Lets say that they sell 10,000 tickets and each ticket averages $100. That’s $1,000,000 from just the ticket sales. But where the real money (in my opinion) comes in is the Fight Club memberships. If 10,000 tickets sold out in 30 minutes because all of the fight club members bought them, we’re going to have to estimate that 10,000 people are a part of the Fight Club.

So, by taking those 10,000 members and multiplying that by the $74.99 per year fee, the Zuffa company is making $749,900 in just the memberships. So, for this event, they’ve essentially made $1,749,900 from the sale of the tickets without even selling to the public. Pretty impressive right?

The big takeaway, in my opinion, here is that the UFC cornered it’s market and it’s essentially impossible for anyone to buy a ticket to the fights unless they’re a member of the Fight Club, thus driving sales up of the Fight Club and also driving up the anticipation for the minute that tickets go on sale, because nobody wants to miss their chance to get a ticket (or two).

Why the UFC Fight Club memberships are so valuable to the members

It’s simple actually; they get access to the tickets before anyone else. The people who buy the memberships are the people who buy the tickets (generally), so they’re already sold on the idea ahead of time, which is a good business move for Zuffa (the company who own’s the UFC). The membership to the fight club ensures that these ticket buyers are first in line to buy their tickets before the general public can get their hands on them so it gives them the feeling of being a part of something special – because they are special. So, by doing this, they’re more likely to buy the tickets, spread the word about the UFC and get their friends to buy the Fight Club memberships.

Do we know for sure there are 10,000 members in the Fight Club?

Nope. My estimation is that there are probably more than 10,000. The ticket buyers are from all around the world and buy the tickets when the UFC comes to their town, or country, so you’ve got to guess that there are more than 10,000 people signed up to the fight club. What does this mean for Fight Club sales? It means that the money the UFC is making off of the Fight Club memberships probably exceeds the million dollar mark yearly.

How can you apply this to your business?

With your business, do you have a list yet? Do you have a membership based business? If not, you could consider building a membership based business on top of the business you already run. For instance, if you’re into selling premium design products like Media Loot, you should have a membership and not just one-off sales like iStockphoto has. With Media Loot, they’re able to bring users in, and through releasing killer resources, keep their users for months, which turns into a passive income stream.

You do need to ensure that your membership is worth it before you launch it though. For instance, with Giant Themes, I currently only have two themes available. Nothing to really jump up and down about if you’re buying a membership. So, I don’t currently offer membership’s, but as I build more themes I will put a membership into place. A good number (in my opinion) for me to hit before the membership’s are rolled out is 10 commercial WordPress themes.

This may take some time, but by building the marketing around my company and by releasing high quality themes, by the time the membership base is rolled out, there will (hopefully) be many people lined up and excited about the membership launch, which in turn means more revenue for me right from the jump.

What are your thoughts?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. I am only one person with one view, so I’d love to get everyone elses opinion on the membership model that the UFC has built up and any ways you could see it being better in the future. Also, if you run a membership based business, I’d love to get your thoughts on the subject as well.

How cornering your market can get you $1,000,000 in 30 minutes is a post from Guerrilla Freelancing For our regular subscribers, we've got a relaunch in order in the next week or two. Keep your eyes peeled :)

It’s your client calling and you know it’ll take ages to get off the phone.

We’ve all been there. Those of us who get nervous (read terrified) talking to clients break out in a sweat at the thought. To us, 15 minutes seem like 50.

If only there was some way to cut those calls short and hold future correspondence through email!

The good news is that with a little ingenuity, it is possible. Be prepared to take drastic measures though.

Call back when the client is busy

Every now and then, let your voice mail pick up your client’s call. Then call back at a time when your client is most likely to be busy. Either the client won’t pick up and you can shoot him an email immediately or he’ll tell you that he’ll call back.

Don’t say “All right” if the client says he’ll call back. Jump in and say “No problem. I’ll email you instead”. If the client is due to give feedback, simply saying “Email would be better.” will work too.

Since the client is busy, he won’t have the time to come up with an alternative. Hang up with a cheerful good bye and do a little jig. Go on, just a little one.

Get an ‘assistant’

Can’t keep those client calls on track at all? Have an ‘assistant’ start picking up your calls. You don’t have to have a real assistant of course – your spouse or child can act the part. Get them to screen your calls and email the clients instead.

If you’re alone and really want to avoid a client call, then be your own assistant. Come on, you can do it!

Pretend that you don’t know

So you can’t avoid this call and it’s dragging on. The client wants to know something. You have the answer but if you give it to him, he’ll only just want to discuss it more. Grab the chance and tell him you’re not sure about it but you’ll find out and get back to him ASAP – via email!

Hey! I was just writing you an email!

As soon as you pick up the client’s call, immediately give them a big greeting and let them know you were just writing an email to them with update/details/whatever.

“I’m almost done. Why don’t I finish writing it and send it to you? You can get back to me through it.”

Hang up and get typing that email – fast!

Got any more ideas?

Do you have trouble talking to clients on the phone? How do you deal with your chatty clients? Make sure you leave a comment and let us know. We can never have enough of these types of tips in reserve

May the freelancing gods save us all from clients who love to talk and call back frequently for updates. Amen.

Editors Note: If you’re looking for more phone tips like this to boost your productivity and cut down on distractions, you can check out Samar’s previous article on how to cut calls short with family and friends – it’s a good one too, full of great tips.

4 Sneaky ways to cut calls short with clients is a post from Guerrilla Freelancing For our regular subscribers, we've got a relaunch in order in the next week or two. Keep your eyes peeled :)

This came with the luxury where I take a few hours off in the afternoon every now and then to get some grocery shopping done and make it up by working later in the evening. In the beginning, this was fantastic. However, I quickly discovered that this proved to be too much freedom. I needed structure.

1. Keep your home life and your work life separated

You need an office. If you are going to work in the same place where to eat, sleep and have family it is important that you dedicate one room in your house or apartment to your work area. This is essential. Ideally it’s even better if your home office is located in a room furthest away from your bedroom, if possible isolated from most of the other rooms where your family spends their time.

Everything that you need to work with should be in this room and should remain in this room. The rest of your house is where you go to get away from the office. Having parts of your office sneak into the rest of your house or apartment does not allow you the opportunity to have that personal or family living space away from work. Trade magazines, journals, books, files, computer equipment and anything else related to your to your day job need to stay in their rightful place; the home office.

The last thing I want to see while relaxing is my “Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide by O’Reilly” staring up at me from the coffee table. Also having a home office will help you avoid distractions located in other parts of your home, like the tv and xbox in the living room.

2. Be (more) Social

Working from home can be very isolating at times and it’s easy to find yourself not leaving the comfort of your home for days, especially during the snowy cold winter months we have in Canada. It’s important to be social on a regular basis, whether it’s going to the gym, having dinner with friends, or going out to the dog park. Anything that gets your mind off work and out of the house a few times a week is key. Also remember not to make the mistakes we’ve outlined in the previous twitter, stumbleupon and facebook articles.

3. Take time to take care of yourself

When you work from home it’s very easy to start your day off in a pair of comfy pajamas with bed hair.. Everyone at the beginning boasts to their buddies about this “luxury” of freelancing. However after a while it can bring you down and slowly you’ll start to put less and less effort into taking care of yourself and that can affect your work life. Make sure you have a morning routine.

It’s important to start each day early, getting showered and dressed, ready to tackle a new day feeling refreshed and energized. It’s also important to include some exercise in your morning routine. Even if it’s only for 20 mins, exercise is not only good for you physically but mentally too. Editors Note: Some of us do tend to work better late at night, but that’s a topic for a future article

4. Be Organized

When you decide to venture into the world of freelancing you’ll soon realize that you’ll be wearing a few more hats. Not only are you a designer or a developer, but you’re the boss, account manager, marketing guru, finance person, and office administrator to name just a few. It’s important that you have a clean and clutter free work environment. A messy office can leave you feeling disorganized, discouraged and overwhelmed. Invest in a good size filing cabinet.

More than often as time goes by you will soon find yourself drowning in paper whether it’s bills, invoices, tax receipts or business papers. Before you know it you’ll need to quickly locate that important letter from the tax man from 4 months back and you’ll spend a good hour searching through every paper pile in your office when you could of been doing something productive and creative instead.

5. Don’t forget to reward/recognize your hard work.

When I worked for an agency our team would provide recognition for all the late nights and effort we put in for a challenging and long project. However when you are your own boss you’ll soon notice that those fun team outings are a thing of the past now that you’re on your own. Its important to reward and recognize your hard work to keep yourself motivated and feeling good about being on your own.

Plan a weekend away with friends or a loved one to reward yourself after a challenging and large project. It gives you something to look forward to when working on a difficult project and helps reset your mind before you start your next major project.

What tips do you have?

We want to learn more, and by listening to the awesome readers here, I know we can find out some more awesome tips for being productive while working from home. Drop us a comment and let everyone know what tips you use.

Working from home: 5 tips for being super productive is a post from Guerrilla Freelancing For our regular subscribers, we've got a relaunch in order in the next week or two. Keep your eyes peeled :)

People take it for granted that we’ll be available to talk because we’re at home.

What I’d really like to do is throw shoes at that mentality and cut the call short because I work by the hour and I’m not getting paid to talk to you.

Saying it is easy. But how are you going to cut that call short without offending anyone? Not so easy when it’s your mother on the phone is it?

However, it can be done successfully. All that’s required is a little ingenuity and bucket loads of sneakiness.

I’ll have to call you back; I have another call coming in

It works! It totally does. Thanks to the advent of caller id for call waiting, you can invent any number of important people who can be calling you.

If it’s your mother, tell her it’s your spouse. If it’s a friend, tell them it’s your mother. And if it’s your spouse – I’ll leave you to decide what to say.

Of course, another call doesn’t necessarily have to be coming in – if you know what I mean.

Oh no! Lunch/Dinner’s burning!

Make sure you don’t give the person on the other end any chance to ask more questions. That just prolongs the call. Hang up and go check. Just in case.

Hello? I think I’m losing reception. Hello? Can you hear me? Hello?

Ah, my favorite technique. It doesn’t need any explanation.

As deceptive and sneaky as it is, pretending that I’ve suddenly lost reception never fails to work – or amuse.

Cell phones are ideal for this. Keep a toffee wrapper at hand to create “disturbance” in the connection.

Hi, you’ve reached my voice mail…

So what if you’re home. Your voice mail can turn into your best friend. Screen calls or record a separate message to discourage people from calling back. Use your imagination. The possibilities are limitless.

Or you could simply let it ring if you don’t have voice mail. Just make sure you do have caller id! You wouldn’t want to miss out on a client’s call.

Call Yourself

This is an extreme measure. If you’re stuck on the phone with someone you feel you absolutely cannot get away with fooling then call yourself.

Play the ringtone on your cell phone countless time, till the person on the other end asks you to pick up. If they say they’ll hold, pretend you didn’t hear. Simply say “Thanks! I’ll call you back.”

It would be better if you downloaded a ringtone on your computer to play in case you’re not in the vicinity of another phone.

Let’s hear it

How do you get off the phone when you need to work? Ever had to apply sneaky tactics to do so?

5 Sneaky ways to cut calls short with family and friends is a post from Guerrilla Freelancing For our regular subscribers, we've got a relaunch in order in the next week or two. Keep your eyes peeled :)

You can download the PDF below. It’s 22 pages long. I’d love if you tweeted the hell out of this post, shared the PDF on your site and spread the word.

Also, keep an eye out because I’m in the process of working on a full 200+ page book written specifically for release here on Guerrilla Freelancing, outlining how to start a profitable freelance business, from the ground up. It will be released in ebook format and I am also looking into what it would take to get it released as a hard copy. I’ll keep you all informed on it as the time goes by. I’m aiming to have it released some time in May.

The title is (as of this particular moment) From The Trenches: a definitive guide to starting a profitable freelance business

Anyways, below is a download link to the Guide To Guerrilla Freelancing ebook – enjoy!

DOWNLOAD VIA OUR SITE or DOWNLOAD VIA RAPIDSHARE

Download the Guide to Guerrilla Freelancing ebook for free! is a post from Guerrilla Freelancing For our regular subscribers, we've got a relaunch in order in the next week or two. Keep your eyes peeled :)

The iSocialize theme is a wordpress theme that is perfect for personal blogs. At a normal rate of $50, today’s contest has a value of $500 total. Here are some samples of the theme styles that come with the iSocialize theme.

You can check out more of the information about the theme by clicking here.

So, how do you enter?

The process of entering to win a copy of iSocialize is simple: Tweet the text below.

Contest is now over. Thanks to everyone who participated. The winners are:

• @adversarian
• @axeny
• @UNderstandD33
• @meldunford
• @mattmilam
• @wiehanne
• @samarowais
• @lorenzopena
• @MilesOfAbbie
• @Akshay_Sawant

Yes, it’s that simple. You can comment here if you’d like to – maybe it’ll earn you some extra brownie points (just kidding). The winners will be chosen after Midnight, eastern standard time. Good luck!

10 copies of iSocialize from Giant Themes are up for grabs today is a post from Guerrilla Freelancing For our regular subscribers, we've got a relaunch in order in the next week or two. Keep your eyes peeled :)

Both of these books are must haves for any freelancer and are definitely worth you taking a second to enter the contest to win a free copy.

Rockable Press also has a killer Affiliate Program, so if you know of anyone who would benefit from these books (or if you have a website that you can showcase their banners on), you should definitely check it out, as they offer up 30% of every sale).

While you’re checking out Rockable Press and entering the contest, head over and get on their Rockin’ List and get a free copy of their Rockstar Personal Branding minibook. It’s definitely worth signing up for – I’ve read it a few times already and have learned a lot from it.

This contest will have four winners – two for The Freelance Statistics Report ebook and two for How To Be A Rockstar Freelancer ebook. They’ll be drawn at random, so there’s no need to specify which ebook you’d like in your tweet. Which brings me to how you can enter to win.

So, how do you enter?

The process of entering to win one of the ebooks is simple: Tweet the text below.

Contest is now over. Thanks to everyone who participated. The winners are:

The Freelance Statistics Report

• @vectormg
• @missgraham

How to be a Rockstar Freelancer

• @vladrys
• @creativeofblog

Yes, it’s that simple. You can comment here if you’d like to – maybe it’ll earn you some extra brownie points (just kidding). The winners will be chosen after Midnight, eastern standard time. Good luck!

Enter to win ebooks from Rockable Press is a post from Guerrilla Freelancing For our regular subscribers, we've got a relaunch in order in the next week or two. Keep your eyes peeled :)

With Paymo Biz, you’re able to set up invoices based on the time you’ve tracked for a specific project or set them up yourself, which works well for freelancers like myself who doesn’t charge per hour. For those of us who charge per project, you can still utilize the time tracker (which is awesome looking if I do say so myself) to see how much time you’re spending on specific tasks.

So, how do you enter?

The process of entering to win one of the five accounts to Paymo Biz is simple: Tweet the text below.

Contest is now over. Thanks to everyone who participated. The winners are:

• @teeplates
• @LeaTerry
• @hecty_
• @julio_menendez
• @ddanier

Yes, it’s that simple. You can comment here if you’d like to – maybe it’ll earn you some extra brownie points (just kidding). The winners will be chosen after Midnight, eastern standard time. Good luck!

Enter to win a Paymo Biz time tracking and invoicing account is a post from Guerrilla Freelancing For our regular subscribers, we've got a relaunch in order in the next week or two. Keep your eyes peeled :)

Media Loot is a premium graphic design resource website that releases quality design resource files on a monthly basis. No more pay-as-you-download, because with Media Loot, you’re able to download all of the resources for $14 per month. A sample of some of their premium files can be seen below.

So, how do you enter?

The process of entering to win one of the free one-year subscriptions to Media Loot is simple: Tweet the text below.

Contest is now over. Thanks to everyone who participated. The winners are:

• @thomascraig
• @thedesigner4you
• @davidkuhta

Yes, it’s that simple. You can comment here if you’d like to – maybe it’ll earn you some extra brownie points (just kidding). The winners will be chosen after Midnight, eastern standard time. Good luck!

Enter to win a one year subscription to Media Loot is a post from Guerrilla Freelancing For our regular subscribers, we've got a relaunch in order in the next week or two. Keep your eyes peeled :)

If you’d like to know ahead of time what we’re giving away this week, keep reading

Monday – Media Loot is giving three people a one year subscription to their resource site.
Tuesday – Paymo Biz is giving five people an unlimited time tracking and invoicing account.
Wednesday – Rockable Press is giving away 2 ebook copies of “How To Be A Rockstar Freelancer” and 2 ebook copies of our “Freelance Statistics Report“.
Thursday – Giant Themes is giving away 5 free copies of the iSocialize wordpress theme.
Friday – Guerrilla Freelancing is giving away a free ebook titled “Guide to Guerrilla Freelancing” which will showcase some of the best notes from this site as well as new and informative topics for every freelancer who’s in the trenches!

Sound good?

I hope you’ll all keep an eye out for the posts this week and enter every day for each of the contests! You can keep track of the posts by subscribing to our rss feed. And again, if I haven’t said it enough, I truly appreciate your support throughout the past year. I’ve got big things coming this year and hope you’re all a part of it!

We’re turning one year old! This entire week will be full of awesome giveaways is a post from Guerrilla Freelancing For our regular subscribers, we've got a relaunch in order in the next week or two. Keep your eyes peeled :)