1. We need some sort of ritual, maybe just lighting a candle and some easy , helpful sounding catch phrase. Better done in a group but ok to do alone knowing you are part of a group. Makes for more devout cult members.
2. All sorts of symbols that can be monetized into shirts and merchandise.
3. All the actual "Beliefs" would be super easy to follow and mostly biased toward women (who spend the most money) with a few SLIGHTLY hard to swallow ideas just so people feel like they are actually doing something and believe something not everyone does.
5. Typically a "cult" is around a person dead or alive that can "reveal" new truths, I'll go with alive if I'm the leader. lol
6. Not super easy to join as a "full member". (definitely need ranks/levels) Easy to join means easy to leave. Have to think about what that would be. One of the things would be I personally would have to trust the person with my life for the "top ranking" cult members.
7. The cult needs to have an ACTUALLY GOOD aspect/goal to it, I wouldn't want to run something that was a net bad for society. Making a few bucks? Sure. But fucking up society worse than it is on purpose... couldn't do it. Also there would be 7 core beliefs/rules/goals whatever we want to call them, with the number 7 having some significance. Shit.... I'm found out. lol
Wait, that's already my plan for House Spiral for people that aren't already in it (which is maybe 10 people)
So if a few years from now I have an L. Ron Hubbard style cult, you can look back and see (just like he did) I wrote about the "what if" aspect ahead of time.