How can I start a Membership Site?

As I understand , you have domain expertise in travel industry and have a unique idea that you think will is needed in the market. I also assume that you did some study and came to conclusion that website is what you need (Not mobile first .. re-think !!) If you are a first time found I would strongly suggest you to understand the "Lean Start-Up" way (http://theleanstartup.com/) . I have developed products for big enterprises and for small businesses and and done my own couple startups in the past that ended up in the graveyard (No product market fit). Step 1 - Put up a landing page and validate your idea (https://medium.com/@joelgascoigne/how-to-successfully-validate-your-idea-with-a-landing-page-mvp-ef3c2d02dc51) You probably can do this under $50 Step 2 - While your idea was getting validated, you would have collected some emails. Talk to them and figure out the appetite and try to pre-sell the product or service.. Step 3 - Create an MVP. Unless you have something totally unique and unconventional, most of the data driven web products can be created using a word-press or any similar frameworks. Step 4 - Consult a technologist on how to go about it and get a landscape and roadmap developed. Ask for help to vett the right freelancer or part timer for this job Step 5 - If the version 1 makes you any money..man !! you made it.. double down ..At this point you can think of rebuilding the backend etc with the better architecture. These are no 5 magic steps .. I wrote it as I was thinking it loud. Feel free to contact .. ..and good luck !!

Ugh. Investors. Here's the harsh or maybe happy truth. If your Startup offering (product, service, information, courseware, consulting, etc) provides stellar value, then you require no investment. Do your launch + if money starts pouring in, either skip the investors of if you really must use investors (doubtful, if you're providing stellar value), then the more revenue you have, the better terms you'll get from investors.

What the others said about 301 Redirects is correct, but you should make sure nothing is left out. I find it is better to plan ahead as much as possible to avoid errors which could affect your rank. Using free tools like SEO Spider can help you figure out all the links on your site that point to images, css and js files, etc. There is a nice checklist you can use at http://moz.com/blog/achieving-an-seo-friendly-domain-migration-the-infographic that covers it. Best of luck!

It worries me when I hear a (budding?) entrepreneur use words like "reliable" and "consistent" and "income". Entrepreneurs know there are no such guarantees on the road to potential success. As well your statement "may take time" also indicates that it's just a matter of time. In many (dare I even say MOST) cases your big idea will flat out fail. Sure, some people get lucky and hit it big on their first outing... But the wise ones know that luck was a HUGE factor. And they hold no such expectations for future endeavors to succeed or pan out that quickly. I say none of this to discourage you. On the contrary - these things are the reasons why being an entrepreneur is so amazing. -Most people fear failure and as such will avoid even trying. -Most people give up after their one big idea doesn't start cash-flowing immediately. -Most people have an aversion to risk so they take the path of (seeming) least resistance. Entrepreneurs aren't "most people". Entrepreneurs embrace risk. They do everything they can to MITIGATE that risk - but they also know that "sure things" are for suckers. Entrepreneurs move forward with confidence and passion but also do so knowing that there are no guarantees. They may have to hold down a "j-o-b" while pursuing their vision. It might takes years. They may spend nights and weekends toiling away. But they do so knowingly and willingly. The answer to your question - how to do it - is just to DO IT. Start taking action today. In my opinion - a better question to ask is "What can I do to increase the probability of turning my idea into a business - a profitable reality - one that creates value for the marketplace while kicking off profits to me, the owner?" Find a great mentor or coach and then just go for it. I sincerely wish you the best of luck!

They met a need for lots of people. Their values lead to long term success, but their short term growth was due to meeting a need in the marketplace and doing really well.