Let me guess. You’ve had one of “those” months. You’ve sent the invoices, delivered the work, the client is raving and then suddenly… silence. You check your bank account. It’s not panic, exactly. But it’s close.
Yep. That kind of month.
That, my friend, is the feast and famine cycle. And it is exhausting. Not just financially, but mentally. Because you can’t lead properly when you’re constantly doing the internal maths of “Okay cool, if two people pay on time and nobody cancels next month, we’ll be fine.”
So today we’re talking recurring revenue. Not in a bro-marketing, “make money while you sleep” way. In a real-life, “I would like to breathe and plan and not spiral every four weeks” way. Because recurring revenue is what takes you out of survival mode and puts you back in the driver’s seat.
What Recurring Revenue Actually Does
Recurring revenue is money that comes in consistently. Monthly, quarterly, whatever rhythm makes sense for your business. The point is, recurring revenue is predictable, and predictable income changes how you think, how you lead and how you sleep at night.
When I first started coaching, I was living in one-off land. Great months, followed by quiet months where I’d stare at my calendar like it was going to produce a client out of thin air. It’s a weird headspace because technically you’re doing well, but you never feel safe. You’re always bracing for the dip.
Then I introduced a membership model and suddenly I could plan. I could make decisions without the constant background noise of “What if next month is dead?” I could hire, invest and actually think long-term. Monthly recurring revenue didn’t just change my income, it changed my nervous system. That’s the part people don’t talk about enough. Recurring revenue gives you headspace.
And I’ve seen this shift happen for clients too. One of my clients, Marissa, was selling leadership courses as one-off launches. Every launch felt like starting from scratch. When we ran the numbers, we realised a $49 monthly membership sold to organisations could hit her revenue goals with way less stress. Instead of chasing hundreds of individuals, she could partner with organisations that already had 20 to 50 women in leadership. Same mission. More stability. Less chaos. That’s the power of recurring revenue when it’s built properly.
Here’s the question I always ask because it cuts through the fluff: if 80% of your income arrived as recurring revenue each month, what would change for you? Not just in your business. In your life.
Ongoing Value Matters
Let’s be clear. Recurring revenue isn’t about taking your current offer and adding “monthly” to the end of it like a magic trick. Real recurring revenue comes from ongoing value. It comes from creating something that genuinely supports your clients over time and doesn’t drain you to deliver.
I had a client running an outsourcing agency who was stuck in project-based work. Big bursts of income, big bursts of stress. We shifted her model to monthly retainers with clear deliverables and boundaries, and within three months she doubled her income and felt calmer doing it. Not because she became a different person. Because the structure finally matched the reality of what her clients needed. That’s what sustainable recurring revenue looks like. Clear, boundaried and deliverable.
If you want to build recurring revenue, ask yourself:
- Where do my clients need consistency?
- What do they keep coming back for?
- What support actually helps them get results over time?
Maybe it’s a retainer. Maybe it’s a membership. Maybe it’s a quarterly mastermind. Maybe it’s ongoing implementation. The format matters less than the rhythm. You’re building trust, results and stability and recurring revenue is the by-product of doing that well.
Selling to Organisations Changes the Game
If you want recurring revenue to really scale, selling to organisations can be a game changer. Businesses already think in budgets, renewals and ongoing support. There are things like employee turnover and needing different levels of offers for different levels in the organisation. And once you’re in, you’re not just making a sale. You’re building a relationship that can renew, expand and grow.
And the beauty is, instead of trying to convince 500 people one by one, you could sign 10 organisations and bring 20 to 50 women into the membership through each partnership. That’s recurring revenue with leverage. It’s not about marketing harder. It’s about being smarter with where your effort goes.
If this path feels aligned, start simple:
- Identify organisations that match your values and mission
- Get clear on the problem you solve for their team
- Reach out like a human, not a pitch deck
Because the truth is, organisations don’t need more noise. They need solutions that actually support their people. And when you can offer that, recurring revenue becomes a natural next step.
The Real Point of Recurring Revenue
Recurring revenue isn’t just about money. It’s about stability. It’s about building a business that doesn’t require you to sprint every month just to feel safe. It’s about being able to make decisions from a place of leadership, not survival.
When your income becomes consistent through recurring revenue, you stop reacting and start leading. You plan. You invest. You get to be the CEO, not the person constantly trying to patch the holes in the boat. Recurring revenue gives you the space to think, to create and to lead with intention.
And if you’re reading this thinking, “Okay, I want recurring revenue, but I don’t know what it could look like in my business,” let’s chat. We’ll look at what you’re currently selling, what your clients actually need and how to build a recurring revenue model that creates stability without burning you out. Because isn’t that what we all want?
For a copy of Emma’s book, ‘Go-getter: Raise your mojo, shift your mindset and thrive’ – https://emmamcqueen.com.au/want-more/emmas-book/