Recurring revenue is seductive — predictable income that compounds while you sleep. But a subscription only works when the value keeps arriving. Bolt one onto a product that's 'done' after purchase and you've just built a cancellation.
Subscribe when the value renews
- New content, updates or access that keep coming — a community, a template library that grows, a tool.
- Something people use repeatedly, where stopping means losing access to something live.
Charge once when it's done
- A template, a guide, a preset — finished the moment it's delivered.
- A course someone completes and moves on from.
- Anything where a monthly charge would feel like paying rent on something they already own.