Summary
Welcome to the Startup Junkies Podcast!
This episode is hosted by the usual crew including Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley and Davis McEntire. The special guest joining this show is Paul Chambers, the co-founder and CEO of Subscription Trade Association. Paul has an extensive expertise in the subscription commerce economy going back to more than two decades. He has been recognized by national and international publications for his work in this space and we loved getting to talk with him!
Tune in today!
Shownotes
(1:11) Introducing Paul Chambers of Subscription Trade Association
(1:41) What is the Subscription Trade Association?
(3:26) Stumbling Into an Idea
(6:06) The Art of Subscription Businesses
(11:54) It all started with selling popcorn!
(17:34) What’s next for SUBTA?
(22:34) Team Building Extraordinaire
(28:04) Advice to his younger self
(30:14) Wrap Up
Links
SUBTA Trade Association Website
Quotes
“We didn’t set out to build an event to make millions of dollars just to be a money grab type of scenario. We set out to help find a community and create a community.”
(5:30) – Paul Chambers
“By leading with the best intentions and just focusing on growing a business, growing a good business, and doing the right things, the rest tends to follow.”
(22:50) – Paul Chambers
“One thing I share with my team is that it’s okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from our lessons and don’t make those same mistakes again.”
(28:26) – Paul Chambers
“I had an entrepreneur tell me one time, you just gotta look yourself in the mirror and not believe your own BS.”
(29:56) – Paul Chambers
How Subscription Revenue Models Have Changed Online with Paul Chambers of SUBTA
From Netflix to Peloton to Dollar Shave Club, Subscription Trade Association has a part in it. As the world’s largest community of subscription innovators, Paul Chambers pulls back the curtain to give us insight into how he got to where he is now. As co-founder and CEO of the Subscription Trade Association, Paul has over two decades of expertise in the subscription commerce economy. With national and international publications for his work, we had a lot to learn from Paul, and you will too!
Now, with Subscription Trade Association being the largest direct-to-consumer trade association globally, alongside having the largest conference in the world, we wanted to know how this all came about.
The journey started with a product called The Gentleman’s Box. It was a monthly subscription with ties, socks, pocket square, and the goal of bringing gentlemen’s fashion quickly and easily. He wanted to find a conference of other like-minded people in order to network and saw no results. As a crazy startup entrepreneur, as he called himself, he then decided to create one!
Launching SUB Summit in Detroit in 2016, it grew from 200 to 500 to 1000 in 3 years. After wanting to align with a trade association and finding zero results, they decided to fund the Subscription Trade Association.
SUBTA focuses on building a community of leaders who engage in industry insights, news, and resources and access to exclusive interviews. They aim to strengthen the subscription industry and bring together the brands that you know and love and that you SHOULD know and love.
“We didn’t set out to build an event to make millions of dollars just to be a money grab type of scenario. We set out to help find a community and create a community.”
(5:30) – Paul Chambers
Subscription services used to be connotated with a lot of hype in the beginning and ending with a six-month burnout. Paul explains a different side of the coin. Specifically, since the pandemic, there have been many reasons why people prefer and stick to subscriptions. For instance, during 2020, subscriptions for toilet paper shot up due to shortages. Adults and kiddos were at home bored, and you would see Hello Fresh and BisBox boom.
Paul does not fear this is only a pandemic anomaly, though. He then went on to explain the subscription trifecta. First, there is discovery and delight. This comes from finding services that are offering you items you had no idea existed or that you have always wanted. Next, there is the replenishment side that creates ease and convenience for all the things you need every month. The third part of the trifecta is access. Memberships and premiums offer access to special services, products and other experiences that keep people on the subscription.
“By leading with the best intentions and just focusing on growing a business, growing a good business, and doing the right things, the rest tends to follow.”
(22:50) – Paul Chambers
Paul has been a part of many a team, and when asked about building a healthy company culture, he had a lot of experience. From hiring internally, creating fun events like a staff Olympics, cookouts, mixers, and anything to create fun.
A lot of the lessons he teaches his team go back to his time selling popcorn with his grandad as a kid. One big one was that mistakes are okay. The real key is how you respond to those. If you are learning from it and trying not to make it again, there is room for grace. It is the moments of continual actions that do not produce the results you want that is where confrontation comes in.
He also learned that he has to call out those behaviors in himself. If he could go back in time, he would impart the wisdom he learned from another entrepreneur that is better quoted than paraphrased:
“You just gotta look yourself in the mirror and not believe your own BS.”
(29:56) – Paul Chambers
Paul has a full life with “the world’s best wife”, four kids, and even spending nights as a volunteer fireman. We loved having him on the show and can’t wait to see what he will be up to next!
Wanting to Learn More?
Our show is dedicated to telling the stories of those who do not accept the status quo and want to make things better. Keep up with us if you’re a junkie for that too! Weekly we will be sitting down with those who are creating the next great products and services that will change lives. We get to hear their genesis story and where they are gonna go next. Stay tuned for more stories like this!
Learn more about what we are about by following us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! Startup Junkie wants to come alongside these entrepreneurs every step of the way. Want to learn more about our services? Contact us today!
English 
Spanish 
Korean