The toughest part of dropping our son off at college is that we miss having him around. Now, Kory and I have our home to ourselves again. It’s a lot simpler to shop for groceries, and preparing meals is easier when you are cooking for two. And while we certainly talk a lot, our son was another good conversation starter.
For my wife, she’s thinking about him all the time, wondering if he’s getting to class, eating, and making friends. Evidently, he is getting along well enough, because he isn’t calling or texting her much.
Kory has had to transition from being the mom who reminds her son about deadlines or places he’s supposed to be, to being the mom who supports her son silently from afar.
Our son was one of 600 students accepted to the University of Florida Honors program. He’s living at the honors dorm, and his roommate is a great kid. It’s everything we have dreamed of as parents. But the transition from being parents of a child living at home to a child living away has been difficult.
While I’ve been supportive and helpful around the house, this transition has allowed me to get a lot more work done.
I took an extended trip to Baltimore to meet with the team at Money Map Press, an Agora affiliate, on a new product they are launching this fall. They are launching a new community for members to grow their investment expertise. We created the community values, mission, and origin story — essential elements of any vibrant tribe.
I also had the privilege to travel to Sacramento, California, to work with the California Chamber of Commerce on their renewed member attraction, onboarding, and retention efforts. Although the CalChamber is a nonprofit organization with a significant public policy and lobbying arm, the membership side is as entrepreneurial as many of the SAAS, publishers, and subscription box companies I work with. CalChamber publishes information and resources to help businesses in California comply with all of labor laws that regulate their relationship with employees.
Working with their team, we created a new membership offer to attract new businesses to join the CalChamber, together with an onboarding process that helps new members take advantage of the resources CalChamber offers. Plus, we created a communications plan to improve long-term membership retention by improving the perceived value of the information CalChamber delivers.
And in between all of this, I’ve been competing in several triathlons. Kory and I completed the Calloway Gardens Olympic Triathlon in Columbus, Georgia, at the end of August together with the Beach Blast Sprint Triathlon at St. Joe Beach here in Florida. While Kory consistently wins her age group, I’m finishing 8th or 9th in the male 40-45-year-old category. Nonetheless, it gives us an excuse to travel to fun places and stay active.
While my family is going through a transition —our daughter is already at college at Florida State University and our son has left home for the University of Florida — I work with many clients who are also facing transitions. Often, membership levels aren’t reaching their goals or they want to launch a subscription or membership program as part of their existing business. Anywhere there’s a membership program that isn’t reaching its recurring revenue growth goals, I’ll be there to stop members from quitting and help it grow.
About Robert Skrob
