I don't have time to post all the ins and outs. But here's the key thing (IMHO) that you need to realize and plan for:
There is no 'if you build it, they will come'.
The best content, the best tour, the slickest route to the join page - all for nothing if you can't figure out how to get surfers to your front page.
Content drives the industry, but traffic is by far the most challenging part of it. You should gain some mastery of the traffic side before starting your own paysite.
Just my
