month.
Please do NOT join the SSi Growth Club if it will cause you any financial strain.
If you can manage it, here’s how it will play out:
For SSi:
We’ll use the income, first of all, to pay for some of Jeff’s time, so that he’ll be able to move on quickly with the mastering for the Welsh and Spanish lessons that are otherwise ready to go. This will lead to an immediate increase in publication speed for everyone
Then, we’ll throw our main efforts into using the almost entirely ready course creation tool to build Level 1 for another 15 to 20 languages - this will be seriously accelerated if we can afford to pay translators and recording artists.
If there’s anything spare after that, we’ll be talking to copywriters to try and help get the message out more successfully about our Spanish course (and the other new courses), and to keep on adding more and more new languages.
For you
We know the people who will support us with this are the people who unselfishly want to help the SSi method reach a wider audience - and we love you for that.
Even so, for our own peace of mind, we want to find a way to give back to you.
So here’s the plan: starting when we get back from visiting friends next week (unless we can squeeze in a quick five minutes this afternoon, fingers crossed!) Catrin and I will be recording a short weekly conversation on a subject in the news. It should be really valuable extra listening work for our £10 a month supporters, and we’ll lay on a transcription and a translation for our £20 a month supporters - and we’ll invite our £50 a month supporters into a weekly video hangout to ask any questions, or talk about the topic, or anything else they’d like to talk about!
We’ll also give all our Growth Club members access to everything SSi publishes, for ever - every language, every level. Your existing subscription (I’m guessing almost everyone who joins the Growth Club will already have a subscription, although of course you’re welcome if you haven’t!) will continue to run - we need the Growth Club to build on where we are already, not to replace it - but you’ll never have to pay a penny beyond that. Even when we’ve got courses with multiple levels selling for £100 or £200, you’ll get access to everything without paying any extra.
A little twist in the tail
I’ve been told not to do this.
But I know the people who’ll support us with this genuinely love what SSi does - and I feel very strongly about you in return. I believe this is the group that will get us over our current loss of momentum - and I believe that once we have 15 or 20 new languages, we’re going to see a new level of growth for SSi, and we’ll be able to throw our energy into promoting Welsh and trying to build courses for every language.
So, as soon as we can afford to, we’ll start cancelling Growth Club payments - starting with the first people to join and working through in order.
But when we cancel your Growth Club payments, you’ll still be a Growth Club member - and you will remain one for ever, with access to everything we do.
You’re going to be a small and exclusive club - but together, I think we can make some real changes to how languages are taught - and to the future of Welsh…
Learn -> profile name -> Subscription. And: diolch yn fawr IAWN.
P.S. Don’t read this bit - it’s just me thinking aloud.
In my imagination, we’ll one day have enough cash flow to be able to push on with all our projects - and to do some fun things to say thank you, more than we can promise at the moment. I’m thinking of parties, or maybe even holidays in Wales - or perhaps even Monte Carlo!
But one thing’s sure - our Growth Club members will be at the head of the line for everything we do…