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110 degrees magazine - Index

110 degrees magazine - magazine - Index

FROM WHERE I SIT I NOT JUST FOR FUN
Managing 110° Magazine is fun, but we’re not
doing this just for fun.
The publication has been marvelous in all
the ways that I had hoped it would be when I
bought the magazine. I’ve met some wonderful
people! My sales manager, Caroline Robertson,
and I have a great time working with advertisers.
We’ve had huge fun hosting our Mix &
Mingle Events that are free to anyone interested
in networking.
110° Magazine has worked hard to continue
to tell the story of colorful people in our East
County. We were the first print publication in
the area to offer profiles, the first to go digital
with an online version, the first to offer Reader
Loyalty Cards, and are now offering digital
advertising at Willy’s Bagels & Blends. (Contact
us for details.)
We launched our new Loyalty Reader Cards at
the Corn Fest. If you didn’t get one in this magazine
you can find these at Spa Prima, Willy's
Bagels, and Busy Body in Brentwood. Or at the
Antioch Chamber of Commerce, the Discovery
Bay Steakhouse, or the Oakley Black Bear Cafe.
Every issue will list the advertiser discounts
you can receive when you show the card, giving
you another reason to look forward to receiving
the magazine.
You may have noticed we have more advertisements
than ever. Because of our vigorous
growth, we continue to add more pages, and
have increased our size by 58 pages in the last
year while always maintaining more than half
of the magazine as editorial content. Don
Huntington and Andrea Stuart continue to
12 www.110mag.com September/October 2008
“I WOULDN’T BE TRYING TO SELL ADVER-
TISING IF IT WEREN’T FOR THE FACT THAT
I REALLY BELIEVE IN OUR PRODUCT.”
write articles recounting incredible stories
about amazing local people.
It’s been especially great working with
Caroline Robertson. She is driven to help her
clients towards success. Caroline spends time
helping businesses whether or not they advertise
with us, and expends a lot of effort in helping
her clients promote their businesses in ways
that go above and beyond any advertising.
Since marketing is key, she is sharing with
other businesses methods that are providing
for our own growth in the face of the current
economic downfall.
So we remain balanced in our goals and aspirations
for the magazine. We’re all having fun,
but the magazine isn’t just for fun, because
we’re also running a business.
Someone said that profits are to a business
as oxygen is to a living organism. The fact is
that the people who ran 110° Magazine during
the four years before I came aboard somehow
managed to maintain the publication on lifesupport
long past the time when less passionate
people would have allowed it to die a natural
death. And such a death really would have
been “natural,” since more than 90 percent of
new publications in America perish before
reaching the end of their first year of existence.
My partner, Don Huntington, who was one of
the founders of the magazine, used to tell people:
When we started 110° we had three goals.
1. One was to have a lot of fun; and we exceeded
that goal starting with the first issue.
2. The second goal was to make a positive
impact upon the community; judging
from readers’ comments, we exceeded
that goal from the beginning.
3. The third goal was to make a wheelbarrow
full of money.
And then Don would add, “I’m proud to say
that it is a great accomplishment for any new
business to hit two out of three goals.”
It was a great line and Don always got a good
laugh. The first two goals really are the most
important; I would shut this thing down if we
failed in those areas. But after a while profits
become essential. We have to pay our printing
bills; we have to make payroll.
Fortunately, I have a talent for making
money. I’m in this business because I loved the
magazine and because I knew I could turn it
around. I wouldn’t be trying to sell advertising
if it weren’t for the fact that I really believe in
our product and our East County Area.
Profits aren’t a measure of our success; they
simply make it possible to continue enjoying
the success that we’ve been experiencing.
Don likes to tell people, “The goal is to thrive
and not simply to survive.” We’re driving towards
higher ground; we’re gathering momentum.
We’re excited about the future and determined to
stick around.
I’ve made up my mind about that — and I’m
not going to let anything turn me back!
Tricia Piquero
Publisher
110magazine@gmail.com
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