It’s been a fast, furious and fun journey so far, but we’re only getting started. Having just turned two, we figure we get at least this year to be a “terrible two-year-old”. That means more colour, more of the unexpected, and I guess, the odd bit of mayhem, in the coming year.
It’s been a fast, furious and fun journey so far, but we’re only getting started.
Having just turned two, we figure we get at least this year to be a“terrible two old”. That means more colour, more of the unexpected, and I guess, the odd bit of mayhem, in the coming year.
Whoa, two years goes quickly.
Snapshot: have an idea to rumble up medical market with a fun new, tech leaning, analysis-based media group for GPs and their patients in the age of digital.
First issue is an all-nighter and pretty awful in terms of grammar and spelling. We got panned by our competitors, but we were born. October 10, 2015. A messy birth, but a healthy newborn none the less, with plenty of enthusiasm and potential.
Then it was all full on. We had fantastic feedback and help from clients and readers alike from the outset. People love a bit of competition and variety, and that was what we were trying for.
Our first year was wild by the end. We did way over what we thought we would in revenue. But we also way underestimated our cost by a lot. So we ended up in loss. But here’s a good thing. A lot less loss than we had planned.
We then made a big decision to leave our birthing company, The Misfits Media Co, because we wanted to do health only, and they do Advertising, Media and Travel. That wasn’t easy, as we had to start from scratch on cash, and as much as we dearly love our clients, some are big globals who have up to 90-day payment terms.
So quite a wild ride again this year doing that balancing act. Some of our clients – you know who you are – have been really understanding though and helped us, with advice, and the odd bit of early cash. They like us, I think, because we’ve done two things to the medical market: brought colour and some competitive tension. We aren’t the ant’s pants as a competitor yet, but we’re working on it.
Our first readership result was the biggest debut of a new media offering in more than 20 years in this market. A 54% average issue readership figure after being out in the market only nine months and we were competing against behemoth long term brands such as Australian Doctor and Medicine Today.
We didn’t outdo them in readership, of course, but that debut was a huge figure and cemented us as a long-term prospect. Thank you, loyal readers, for supporting us. And any non-loyal ones, too. Keep coming back, please.
For our digital platform we chose youth and gen Y publisher Junkee to help us. They get mobile, social and being younger. Hopefully our digital presence shows a bit of that.
As we turn two, we think we should act two and get pernickety. At least for another year. As such we have launched a health innovation summit business, called Wild Health (our first one is next week in Sydney and is going great), we have got ourselves a couple of really clever and enthusiastic strategic partners (investors in fact) in Tonic Health Media, and Health Ed, both hugely successful, growing and complementary businesses to ours, and both run by doctors (go doctors!).
Their investment and their knowledge is helping us grow outwards faster. We are also reinvesting everything we get in growing our services.
Next year we will be expanding Wild Health a fair bit – going to Melbourne, Brisbane and maybe even New Zealand, and we are partnering with GPs Down Under, a group after our own heart, to put on their first conference ever. That is going to be big, fun and wild. And stir things up, I’m sure. We are also stepping up mobile and social.
Thanks everyone. All our sponsors and advertisers. All our readers. Thanks GPDU and organisations like you that get that in this day and age, for the betterment of everyone in the health community, “collaboration” is the new black.
And thank you to our staff who are all great, if not a tad crazy from time to time. And thank you so much for your love, your support, your crazy lovely personality Kerri. And Linda for stepping into that giant hole in our hearts.
Everyone’s support and feedback has been invaluable. Don’t stop. We are only just getting started. And fully intend to be a terrible two-year-old. Please do keep us honest in that pursuit.
Regards
Jeremy Knibbs
(Publisher and with Kerri and Frazer, the people that started this thing)
(you too Ruby… and Grant… Scrapbook?)
