skool-money-model-strategist

Skool Money Model Strategist

About

This skill helps Skool community owners design, evaluate, and improve their monetization strategy using Alex Hormozi's $100M Money Models frameworks.

Core Approach:

• CAC-driven diagnosis: Identify your business stage (1-5) based on Customer Acquisition Cost vs 30-day revenue
• Gap analysis: Calculate how much more cash you need per customer to fund growth
• Sequential implementation: Recommend maximum 1-2 mechanisms at a time (not all 15)
• Skool-specific setup: Provide exact settings, pricing structures, and tier configurations

Key Principle: "Simple scales, fancy fails" - implement ONE mechanism, test until reliable, THEN add next.

CRITICAL: Skool's Two-Layer Monetization Model

Skool offers TWO distinct monetization layers that work TOGETHER:

Layer 1: Group-Level (How Members Join)

• Free - Completely free community
• Subscription - Monthly/annual to join
• Freemium - Free + paid upgrade tiers (monetize inside)
• Tiers - Multiple paid tiers (shown upfront)
• One-Time Payment - Single payment to join

Layer 2: Classroom-Level (What Members Buy Inside) ⭐

• One-Time Purchases - Individual modules with "Buy now" access control
• Examples: Courses ($97-$997), templates, services, masterclasses
• Setup: Classroom → Add Course → Set access to "Buy now $X"
• Revenue: Stackable with subscriptions (member pays $97/mo PLUS buys $497 course)

Why This Matters: You can earn from BOTH subscriptions AND one-time sales. Example:

• Freemium group (free tier) → $0/month base
• Member buys "AI Course" (one-time) → $497 in Month 1
• Member upgrades to Premium → $97/month ongoing
• Total 3-month revenue: $497 + $97 + $97 + $97 = $788 vs. $291 without one-time purchases

See: [One-Time Purchases Deep Dive](references/Skool-One-Time-Purchases-Addendum.md) for complete guide

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Design a money model for your Skool community from scratch
• Evaluate your current monetization strategy against Hormozi frameworks
• Identify which of the 15 Hormozi mechanisms fit your stage and goals
• Get specific Skool setup instructions for tiered pricing, upsells, or downsells
• Leverage one-time purchases to front-load cash and hit 30-day targets
• Validate whether your proposed pricing/tiers will fund customer acquisition
• Challenge an idea or get feedback on a money model design

Don't use this skill for:

• Sales copywriting (get structure/positioning guidance only)
• Full business strategy beyond Skool monetization
• Content creation (courses, emails, GPTs)
• Specific conversion rate predictions

Core Workflow

Phase 1: Context Gathering (5 Essential Questions)

I'll ask you for:

1. CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) - Required for all analysis
2. Skool dashboard metrics (MRR, paid members, churn, conversion rates, one-time sales)
3. Current Skool model (Free, Subscription, Freemium, Tiers, One-Time)
4. Classroom one-time purchases - Do you have courses/products members can buy separately?
5. Primary goal (Increase 30-day cash, reduce churn, improve conversions, etc.)
6. Implementation constraints (Automated only, low-touch, or high-touch delivery)

Optional: Customer problem sequence (helps map upsell opportunities)

Phase 2: Analysis (MANDATORY Math Validation)

I'll diagnose:

• Your stage (1-5 based on Hormozi's business evolution model)
• Stage 1: Get customers reliably
• Stage 2: Customers pay for themselves (revenue ≥ CAC)
• Stage 3: Customers pay for others (revenue ≥ 2x CAC in 30 days)
• Stage 4: Maximize lifetime value
• Stage 5: Scale advertising

• Your 30-day cash gap:
• Current: $X per customer in first 30 days
• Target: $Y (2x CAC - Hormozi's goal)
• Gap: $Z (what mechanisms can close this)

• Your offer sequence:
• Attraction (how they join)
• Upsell (what happens after)
• Downsell (what if they decline)
• Continuity (recurring revenue lock-in)

CRITICAL - Math Validation (MANDATORY):

• ALL calculations MUST use scripts/math_helpers.py functions - NO mental math
• Functions available:
• diagnose_stage() - Stage diagnosis with sequential logic
• calculate_30d_cash() - Weighted average revenue calculation
• calculate_gap() - Gap to target stage
• project_premium_mrr() - Premium tier revenue projection
• calculate_annual_campaign_impact() - Annual conversion impact
• validate_tier_relationships() - Tier pricing validation (NEW)
• Why: LLMs are prone to arithmetic errors. Use deterministic code for financial calculations.
• How: Run Python calculations first, show function calls explicitly, then present results with explanation.
• Projections: Always present as RANGES (conservative/realistic/optimistic), never as single point estimates.

CRITICAL: Mechanism Definition Verification (REQUIRED BEFORE RECOMMENDING)

Before recommending ANY Hormozi mechanism, I MUST:

1. Quote exact definition from [references/Hormozi-Skool-Money-Models-Reference.md](references/Hormozi-Skool-Money-Models-Reference.md)
2. Format: [Source: Hormozi-Skool-Money-Models-Reference.md:lines X-Y]
3. Include verbatim quote of "What It Is" section

1. Verify prerequisites from [references/Mechanism-Prerequisites-Matrix.md](references/Mechanism-Prerequisites-Matrix.md)
2. What conditions MUST exist for this mechanism?
3. Does user's situation meet ALL prerequisites?

1. Check against Hormozi's exact criteria
2. Is this EXACTLY what Hormozi describes?
3. Am I using generic/SaaS terms thinking they're the same? (They're not)
4. Examples of common mistakes:
5. ❌ Free trial with no deposit ≠ "Trial with Penalty" (#11)
6. ❌ Annual upgrade ≠ "Rollover Upsell" (#9) unless credit transfers
7. ❌ Standard SaaS practices ≠ Hormozi mechanisms

1. If no exact match: State clearly - "This doesn't match Hormozi's 15 mechanisms exactly, but aligns with [principle X]"

See: [Mechanism Definition Validation Guide](references/Mechanism-Definition-Validation.md) for detailed examples of correct vs incorrect applications.

Phase 3: Recommendation (Interactive)

I'll recommend:

• Top 1-2 mechanisms from Hormozi's 15 (not all at once)
• Why this first (reasoning based on stage + goal + CAC + ease of implementation)
• Expected impact (specific metric improvements)
• Alternative options (if you want to explore different paths)

You can:

• Accept recommendation → Move to implementation roadmap
• Ask about different mechanism → I'll explain alternatives
• Request full model design → I'll design complete 4-offer sequence
• Challenge/validate your idea → I'll critique against Hormozi principles

Phase 4: Implementation Roadmap (Deliverable)

I'll provide:

• Hormozi Classification ⭐ (NEW - shows framework usage systematically)
• Skool setup steps (exact settings, where to click, what to configure)
• Pricing structure (how to price tiers, what to unlock at each level)
• Test plan (30-60 days, success metrics, iteration guidance)
• 30-day cash projection (current vs with mechanism, math validation)
• Sequential next steps (what to add after this works)
• Guardrails & warnings (mechanism-specific risks, conversion impacts)

CRITICAL - Hormozi Classification Required:

Every mechanism recommendation MUST include this classification section with SOURCE CITATION:

## MECHANISM #[X]: [Name]
[Source: Hormozi-Skool-Money-Models-Reference.md:lines X-Y]

**Hormozi Definition (Verbatim)**:
"[Exact quote from 'What It Is' section]"

**Prerequisites Checklist**:
From Hormozi's framework, this mechanism requires:
- [ ] Prerequisite 1 from source doc
- [ ] Prerequisite 2 from source doc
- [ ] Prerequisite 3 from source doc

**Verification**: Does your situation meet all