Boston Made Stories

Road to the Rocketship, Ch. 3: MasterPass, the Membership That Pays You Back

Boston Made’s membership is getting a referral program built on one rule: if you bring someone in, you share in what they pay — 20% of collected subscription revenue for 12 months, direct referrals only, no recruitment tiers.

Published

3 hours ago

October 1, 2026

Founder & Chairman of Boston Made, Inc.

Road to the Rocketship, Ch. 3: MasterPass, the Membership That Pays You Back

ROAD TO THE ROCKETSHIP · Chapter 3

The goal is simple: everyone who joins the ecosystem should be able to earn something from it.

The membership

Boston Made+, also called MasterPass, is the paid membership that unlocks the premium side of the ecosystem: members-only content, the locked half of the Arcade, and member tools as they launch. It costs $20 a month or $120 a year, renews automatically and is billed securely through Stripe. Details are at app.bostonmade.com/membership.

The referral program

Boston Made chose a design meant to stay clean:

Free to join as a referrer.
20% share of the subscription revenue Boston Made actually collects from people you refer directly. Taxes, refunds and chargebacks are excluded.
For 12 months per referred member.
Direct referrals only. There are no recruitment tiers and no earning from your referrals’ referrals. It is not a multi-level scheme.

Payouts are not active yet. The program structure is set, and payouts will switch on when the program fully launches. Ad and sponsorship revenue sharing may come later.

Why this chapter matters

Media companies usually treat readers as an audience to sell. Boston Made wants members to be partners with a stake in its growth. It is a small mechanism, and the rest of this storyline builds on it.

ROAD TO THE ROCKETSHIP is the Boston Made Newsroom’s running story of how Boston Made, Inc. is building its ecosystem, told one chapter at a time. Previous: Ch. 2. Next: Ch. 4, Fenway Web.

📚 Read every chapter on the Boston Made Reader → Storylines · Join free at app.bostonmade.com/membership.

Forward-looking descriptions reflect current plans and may change. Nothing here is an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities.

Related Topics:Boston Made ecosystem MasterPass Road to the Rocketship

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Founder & Chairman of Boston Made, Inc.

Founder of Boston Made, Inc., a Boston-based media and business portfolio company. I lead Boston Made's independent, hyperlocal coverage of Boston's economy, businesses, and neighborhoods, alongside a growing portfolio of Boston-rooted brands — including Boston Made Pets, where my passion for dog wearables and canine wellness lives on. I’m an avid reader and journaler who believes in reporting that's closer to home.

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Boston Made Stories

Road to the Rocketship, Ch. 9: What’s Next — Trackers, a Training Academy and the Grand Strand

Coming soon across the ecosystem: Boston Made dog trackers, a training academy (OSHA safety, highway work zones, law enforcement, neighborhood watch), a deeper push into the Grand Strand, and the restructuring desk.

Published

3 hours ago

October 1, 2026

Founder & Chairman of Boston Made, Inc.

Road to the Rocketship, Ch. 9: What’s Next — Trackers, a Training Academy and the Grand Strand

ROAD TO THE ROCKETSHIP · Chapter 9

A roadmap is a promise you can be held to, so here it is in public.

Coming soon

Boston Made dog trackers. GPS trackers for dogs from the Boston Made Pets family. The Fenway the Pup storyline shows why: Chapter 2 is about a great escape.
The Boston Made Training Academy. Practical courses in OSHA safety, highway and work-zone safety, law-enforcement topics and neighborhood watch.
The restructuring desk from Chapter 6, with a free demo first.
The Grand Strand. GrandStrand.app, a social network for Grand Strand vacation properties, and Spot Check parking are leading a push into Myrtle Beach, including a look at valet service. Follow it in the Grand Strand Season storyline.

How to follow along

Every chapter of this storyline lands on the Reader’s Storylines page as soon as it’s published. If you want to be part of it rather than just watch, join free. When MasterPass referrals switch on, you can earn by bringing people with you.

Season one ends here. Season two begins when the next door opens.

ROAD TO THE ROCKETSHIP is the Boston Made Newsroom’s running story of how Boston Made, Inc. is building its ecosystem, told one chapter at a time. Previous: Ch. 8. Start over at Ch. 1.

📚 Read every chapter on the Boston Made Reader → Storylines · Join free at app.bostonmade.com/membership.

Forward-looking descriptions reflect current plans and may change. Nothing here is an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities.

Boston Made Stories

Road to the Rocketship, Ch. 8: The Free Library Will Never Charge You

Inside the Boston Made Reader is a free library: complete public-domain books, free Bible and religious studies, and inclusion studies. It’s the one part of the ecosystem that will never ask for payment.

Published

3 hours ago

October 1, 2026

Founder & Chairman of Boston Made, Inc.

Road to the Rocketship, Ch. 8: The Free Library Will Never Charge You

ROAD TO THE ROCKETSHIP · Chapter 8

A company that wants to be trusted should give some things away for good.

The Boston Made Reader carries a promise on its homepage: it is a free literacy resource, “the one Boston Made address that will never ask you for payment.”

What’s on the shelves

Complete books: full public-domain texts with their original covers, in a clean book-style reading view.
Bible and religious studies: free study material for personal reading or group study.
Inclusion studies: readable guides on accessibility and inclusion, such as an ADA overview, “Accessibility 101,” and how to volunteer with Special Olympics as a Unified Partner.
History: the long-running Boston history series and reading notes on historical works.

Why it belongs in a business story

A free library doesn’t show up on a revenue line. It builds trust, though, and it keeps readers returning daily, and those are the things the rest of the ecosystem depends on. Free reading, supported by advertising, means nobody gets turned away.

ROAD TO THE ROCKETSHIP is the Boston Made Newsroom’s running story of how Boston Made, Inc. is building its ecosystem, told one chapter at a time. Previous: Ch. 7. Next: Ch. 9, What’s Next.

📚 Read every chapter on the Boston Made Reader → Storylines · Join free at app.bostonmade.com/membership.

Forward-looking descriptions reflect current plans and may change. Nothing here is an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities.

Boston Made Stories

Road to the Rocketship, Ch. 7: The Arcade Is Open (Play Coins Only)

The Boston Made Arcade is a free-to-play slots arcade that runs on play coins only — no real money, ever. Half the machines are themed around pets and learning, and they tie the brands together through story.

Published

3 hours ago

October 1, 2026

Founder & Chairman of Boston Made, Inc.

Road to the Rocketship, Ch. 7: The Arcade Is Open (Play Coins Only)

ROAD TO THE ROCKETSHIP · Chapter 7

Every ecosystem needs a place to play.

The Boston Made Arcade is open at games.bostonmade.com.

The rules

Free to play. You play with play coins. There’s no real money, no cash prizes and nothing to buy to win. It’s entertainment, not gambling.
Story-led. The machines are themed around the ecosystem’s brands and storylines, so playing doubles as a tour of what Boston Made builds.
Half pets and learning. Half the arcade focuses on pets and education, with reels and bonus rounds built around dog breeds, Boston history and quick facts.
Half open, half members. Half the machines are open to everyone. The rest unlock with MasterPass.

Why an arcade?

People come back to places that are fun. A game that teaches you a dog breed or a piece of Boston history, and points you to the Reader for the full story, keeps people moving through the ecosystem without any hard sell.

ROAD TO THE ROCKETSHIP is the Boston Made Newsroom’s running story of how Boston Made, Inc. is building its ecosystem, told one chapter at a time. Previous: Ch. 6. Next: Ch. 8, the Free Library.

📚 Read every chapter on the Boston Made Reader → Storylines · Join free at app.bostonmade.com/membership.

Forward-looking descriptions reflect current plans and may change. Nothing here is an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities.