CASE STUDY
Company Assisted: Flying Start
Support Programme: Business Start-Up Initiative
Support Activity: Support for a New Business
Background:
Flying Start Parenting Magazine was first published in 2003 by a partnership which included Amanda Brown. The publication did well, focusing on issues of pregnancy, childbirth and early years parenting, and over the next five years it attracted a healthy readership across the North West. However, the partnership structure presented its own difficulties and when these proved insurmountable, the decision was taken to liquidate the company.
Despite the setback, Amanda was undaunted and still had great confidence in the magazine's potential. She therefore resolved to set up her own company and to recruit two key members of Flying Start's previous sales team who would help to re-launch the publication. Having previously shared the decision making, she saw that the new structure would give her greater freedom and strategic control but recognised, too, that she would need to develop a broader range of management skills if the company was to meet her ambitious plans for growth.
Support Provided:
In 2008, Amanda made contact with Enterprise4All whose advisors met with her to assess the company's needs and to produce a series of recommendations. These addressed the development of a coherent business plan and specific issues such as controlling cash-flow, recruitment and profitability. It was clear that Amanda's previous publishing experience had enabled her to develop vital business skills but the additional support enabled her to introduce effective systems that she and her team would be able to sustain as the company developed.
Results:
After just two months of trading, a new edition of Flying Start Parenting Magazine was published – this time under the banner of Amanda's Magenta Press. Funded with the help of her partner Mick and by the initial turnover, the publication needed to return an immediate profit but it soon proved that Amanda's faith had been justified. Despite the illness of a key staff member, the team had little difficulty in meeting and then surpassing all its early sales targets and as sales grew throughout the region, it soon became apparent that demand for the restructured magazine was stronger than ever.
On the strength of Flying Start Parenting Magazine's success, Amanda launched a new sister publication, Flying Start Your Home, early in 2009. Printed in a convenient handbag-sized format, the magazine is distributed free via direct mail throughout the PR postcode area and looks a wide range of home and lifestyle issues. A third title will be launched later in the year.
“This has been a very rewarding process,” notes Amanda. “I had never set up a business alone before, so being the only decision maker was new and challenging. It's been a great success, though, with the magazine showing itself to be profitable from day one. We've learnt a lot and we're confident of many years of further growth.”
For more information about Flying Start Parenting Magazine or its sister publications, please visit www.flyingstartmagazine.co.uk.