Magazine Journalist Business Plan


Magazine Journalist Business Plan


Write Bike is a home-based start-up business that provides cycling specific correspondent services in the form of written articles. Kraig Guthrie is the founder and sole employee. He will freelance cycling articles for a variety print and online publications. Write Bike will thrive as a home-based, sustainable business thanks to Kraig&#8217.

Services

Write Bike offers a variety of articles on cycling. Some of these articles will feature product reviews. Through extensive testing and consistent criteria-based measurements, Kraig will be able to offer objective product testing. Write Bike also provides interviews, usually with industry leaders and professional racers. Kraig has raced at the elite race level in the past and is familiar with many racers. He can also offer interviews written to different publications. Kraig also will be selling reports on the annual bicycling industry trade shows. These are the top places to see new product launches. Due to his extensive riding and educational experience, he will be able also to offer fitness and training articles. Write Bike can write articles on request or speculatively.

The Market

It was only a few years ago that cycling information could only be found in the local bike shop, or in printed magazines. There are now many online magazines that specialize in cycling. Write Bike sells articles either to print magazines or online magazines. The consolidation of publishing has seen many magazines merge into larger units. Staff writers are also being let go. Write Bike reaps the benefits of this consolidation because it creates demand and opportunities for freelance writers. Print magazines and online magazines make up a total potential customer base of 350, with 250 and 100 respectively. These two customer segments are growing at 2% and 8% annually.

Management

Kraig Guthrie brings a wealth experience to Write Bicycle. Brown University is where Kraig earned his undergraduate degree. While at Brown Kraig raced on their cycling team as well as wrote for the student newspaper. Kraig continued cycling pursuits after graduating. Kraig was an elite cyclist who participated in the Olympic Training sessions. Kraig also managed a bike shop for many years. Kraig went on to work at Shimano America as a bicycle component manufacturer. Kraig developed a strong understanding of the industry and its people through Shimano’s many jobs and responsibilities. Kraig will bring a wealth of industry knowledge to the article production process.

1.1 Mission

It is Write Bike’s mission to produce well written articles about the bicycle industry. Write Bike has the unique ability to provide insight into the industry by leveraging Kraig’s vast network of industry colleagues.

1.2 Keys for Success

  • For the bicycle industry, write informative and well-written articles.
  • Continue to create a network to exchange information with other people and to expand the market’s acceptance of WriteBike’s articles.
  • Always remember the audience.

1.3 Objectives

  • Write consistent and regular articles with multiple publications.
  • You can start a successful home-based company.
  • Keep building and maintaining a network of contacts in the bicycle industry.


Magazine Publisher Business Plan


Magazine Publisher Business Plan


Group Publishing, Inc. (Group Publishing), the publisher of “Artists In Business” magazine is The Group Publishing, Inc. The magazine, which has already printed an initial issue in July/August 1996 is directed at artists at all levels of business throughout the United States. Group Publishing aims to achieve a combined total circulation of ‘#8220’ Artists In Business of 206,000 in the first year and 310,000 by year three. The magazine will appear bi-monthly. Press runs will increase over the next three years. Sample distribution, organizational sales, and direct mail to targeted lists of artists will be utilized to build subscriptions.

Group Publishing will also market books through direct marketing, as well established artist distribution channels. Group Publishing’s magazine readers will provide direct marketing for its books.

Publishing is a high income and high margin business. Successful marketing is the key to success. The Group uses a highly targeted multi-dimensional marketing and sales plan to quickly build its total circulation base. The same channels, methods and strategies were used to establish a circulation level of 500,000 in just one year for Visionary Artist’s periodical.

The Group’s plan will be successful in generating sales revenues of $3.1million in year one, $4.8million in year two and $6.4million in year three. Net profit will increase steadily over the next three years.

The highlights of the business plan are illustrated in the following chart. Every year sales, margins, net profit, and profits increase. The first year has the lowest margins due to marketing costs for building the circulation base.

1.1 Objectives

The Group’s first objectives are the following:

  1. To raise seed capital in excess of $150,000 to publish the book by month 2 and establish a cash reserve for future market subscriptions.
  2. Direct sampling and marketing will allow us to reach 90,000.
  3. To have an additional 50,000 subscribers by the end of year one through organizational sales.
  4. To sell 10,000 additional two-year subscriptions.
  5. To publish two 36 page issues initially with press runs of 50,000 promotional copies each.
  6. To reach 48 pages in issue number 3 and increase press runs by 75,000 promotional copies.
  7. In issues five and six, increase to 100,000 promotional copies
  8. Average ad-page cost increases from $1,819 à $2,618 at the end the first year.
  9. In the first year, to sell an average 17.5 ads pages per issue.

1.2 Mission

“Artists in Business” magazine is for any artist who works at any level. The magazine is dedicated to being a platform for artists who can represent artistic vision in a marketplace and who can both inspire and provide role models to others. Group Publishing through its magazine, books as well editorial content will provide information to artists about artistic principles in everyday businesses and encourage interaction among businesspeople. Our mission is to spread the idea of “community” in the workplace.

1.3 Keys To Success

The keys to success are:

  • Attaining targeted circulation levels.
  • Controlling your costs while still spending as much as possible on subscription marketing within the first year.
  • Monitoring all media executions closely for the highest response rates.
  • Two to four books titles will be followed-up in the second year.
  • Attain targeted advertising sales revenue
  • Each issue should contain quality editorial content.
  • Making all production and distribution dates in a timely fashion for each issue.