JimmyKrug
September 12, 2009, 03:33 PM
Years ago I remember writing a post somewhere about doing something you loved - unless what you loved doing didn't make enough money!
At the time, my favorite subject to write and talk about was professional boxing. My Grandfather has worked with several world champions and Hall of Fame fighters and I grew up around the sport. He was posthumously inducted into New Jersey's boxing Hall of Fame in 1978.
When I was a kid, I dreamed of having an opinion piece published in The Ring Magazine, KO Magazine, or one of the others that was around at the time. Well, about 4 months ago I had a concept about creating an "online version" of offline magazines.
The business model was simple. I presented the idea to the host of a cooking show at ABC Channel 7 in Tampa. A few weeks later, she and a former magazine editor approached me about creating an online cooking magazine.
A month later we "went to press" and the results were fantastic. I published under a pen name in case it bombed! Since then, I'm publishing 4 other online magazines including my boxing magazine which can be found at www.TheBoxingMagazine.com.
It's my pride and joy!
Next month, I will start a computer simulation of the All-Time Heavyweight Tournament to see who was the greatest Heavyweight of All-Time.
Boxing is nowhere near as popular a sport as it used to be. There are no Muhammad Ali's, Mike Tyson's, Rocky Marciano's or Joe Louis's on the scene any longer. Nevertheless, there is still a niche group of people out there who enjoy reading about the sport and its many "characters" who've graced its stage over the last 100 years.
For the purposes of finding a unique marketing angle, I researched the "zillion" other boxing sites online that all have the same basic information and amateurish designs.
Once I did my research, I focused upon two aspects of the old offline magazines and incorporated them into the site. The first was the "dream match-up" idea of "who would have won if two all-time greats faced each other in their primes."
The other was an essay on a particular fighter.
I found a few people who were willing to contribute articles from time-to-time and that was all it took.
This same concept will work with any business type imaginable. Any offline type of publication can be reborn online. TheBoxingMagazine.com is a what I call a "simple publication." My total time investment is 2 hours a month. And that's because I enjoy researching my articles so much.
So back to the original thought...
"Do what you love?"
Yeah, why not give it a try?
But follow these steps -
1. Research your competition.
2. Find an angle
3. Create something that doesn't have too many "moving parts."
4. Determine how you're going to reach your audience.
Do it.
-Jimmy
At the time, my favorite subject to write and talk about was professional boxing. My Grandfather has worked with several world champions and Hall of Fame fighters and I grew up around the sport. He was posthumously inducted into New Jersey's boxing Hall of Fame in 1978.
When I was a kid, I dreamed of having an opinion piece published in The Ring Magazine, KO Magazine, or one of the others that was around at the time. Well, about 4 months ago I had a concept about creating an "online version" of offline magazines.
The business model was simple. I presented the idea to the host of a cooking show at ABC Channel 7 in Tampa. A few weeks later, she and a former magazine editor approached me about creating an online cooking magazine.
A month later we "went to press" and the results were fantastic. I published under a pen name in case it bombed! Since then, I'm publishing 4 other online magazines including my boxing magazine which can be found at www.TheBoxingMagazine.com.
It's my pride and joy!
Next month, I will start a computer simulation of the All-Time Heavyweight Tournament to see who was the greatest Heavyweight of All-Time.
Boxing is nowhere near as popular a sport as it used to be. There are no Muhammad Ali's, Mike Tyson's, Rocky Marciano's or Joe Louis's on the scene any longer. Nevertheless, there is still a niche group of people out there who enjoy reading about the sport and its many "characters" who've graced its stage over the last 100 years.
For the purposes of finding a unique marketing angle, I researched the "zillion" other boxing sites online that all have the same basic information and amateurish designs.
Once I did my research, I focused upon two aspects of the old offline magazines and incorporated them into the site. The first was the "dream match-up" idea of "who would have won if two all-time greats faced each other in their primes."
The other was an essay on a particular fighter.
I found a few people who were willing to contribute articles from time-to-time and that was all it took.
This same concept will work with any business type imaginable. Any offline type of publication can be reborn online. TheBoxingMagazine.com is a what I call a "simple publication." My total time investment is 2 hours a month. And that's because I enjoy researching my articles so much.
So back to the original thought...
"Do what you love?"
Yeah, why not give it a try?
But follow these steps -
1. Research your competition.
2. Find an angle
3. Create something that doesn't have too many "moving parts."
4. Determine how you're going to reach your audience.
Do it.
-Jimmy
