Any Info on MyMag welcome.

HappySad

http://www.mymaguk.com/index.php?page=included

Cost £3,500

You create a local free community mag 2,000-5,000 copies & they send you details on how to do it & how to avoid the pitfalls. Smalll local business advertise in your magazine. Then optional £60 a month for online/phone support & editorials.

Looking at it being a way to sell additional graphic & webdesign work to these customers who advertise on the magazine.

Anyone made a success of this????? Anyone not???? How about creating that sale with small business...

Horace

The guy that runs the mymag franchise also runs the mylittlewrapper franchise and is behind Bestof Business.

To be honest I can think of better things to spend £3500 on.

paulwf

I honestly can't see what you are paying for. Sure the package has some value but I'm sure between Business Link and a few books you could get something very similar for perhaps £100 (I'm being generous here) instead of £3,500. Postcode exclusivity isn't worth anything really, there is nothing to stop a rival community magazine start up. Even if it was worth something I'd want a solicitor to vet the contract to make sure the defined area is fair and the contract enforceable.

My main concern with publishing a magazine is that you have significant outgoings, i.e. print & distribution, no matter how many adverts you sell. Let's say for example print & distribution of 5,000 copes costs £500, if you only sell £400 of ad space you still have to go ahead and take the loss. You might need several issues to gain the trust of businesses before they advertise as there are many advertising scams out there. Having more or less fixed outgoings no matter what the income is would be too risky for me.

Community magazines do exist but the ones I've seen do so because they are run as not for profit community ventures. The businesses that advertise do so because it is partly seen as "doing their bit" for the community (e.g. for some businesses it is expected by their customers that you will advertise in the programme for the school fete whether it makes commercial sense or not).

Certainly do some number crunching and see what your break even figures are, i.e. how many adverts you need to sell to pay all your costs and at least minimum wage. Also can you produce enough issues (and get businesses to advertise in each issue) to make it worthwhile? Even then I wouldn't pay £3,500 for this system.

DeeDeeinDooDoo

Hi

I have experience with something similar. There is no exclusivity for the postcode, anyone in your neighbourhood could start up and compete. Also church newsletters may be offering a similar service.

My problem was with the five year contract that was signed with franchisor. They made light of it at the time but when I was obviously not going to make any money after overheads they held me to contract and wanted 4 years worth of management fees. That might not be the case with you as you say the support fee is optional.

In the contract there is usually a gaggin clause so it will be very difficult to come across any negative comments from failed franchisees.

Someone who competed with me just started up a small thin directory and built it up from there and could afford to as they hadnt spend 000's up front and was not looking to find monthly management fee.

I think money can be made from building up a small community mag plus website but research, research, research and make sure no one else is already doing it in your area.

There was something similar called Mums in Control magazine and in the end a group action was taken against the franchisor because eventually the franchisees realised it was almost impossible to make any money from the model that had been sold to them.

Do it yourself.

I found an excellent example of a home made community mag and the guy was doing well. I'll have a look for it and try and post a link later.

Regards,

borders_dude

If you think you can make a success of such a magazine I think you would probably be better doing it alone by getting some good quality advice and doing a good bit of research. Dont forget out for the franchise yet!

cavework

OP .. Horace is right. The person that makes money from this also runs Best of and the wrapper thingy..
2000 to 5000 copies is small fry when it comes to advertising and most area's already have well established free magazines.

Horace

I went to a seminar by this Best Of chappie - I didnt much care for him to be honest with you..slimey is the word that I would use. Also I contacted them with a view to joining the Best Of..I had to speak to an answermachine and eventually someone called back and pointed me in the direction of my local Best Of..well, she suggested that I join the Federation of Small Businesses so I did and then called the Best Of and told them that I wouldnt be joining them as their franchisee had pointed me in a different direction.

I know someone via a networking group who has been running a magazine for 2 years and is now struggling with it. Church magazines tend not to be for profit and are printed in-house using a risograph (gestetner type machine only cleaner). There are lots of ways of getting into publishing which are easier.

HappySad

Thanks for all your comments. Do you know of any books that give you advise on running a magazine? I tried searching amazon a bit, but could not find anything.

Slinky

I bought a MM package 5 years ago and have run a successful business, but my god it's hard work. Don't believe the 8-10 hours a week stuff, I don't know anybody who is running one successfully who is doing much less than 25-30 hours a week - I did 70 hours last week, in the week before I went to print, but I do do 2 magazines.

I wouldn't recommend buying the MM package, there are better out there now, more up to date and with better support.

If you really want to do a magazine, and it is REALLY hard work, look at www.mags2riches.co.uk which give a warts and all account of magazine production in the real world.

Also if you believe the MM site, you'd think that Sue who started the magazine is still doing it - my understanding is she sold it years ago, but the website doesn't read like that. Afterall with all the other businesses they run, can you really believe she spends time walking the streets posting magazines through doors? But it looks all lovely and cosy on the site though doesn't it!

Slinky

I've just had a look at the MM website again. I can't believe her daughter is still playing with play-dough - she was doing that 5 years ago when I bought the package.

And yes, she might be making £2K a month, but is it coming from producing The Dickens Heath Directory?

clunks

I have just started my own community based magazine!
However Myself and my business partner have both had 15+ years in publishing. We did look into the mymag franchise but after talking to a few mymaggers decided it was a waste of money. It is VERY hard work but VERY VERY VERY rewarding. our first mag had 2.5k profit and around 3k profit for the second one. Anyone thinking of doing this should contact me on chris.mccluckie@hotmail.co.uk or 07933 876737 and i can let you know exactly how to do this for FREE.