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| Mary Ann Pearce - The Corn Queen |
| Every day more people relocate from surrounding cities to this lovely area we call home. Within minutes we can see farm fields, town squares, sparkling blue lakes or first-class resorts, spas and shopping. I’ve lived in Walworth County for 11 y... |
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| Written by Denise Schultz | |||||||
| Sunday, 10 May 2009 12:45 | |||||||
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Greetings, As this issue goes to press, I am absolutely encouraged by so much positive activity surrounding our True|Network of friends, business partners, readers and overall supporters. We look forward to enjoying a “sneak peek” unveiling at the annual luncheon of the Bower City Garden Club at Rotary Gardens in Janesville and our trademark reception at Geneva Ridge to open a weekend of festivities at our Mother’s Day Cabaret and Boutique. Our summer softball league should provide hours of entertainment, and even some exercise. And speaking of entertainment – don’t miss all the great music offered through Midwest Artist Network this season. Regardless of whether you have received this copy of the magazine at an event, from one of our marketing partners, or in your mailbox – we appreciate you and hope you enjoy what we’ve presented on the pages. Our greatest reward is the feedback we receive, whether from an e-mail telling us how a story has inspired someone, to the wonderful surprise of a handwritten note in the P.O. box (often accompanied by a subscription check!) Conversations that begin at our favorite local businesses when someone approaches us asking, “Are you the True|Women?” or “Are you the ladies who work on the magazine?” always lead to heartwarming exchanges that leave us smiling. It’s true my days of corporate offices are pretty much over. I seldom say never... But I’m pretty confident I will spend the rest of my days working where I want, when I want. Have laptop will travel works for me. I do believe I get more done in my sweats at a coffee shop or my kitchen table than I ever did when I wore pretty pumps every day, and I get to be surrounded by wonderful and real people. What I didn’t leave behind are my business sense and the knowledge I was able to gather over the years. I worked with brilliant business analysts, so some of it was bound to rub off on me – right? Clearly, launching a printed magazine in this economy may indicate otherwise. This beautiful publication you hold in your hand is an expensive venture. If it is not obvious, we’ll state it here in black and white – this magazine is financially supported 100% by the advertisers who place their marketing messages inside, entrusting us to spread the word. We take that responsibility very seriously, and appreciate any business you send their way. Because this enterprise is about being True! And our readers are intelligent people, I’ll also share that it is nowhere near paying for itself. Producing a full color glossy product of this quality is costly. We’ve priced our ads to be very affordable, and work continually to share our opportunities. You won’t be seeing any “bailout” come our way – nor us asking for one. We are a network of honest, ethical, hardworking entrepreneurs who use adversity as a stepping stone to reach further outside of the boxes. We appreciate the professionals involved who share their passions and talents because they believe in what we are saying and doing. My husband and I are not independently wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but we are otherwise blessed beyond measure. So, I share with you the question on our minds. Where do we go from here? Do we keep fighting the odds; swimming against the current to find those steadily decreasing available advertising dollars that will allow us to share our stories? Do we stop printing and move to a completely electronic version that can’t be read in a warm bubble bath or placed on the coffee table? (No!) Do we move on and say that by every measure that matters most, we were very successful with this launch, but enough is enough? We have a great product. We have an amazing audience. We have positive interest coming from new directions, as our Women Entrepreneurs Network grows steadily and we attract new readers every day. We are approaching just two years. A mere “baby”, with so much opportunity for growth. So, what do you think? Drop me a line – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it | |||||||
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