Technical Case Study
We Are The They
Membership Platform & Application Funnel — Stripe Subscriptions, ActiveCampaign Automation & Premium Event Listings
We Are The They, a membership platform I built for Jimmy Rex where interested applicants fill out a questionnaire, answers go into ActiveCampaign for team review, and approved applicants proceed to a Stripe subscription checkout. The entire pipeline — questionnaire to payment to confirmation email — runs without manual intervention.
The problem with most membership platforms is that they're built for open signups. Jimmy Rex needed the opposite: a selective application process where only approved members reach the payment page. That required a custom pipeline — not a tool, a system. Questionnaire submission feeds ActiveCampaign, the team reviews applications in their CRM, approved applicants get a Stripe checkout link, payment confirmation triggers AWS SES email delivery. Every step automated. No spreadsheets, no manual Stripe links sent over email.
The Problem
Jimmy Rex needed more than a brand site and a Stripe payment link. The WATT movement is selective — not everyone who wants to join should join. Existing membership tools are built for open signups, not gated application funnels. He needed a system that could qualify applicants, route them through a team review, and only present the payment step to people who had been approved.
The Solution
Built a fully custom pipeline from the ground up. Public-facing brand site with programs, events, and social proof. A questionnaire that captures applicant information and feeds it into ActiveCampaign for team review. Approved applicants proceed to a Stripe subscription checkout — monthly or yearly. Stripe webhooks trigger membership activation; AWS SES delivers the confirmation. Every step in the funnel runs automatically.
Results & Impact
Delivered a platform that automated the entire membership pipeline — questionnaire submission to payment to welcome email — while maintaining the selective application process that makes the WATT membership valuable. The team reviews applications in their CRM; everything else runs without manual intervention.
My Role
Responsibility
Lead Full Stack Engineer. Owned the entire build: Stripe subscription integration with webhook processing, ActiveCampaign API integration and webhook setup, application questionnaire logic with team review flow, AWS SES email delivery, events listing, and the full Next.js frontend.
“He delivered a seamless experience: a custom Stripe subscription flow with monthly and yearly options, an application questionnaire that feeds into ActiveCampaign, automated payment emails via AWS SES, and a premium events section. The whole pipeline from inquiry to paying member now runs automatically. It's a platform that matches the quality of the movement Jimmy has built.”
Brett H.Partner
Key Highlights
Application-Gated Membership Funnel
Built a pipeline where payment is only reachable after team approval — questionnaire submission, ActiveCampaign list assignment, review workflow, and a Stripe checkout that only opens to approved applicants. The selectivity of the application process is a feature, not a workaround.
Bidirectional ActiveCampaign Integration
Questionnaire answers push to ActiveCampaign via API on submission. ActiveCampaign sends signals back via webhook when the team acts on an application. Both directions work — the platform isn't just a one-way data pipe into the CRM.
Custom Stripe Subscription Billing
Monthly and yearly subscription options with Stripe webhook processing for all payment lifecycle events: success, failure, renewal, refund, and cancellation. No payment state requires a manual check or a team member to do anything.
Premium Events Listing and Brand Experience
A dedicated events page lists member-relevant events while the broader site communicates the movement's programs, leadership, and philosophy. Built as a cohesive Next.js platform — not a website bolted onto a third-party membership tool.
Key Features
Application questionnaire with multi-step logic
ActiveCampaign contact creation and list assignment on questionnaire submission
ActiveCampaign webhook for CRM-to-platform event triggers
Team review workflow for submitted applications inside ActiveCampaign
Stripe checkout with monthly and yearly subscription options
Stripe webhook processing for all payment lifecycle events
AWS SES transactional email delivery for payment confirmation and member welcome
Premium events listing page
Multi-section brand platform: programs, leadership, coaching, philosophy
Member testimonial showcase
Lead capture forms for free guide
Responsive Next.js frontend with SEO-optimized page structure
Key Metrics
Funnel Stages
Questionnaire → CRM Review → Payment → Member
Subscription Models
Monthly and yearly
Integrations
Stripe + ActiveCampaign + AWS SES
Manual Operations
None — fully automated from application to welcome email
Assad was an outstanding developer. I had trouble in the past with developers but working with Assad was completely different experience. Great communication, great work and best developer I ever worked with. I 100% recommend him.
Iftikhar A.
Product Owner
System Architecture
Custom Stripe subscription integration with monthly and yearly plan options
Stripe webhook processing for the full payment lifecycle
ActiveCampaign API for contact creation and list assignment at questionnaire submission
ActiveCampaign webhook for receiving CRM pipeline events back to the platform
Application questionnaire with backend-enforced review gate before Stripe checkout
AWS SES transactional email delivery for all post-payment communications
Premium events listing with dynamic content management
Next.js SSR frontend for brand pages, programs, and event content
Frequently Asked Questions
A custom platform with questionnaire logic, Stripe subscription billing, ActiveCampaign automation, event listings, and AWS email delivery typically ranges from $15,000 to $40,000. The range depends on application flow complexity, the number of integrations, and how much of the admin experience needs to be built versus handled inside the CRM.
An applicant fills out a detailed questionnaire on the platform. The submission hits the backend, which creates or updates a contact in ActiveCampaign and assigns them to the correct list for Jimmy's team. The team reviews responses inside ActiveCampaign. If approved, the applicant is moved forward in the pipeline — at which point they receive access to the Stripe checkout for monthly or yearly membership. No approved applicant reaches payment without going through the review step.
Two integration points: the ActiveCampaign API (for contact creation and list assignment on questionnaire submission) and an ActiveCampaign webhook (for receiving events back when the team takes action in the CRM). Together they make the pipeline bidirectional — the platform sends data in, and ActiveCampaign sends signals back when something changes. This is what makes the review flow automatable rather than requiring the team to manually paste Stripe links into emails.
A custom Stripe integration presents monthly and yearly subscription options at the point of approval. On successful payment, a Stripe webhook fires and the backend records the membership activation. AWS SES sends a confirmation email immediately. Failed payments, refunds, and subscription renewals are all handled through the webhook — no payment event requires manual action.
A platform at this integration depth — questionnaire logic, ActiveCampaign two-way integration, Stripe billing, event listings, and a responsive brand site — runs six to ten weeks for a production-ready build. More complex application logic or additional integrations add scope.
Architecture
- Stripe subscription integration with webhook-driven payment lifecycle processing
- Bidirectional ActiveCampaign integration: API (push) and webhook (receive)
- Application questionnaire with backend-enforced approval gate before payment
- AWS SES transactional email pipeline for automated post-payment communications
- Next.js SSR frontend for brand content, events, and application flow
Use Cases
- Selective membership platforms for coaches, speakers, and personal brands
- Subscription-based community platforms with application qualification
- Lead qualification funnels with CRM pipeline automation
- Premium event listing platforms integrated with membership billing
Challenges Solved
- Manual application review replaced with an automated CRM-integrated pipeline
- Payment access gated behind team approval — not available to anyone who finds the URL
- Disjointed payment, CRM, and email tools unified under a single custom platform
- Premium brand experience maintained through an application and payment flow that typically feels transactional
Technical Specs
- Platform Type
- Membership Application Platform with Subscription Billing
- Payments
- Stripe Custom Integration — monthly and yearly subscriptions
- CRM Automation
- ActiveCampaign API + Webhook integration
- Application Flow
- Questionnaire → CRM Review → Stripe Checkout
- Email Delivery
- AWS SES for all transactional emails
- Content
- Public brand site + premium events listing
Built Under
Fintech & Payment Systems
Stripe integrations, payment routing, and monetization infrastructure.
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