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Pathfinder Campus Bookstore — Launch Plan (July 1)

Estimated reading time: 4 min read

Table of Contents

Purpose #

This document outlines the plan to launch the Pathfinder Campus Bookstore — a dedicated storefront on pathfindercampus.ca for digital downloads, online courses, coaching packages, and membership tiers. The target soft launch date is July 1, 2026.

When to Use This #

Reference this document when setting up the bookstore, onboarding a new product, configuring payment processing, or checking progress against the July 1 launch checklist.

What the Bookstore Sells #

The Pathfinder Campus Bookstore will offer four product types at launch:

  • Digital Downloads — Workbooks, guides, templates, and PDF resources members can purchase and download immediately.
  • Online Courses — Paid access to individual courses or course bundles hosted on pathfindercampus.ca.
  • Coaching Packages — Paid 1-on-1 or group coaching offers with defined session counts and deliverables.
  • Memberships — Three tiers: Freemium (free), Premium, and Platinum — each with different levels of access to content, tools, and coaching.

Platform & Payment Processing #

The recommended setup is WooCommerce + Stripe, both of which run natively on the existing WordPress installation. Stripe is fully supported in Canada with no additional setup beyond connecting a Canadian bank account. This avoids a third-party storefront and keeps everything inside pathfindercampus.ca.

Canadian alternative to consider: Helcim is a Canadian-owned payment processor with lower interchange-plus pricing for businesses processing over ~$5,000/month. It integrates with WooCommerce via a free plugin. If monthly revenue is expected to grow quickly, Helcim may offer better long-term rates than Stripe. For the July 1 soft launch, Stripe is the faster path to get live.

Membership Tier Structure #

TierPriceAccess Level
FreemiumFreeBasic content, community access, selected free tools
PremiumTBDFull course library, weekly content, AI coaching tools
PlatinumTBDAll Premium access + coaching packages, priority support

Pricing for Premium and Platinum to be confirmed before launch.

Step-by-Step Launch Plan #

Phase 1 — Setup (by June 14) #

  1. Install and activate WooCommerce on pathfindercampus.ca if not already active.
  2. Install the Stripe for WooCommerce plugin and connect Canadian bank account.
  3. Set store currency to CAD and configure tax settings for Canada (GST/HST).
  4. Install a memberships plugin (recommended: WooCommerce Memberships or Paid Memberships Pro) to handle Freemium, Premium, and Platinum tiers.
  5. Create the three membership products in WooCommerce with access rules tied to existing course content.
  6. Set pricing for Premium and Platinum tiers.

Phase 2 — Products (by June 21) #

  1. Create at least 2–3 digital download products (workbooks or guides) as the initial catalogue.
  2. Set up 1–2 coaching package products with defined deliverables and booking link (Calendly or similar).
  3. Bundle any existing paid courses as WooCommerce products or restrict access via membership tier.
  4. Write short product descriptions for each item using the action-oriented format: what it is, who it’s for, what they’ll get.

Phase 3 — Storefront (by June 28) #

  1. Build a /bookstore or /store page on pathfindercampus.ca using the WooCommerce shop page or a custom page builder layout.
  2. Add the Bookstore link to the main site navigation.
  3. Test a complete purchase flow end-to-end for each product type (digital download, membership, coaching package).
  4. Confirm automatic delivery works: download links sent on purchase, membership access granted immediately, coaching package triggers a booking confirmation email.
  5. Set up a basic order confirmation email template in WooCommerce.

Phase 4 — Soft Launch (July 1) #

  1. Set the store live (remove any coming soon or password protection).
  2. Send a launch announcement to the existing member list via FluentCRM.
  3. Post a launch update to the Pathfinder Campus community feed.
  4. Monitor orders and delivery for the first 48 hours and resolve any issues before broader promotion.

Best Practices #

  • Keep the initial product catalogue small. Three to five products at launch is better than twenty half-finished ones.
  • Always test the full purchase flow — including email delivery and access grants — before going live.
  • Set Premium and Platinum pricing before launch so members can upgrade immediately after the announcement.
  • Use FluentCRM to segment members by tier so future emails can be targeted accurately.
  • Make sure refund and cancellation policies are clearly stated on the store page before launch.

Common Mistakes #

  • Launching without testing delivery — Always complete a real test purchase for every product type before going live.
  • Missing Canadian tax configuration — WooCommerce requires manual GST/HST setup; it does not auto-configure for Canada.
  • No membership access rules — If membership tiers are not correctly wired to course/content restrictions, members at all tiers will see the same content.
  • Forgetting the navigation link — The store will not get organic traffic if it is not linked from the main menu.
  • Skipping the launch email — Existing members are your warmest audience. A FluentCRM email on July 1 is essential.

Related Resources #

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