Hey r/startups, Context: I launched my tool last month. It's paid but I'm giving free lifetime access to founding members (currently at 3 out of 15-20) in exchange for feedback, participation, and referrals. The tradeoff I'm struggling with: the more founding member spots I give away, the more momentum I build (more activity, more reviews, more word of mouth). But at some point I need to flip the switch and make it fully paid. For people who've done this: what's the trigger? Is it a number of members? A number of reviews? A specific engagement threshold? Or do you just set a hard date? Genuinely curious how others navigated this. submitted by /u/mmori24 [link] [comments]