Kelly Vrchota: Meet My Network Interview Series

In a few words tell us about who you are, what you do and who you serve.

I’m a Membership Strategist. I help coaches create, launch, and grow memberships. I work with coaches in a variety of niches who value impact and freedom. They want to impact more clients without overfilling their calendars. 

 

When did you start your business and why did you get started?

I started working in the online space in 2013. My first client (and friend) was a coach for adoptive and foster parents. She always said, “As long as I’m on this planet, no family will have to do this alone.”

Fantastic mission, but with solely the 1:1 coaching model, it was impossible to achieve. We added in courses and webinars, but there was still something missing. Parents weren’t getting the ongoing access to coaching and the support they needed. 

Once we discovered the membership model, we added that into her business. It was transformational  - for her, for her business, and for the families she supported. She went from serving a handful of clients each month to serving a couple hundred. The parents had greater transformations and loved getting the ongoing coaching and support. 

She passed away in 2019. After taking time to pause, grief, and evaluate, I have since gone all in as a Membership Strategist. It’s how I serve my clients best, and really lights me up.

 

What is your mission for your business?

Impact is one of my core values - in business and in life. I love partnering with clients to help them create a greater impact. 

 

What’s the one thing about your business journey that you didn’t expect? 

Importance of networking. I am a lover of learning and have taken a ton of courses and trainings. Perhaps it’s the former teacher in me. 

Where I have gained incredible value is through networking and relationships. Word of mouth and referral has brought me the majority of my clients. 

 

What is a common myth about your industry?

Often people think there is one way to design a membership. Memberships can really look different, from business to business. It’s not a one size fits all. I really focus on creating memberships that serve the members well AND that serves the coach well. 

 

If you could go back in time and do something different in the way you built your business, what would you do and why?

Investing in coaches and mentors right away. I didn’t have to go it alone. Too often, we think we need to wait til we hit a certain revenue point, but the reality is having support and guidance will get us further faster. 

 

What advice would you give someone who is struggling with creating a membership?

Design your membership so it serves your members well and so it serves you well. It doesn’t have it be one or the other. That is what is going to make it sustainable. 

 

What is your favourite part of running your business?

Strategizing and supporting my clients. They are all on such important missions of making an impact in the lives of others and it is such an honor to be able to walk alongside them.

 

What tool (or software) is indispensable for your job?

Voxer  - my clients all get access to me via Voxer. They can use it to talk through ideas, ask questions, get support and use it for accountability to keep the needle moving forward. It’s like having a strategist in your back pocket.

 

What’s one upcoming project that you’re excited about right now?

After hearing from lots of people who wanted to move fast on getting their memberships created and launched, I added a VIP Day option to my offer stack. They can be in-person (I come to them) or virtual.