Mode Earn Club - Anchoring Success with Mode Mobile

Mode Mobile, the innovative company behind the MEC - Mode Earn Club, embarked on a mission to revolutionize the way users earn through their platform. Primarily incentivized due a significant market trend chang in 2022 where a lot of advertisers cut their budgets and lead to a steep revenue dip, the company wanted to shift towards more stable revenue via a subscription model implementation.

Initially managed by another project manager, the MEC project underwent a significant shift. Recognizing the project's immense potential and the need for a strategic yet agile approach, the company entrusted me and another senior project manager with the task. Our combined strengths - my knack for precision, quality and get-stuff-done mentality, coupled with my colleague's strategic mindset - were deemed perfect to steer this high-priority project to success.

The Goal: A Subscription Revolution in Uncertain Times

The overarching objective of the MEC project was clear:

• Stabilize Mode Mobile's financial standing through recurring MEC subscriptions.

• Enhance premium user earning potential and experience.

• Create an engaging 1-week trial to get users into the taste of the subscription and turn them into paying customers.

• Create the baseline to later on foster a sense of community, promoting organic growth and user engagement.

• Integrate a seamless subscription management system and harmonize it on both web and app for a holistic user experience.

The Challenge: Adapting to Market Trends

The journey was not without its hurdles:

• Finding a balance between making the premium offer well visible on the app without spamming users that want to stay free users

• Finding a good balance between only highlighting the benefits of premium but still not overpromising to users

• Defending the user's possibility to keep using the app in a free version and still get value out of it was a persistent topic

• Solving for potential technical issues of onboarding existing web users into the app

• Finding matching banking partners that support ACH as well as a customized dunning process wished by the CEO

• Spinning the subscription in a way to not have to pay extra commission to the Google PlayStore

The Project Phases: Blueprint to Breakthrough

The project was meticulously divided into phases, each demanding a unique skill set:

1. Re-evaluation: Diving deep into the existing material, we unearthed overlooked complexities and gaps, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the project's scope.

2. Detailed Planning: A roadmap was charted, complete with milestones and iterations, ensuring a clear vision and direction that would ensure steady and valuable progress.

3. Stakeholder Involvement: Collaborating with the web team, which was running a prototype of MEC, was crucial. This phase ensured alignment and minimized redundant efforts.

4. Execution: From creating detailed tickets to refining designs and conducting test runs, this phase was all about bringing the vision to life.

5. Partner Negotiation: Entrusted to my colleague, this phase focused on ironing out banking details, a critical component for the project's success.

Current Status: Moved on to next High-Priority Project

As the project neared its completion (90% executed), another pressing project, EARNFT, emerged. Given my proven ability to swiftly and efficiently transform projects from 0-1, the company decided to pivot my focus to EARNFT, while my colleague continued with the final stages of MEC.

Final Thoughts & Learnings

• CEO's Involvement: Balancing the CEO's vision with the voice of the customer was pivotal. Ensuring that the free version of the app remained valuable was a constant endeavor.

• Parallel Web-Team Prototype: While the prototype served as a learning tool, highlighting user pain points, it also posed challenges in terms of alignment and avoiding redundant efforts.

• Team Focus: An early realization was that a smaller, dedicated team was more efficient than an all-hands-on-deck approach. This minimized coordination efforts and maximized productivity.

In conclusion, the MEC project was a testament to the power of strategic planning, collaboration, and agility. It underscored the importance of understanding both market dynamics and user needs. As a product manager, this project enriched my growth journey, equipping me with invaluable insights and experiences, making me an asset for any future endeavors.