Why is membership only $10/year? That seems very low – what’s the catch?

There’s no catch – it really is just $10/year. We get this question a lot because it is a disruptive price point! The reason it’s so low boils down to our founders’ philosophy and story. The people behind 10XDirectories Communities started this platform out of frustration with expensive, ineffective directories and networking groups. As small business owners themselves, they experienced scenarios like paying hundreds of dollars for a chamber or directory membership and seeing little return, or watching fellow entrepreneurs get left out because they couldn’t afford the fees. They decided to build something better – a full-featured directory and community hub that any business could afford. The $10/year pricing was chosen to be less than the cost of a cup of coffee per month. In fact, it’s roughly 83 cents per month – an amount so small, the cost isn’t a barrier for anyone seriously interested in promoting their business. Our founders also wanted to prove that a platform like this could sustain itself through scale and efficiency rather than high prices on each member. So $10/year is a fundamental part of our mission to support local businesses. It covers basic operating costs (servers, development, support staff) but more importantly, it signals that we’re on your side. We’re not looking to profit off the backs of small businesses with hefty fees. We’d rather have 1000 thriving small businesses at $10 each than 10 businesses at $1000 each. By keeping it affordable, we aim to foster a diverse, vibrant community where everyone from solo entrepreneurs and startups to established shops can participate. So yes, $10/year is real, and it’s here to stay as our standard plan. No upsells necessary, no hidden tiers – just an honest price born from a desire to make a difference. (And indeed, many of us spend more than that on coffee in a week!)