All businesses / Paid community

Fingerprint: capital · hours · speed to income · margin · ceiling. The dashed line is mid-scale.

Start a paid community: the real numbers

A members' space people pay to be in. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives, and the part most guides leave out.

Startup capital

€200–€1,000

Hours / week

10–30

First income

~20 wks

Net margin

93%

Saturation

medium

Realistic ceiling

€300–€3,500+

This ceiling is not a wall

The figure above is what this earns in the shape described — you, running it. Past that it keeps going, but by hiring people or adding units, not by you working more hours. That is a different job from the one you would be starting, and worth knowing before you start it.

What nobody usually tells you

Recurring revenue from a small number of people: 120 members at €30 is €3,600 a month. But churn is the whole game — lose 10% monthly and you're refilling a bucket forever. You can never stop showing up.

The route, in five steps

  1. Run it free for 60 days and see who actually shows up
  2. Charge €20–40 a month, not €5
  3. Put one live session a week in the calendar and keep it
  4. Make members visible to each other — that's the product
  5. Watch churn weekly; it's the only number that matters

What you'll need to buy

These are the categories every paid community pays for in the first month. We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the tools page.

community platformpayment platformscheduling tools

Does it hold up for you?

These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.

Run my numbers → See the tool stack