In today's episode, we're exploring one of the most ambitious and successful business model transformations in modern corporate history, the shift of Adobe from a traditional software company selling packaged products to a thriving subscription powerhouse. And who better to walk us through this journey than Mark Garrett, Adobe's former chief financial officer and the architect behind this transition?

When Adobe first announced its move to a subscription-based model in 2011, there was plenty of skepticism. Analysts questioned the financial impact, customers worried about cost increases, and internal teams faced the daunting task of restructuring their entire go-to-market strategy. Mark and his team remained steadfast, not just in their belief that subscriptions would create more predictable revenue, but also that they would allow Adobe to serve customers better with continuous innovation and improved accessibility.

Since those early days, Adobe's market cap has skyrocketed from around 16 billion before the transition to well over 200 billion, proving just how powerful a well-executed subscription strategy can be.

In this conversation, Mark shares the behind-the-scenes story of how Adobe made the leap as a public company, maintaining exceptional financial performance while also enhancing customer satisfaction. We'll discuss the key strategies behind their transition, the biggest challenges they faced both internally and externally, and what other companies can learn from Adobe's playbook. If you've ever wondered how to execute a high-stakes business model transformation, how to balance Wall Street expectations with long-term customer loyalty, or how to design a subscription offering that truly delivers ongoing value, this episode is for you.

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Chess.com is one of the most popular freemium platforms in the world, offering millions of users free access to an engaging online chess experience. But how do you encourage players to upgrade to a paid tier when the free version is already so compelling?

Adam, with his extensive background in revenue strategy and subscription growth, has played a critical role in designing and optimizing Chess.com's premium offerings.

In this conversation, we'll dive into the challenges and opportunities of building a successful paid tier within a thriving freemium ecosystem, how chess.com balances free and premium value, the strategies they've used to convert free users into loyal subscribers., and the key lessons Adam has learned from his experience leading revenue at a fast-growing digital platform.

If you're interested in learning how to drive revenue without alienating your free user base, how to craft subscription tiers that meet diverse customer needs, and how to foster long-term loyalty in a competitive market, then  you won't want to miss this episode.

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 Pricing is probably the trickiest, most stressful part of managing a subscription business.

How do you balance revenue and profitability? How can you keep your pricing simple to communicate and execute while personalizing it to optimize for elasticity of demand and value created? If these questions plague your organization, you'll want to take notes today.

Matt Lindsay, founding partner of Mather Economics is a subscription pricing expert who's helped hundreds of publishers build and evolve robust pricing models.

In today's conversation, we're taking on pricing controversies, including the role of introductory offers, how to raise prices and how to respond to a subscriber threatening to cancel.

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 When I wrote The Membership Economy, I knew that nearly every organization could build trusted recurring revenue relationships with their customers just by focusing on a forever promise. I really saw a huge future and hoped that companies would follow this path. But what I didn't realize was just how quickly and broadly they would heed my words and invest in subscriptions.

It can be hard to predict what will happen next, but in this episode, we're going to do just that. Today, my guest, Joe Rohrlich, CEO of Recurly, and I will talk about trends for 2025. We'll explore what's ahead, both for digital natives and large companies just dipping their toe into the world of recurring revenue.

You'll learn best practices of the most successful household names, as well as how to manage challenges relating to speed to market and scaling without losing your secret sauce.

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Season 7 is launching soon, but while you wait, catch up on our most recent season. Some of Season 6's most popular episodes include Best Practices in Subscription Funnel Management with Ken Houseman of the New York Times, Subscription Pricing, Metrics and the Changing Role of the CFO with Maxio’s Randy Wootton and How a Subscription can “Smooth the Lumps” in B2B Services with DDI’s Dr. Tacy Byham.

And you don't want to miss out on our most loved episodes of all time, Product-Led Growth for Subscriptions, Using Examples from Medium, LinkedIn and The Athletic with Caitlin Roman, Midi Health’s Joanna Strober on the Ultimate Forever Transaction—Healthcare, and Mighty Network's Gina Bianchini on How to Create a Community Worth Subscribing to.

If you haven't listened to these episodes, I encourage you to check them out. And if you like them, please take a minute right now to rate and review them on Apple iTunes or Apple Podcasts. I always ask because it really helps us get the word out.

Guests for Season 7 will include Joe Rohrlich, CEO of Recurly, Adam Mayer, Chief Revenue Officer at chess.com, and Mather Economics’ Matt Lindsay, talking about best practices in subscription pricing.

To make sure you don't miss a thing, follow Subscription Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Just tap on the follow or subscribe button. And if you like what you hear, please do give us a review and a rating.

Thanks for your support, and thanks for listening to Subscription Stories.

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Making pricing simple can be really complicated, especially in the world of subscriptions, where every pricing change can affect how much your members trust you. How do you manage different pricing for different segments? And how do you change that pricing over time?

Today's guest, Braeden Russell, is the Director of Pricing for American Home Shield, a home warranty provider with over 2 million members. He needs to optimize the price for the realtors, who often gift the first year of coverage to new homeowners, with the pricing needs of the homeowners themselves, who will eventually be responsible for the relationship.

In this episode, you'll learn how to balance the pricing needs of your B2B and B2C members, when to bill monthly versus annually, and how you can use pricing to drive loyalty among your best members.

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The subscription stories of publications like The Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Tortoise Media have one person in common, Katie Vanneck-Smith.

In her latest role, Katie is going beyond subscriptions. She's leading Hearst UK's efforts to create deep, valuable memberships around each of their 16 specialty magazines, titles ranging from Elle to Men's Health to Good Housekeeping.

In this episode, you'll learn how to build a platform that allows for rapid launches of multiple brand memberships, while still incorporating unique features and pricing bundles. You'll also gain insights on how generative AI will and won't affect the publishing world and why the forever promise of news differs from that of specialty content.

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With over 4,600 stores and nearly 1.6 million associates in the United States alone, Walmart is the largest retailer in the world. Walmart+, their membership program, is redefining the contours of paid memberships.

I recently had the chance to interview Venessa Yates, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Walmart+, on the main stage at the SubSummit Conference in Dallas, Texas. And I'm delighted to be able to share a recording of our conversation with all of you on the podcast.

In this episode, we'll uncover the key elements behind Walmart+’s success and the strategies they've deployed to foster growth and deliver value. You'll also learn how Walmart+ adapts to the evolving needs and expectations of today's consumers to boost engagement, which includes the integration of strategic partnerships into their offering.

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