Musical Tots - Music Magazine for Children

The Queen’s composer, Peter Maxwell Davies, has recently spoken out against the UK’s education system and its “elitist” dealings with classical music. This, alongside shocking claims from 2012 OFSTED reports that "one in five of the schools visited were judged inadequate for music”, the current climate for classical music is shaping up for a bleak future. The lack of musical education in primary schools is cutting off the musical future, and without intervention at these early stages, classical music will simply be a thing of the past for the younger generations.

 Musical Tots is a classical music magazine for primary school children in the UK. It is a fun, vibrant magazine that aims to educate children about music in an exciting, innovative way. Musical Tots is a response to criticisms in the press that classical music is too elitist and strives to overturn the idea that classical music is only for a minority. The magazine will aim to present classical music in a way that targets the stories behind the music and encourages children to make intelligent links between different creative arts.

Musical Tots will be sold directly to primary schools in its first year before expanding to a supplement in another publication in alternate months. In its third year the magazine will reduce its production as a supplement to one magazine quarterly whilst developing as a magazine on the newsstand and with subscription.

The magazine will be sold for £5 per issue and with advertising as another revenue stream, it will make a profit of £1,414 end the end of its first year. As the sales increase, the price of the magazine will decrease to be more competitive. Total profit at the end of Year two will be £19,500 and £33,871 at the end of its third. 

The magazine is a brand and has the scope to expand into a number of different fields. Once established as a brand, I intend to expand into podcasts, CD audio books, print books and perhaps even a television channel. 

Musical Tots is a breath a fresh air that allows young people to engage with a subject too often deemed to be stagnant and old fashioned. This magazine will nourish the imagination of children and restore the beauty of one of our most ancient art forms.

PictureShow Magazine

Pictureshow and the allied Pictureshow brand were established in 2011, initially as a free digital film publication and portfolio site. In January 2013 Pictureshow and Pictureshow Magazine became a Limited Liability Companies with the trade numbers 08315090 for Pictureshow ltd 08315101 and for Pictureshow Magazine ltd. As time has moved on the brand is increasingly used for freelance work and has a great deal of potential to move into other areas, the following business plan is to demonstrate how best to do this and how to maximise profits at every opportunity while innovating within the brand. Pictureshow had worked hard to create an old fashioned aesthetic to ally itself with an older style of journalism while simultaneously embracing new technologies. Avoiding celebrity tittle tattle, instant news and gossip Pictureshow takes a wider view of film journalism. The art deco logo evokes a feeling of cinema theatres and not multiplexes. The name, Pictureshow, immediately conjures up images of the early days of cinema, before VHS, DVD and On Demand services. Through networking at Festivals and film events, raising awareness of the brand has gone hand in hand with raising awareness of the magazine. In researching our brand we found that Picture Show was a British film magazine that ran from 1919 to 1960, though the company name now belongs to Joshua Hammond. The potential to build on the brand is clear and we would like Pictureshow to be a reliable destination for readers, advertisers and the media.

North West Fashion LTD

The North West Fashion Network is a new non-profit social enterprise, designed as a support service for students and graduates from the region; who have an interest in fashion or perusing a career within the sector. The company website and social media platforms will act as an online community offering; career advice and guidance, competitions, events, work experience opportunities and local fashion related job vacancies.

The main objective of the social enterprise is to support students and graduate, in order to tackle the current high levels of unemployment; particularly effecting females and those studying creative and / or art based subjects.

The North West Fashion Network will promote external fashion related companies, competitions, job vacancies, work experience opportunities as well as upcoming events. However, will also provide its own careers advice, run careers seminars with industry speakers, competitions, events, short courses and work experience schemes.

The main primary income for the company will be from membership fees with different levels of subscriptions starting from £18. Members will be able to access different information depending on the subscription type and the profit made from subscription fees will be put back into the company and spent on other services.

The most effective forms of promotion to connect and communicate with the North West Fashion Network’s target audience would be digital and / or social media including; the company website, e-newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blog page and YouTube channel. These methods are not only effective in communicating with the company’s target consumers but they are also timely, cost effective and provide instant feedback.

As the company grows it will be possible to add additional services to match demand, for example; a print North West Fashion magazine, North West Fashion awards event or even regular networking meetings for members.

Ghana’s long awaited art magazine:The Today’s Artist Magazine

Art is an integral aspect of life and can be found all around us. Contemporary art is one field of art currently being embraced in the Ghanaian society. In view of this, research shows that there is currently no art magazine produced in Ghana for the Ghanaian society.  Also, there is a gap in the market for a product that brings together well established artists and upcoming artists in Ghana.

The Today’s Artist Magazine is a unique magazine with the sole purpose of promoting upcoming artists in Ghana located in senior high schools and fine art colleges within the country with the hope of bridging the gap between them, professional and well established artists. It would not only contain artworks but also provide relevant news, advanced notice of upcoming events, be it social or educational activities and pragmatic real world advice about course structure and career development related to the broad field of art.

This magazine would be produced every other month, i.e. six copies a year. Five hundred copies would be produced and sold for the first edition with a thousand copies for each edition in the subsequent months for the first year of production. The initial startup capital would be funded by Jay-Ford Group of Companies as the Today’s Artist Magazine is one of their products. The inclusion of adverts in the magazine would be another source of revenue generated for its production.

As Ghana gradually embraces contemporary art as a prestigious career, more people in Ghana would be interested in art. This would increase the current market for the Today’s Artist Magazine. Sales are expected to rise by the second year of production.

The UK's first MANSIZED magazine

The hair styles of celebrities like David Beckham and Harry Styles are almost more famous than their talents. What does your hair say about you?

(mtv.com)

Modern men are image conscious and trend savvy, they want to look their best in the board room and in the bar afterwards and there is a new breed of barbers and men's hairdressing making this possible.

But when many men sit down in the hairdressers chair or visit their barber they lack a source of inspiration for their latest style. This is not only frustrating for the client but also for the professional. Barbers and men's hairdressers are overlooked by existing hairdressing magazines and as this new brand of barbershops and salons, which offer a premium service to their well grooming clients, grow they are lacking a publication to offer them news and advice.

Introducing…

A quarterly, glossy, premium magazine dedicated to the art of men's hairdressing and to exploring the latest trends in men's grooming. Distributed to premium barbershops and hairdressers across this UK this magazine will be inspiration for both the professional and their clients.

The average man waits 11.5 minutes for his hair cut and it is during this time advertisers have the opportunity to directly target these men through a magazine that will sit on the top of the magazine pile. This is a direct channel for advertisers to reach an audience that is often over looked in other hairdressing magazines and consumer style magazines.

With creative editorial photo shots and features on the latest trends, news, products and tips to help achieve their dream quiff MANSIZED is the bible for image conscious men.

For the professional, MANSIZED will be the window to the growing community of stylists who are committed to making people look and feel their best; stylists who compete in competitions such as the L'Oreal Colour Trophy Mens Image Award and American Crew All Star Challenge, stylists who are digitally savvy and stylists who are talent creatives.

Whilst the quarterly magazine will be the stylishly produced and full of the the best features, the digital platform of MANSIZED will span all social networks and will feed the growing community of online stylists with the latest industry news, reviews and features. As a member of this community MANSIZED will give it's subscribers chance to generate the content of the platform with their pictures and videos form their latest cuts and shaves through viral content and advertorials. Through the choice of different subscription packages the customers of MANSIZED have the option to gain a much or as little from the brand as like they wish.

As a brand MANSIZED if full of potential and with an industry which is booming the opportunities for both the magazine and its customers are endless. Whether it be industry exhibitions or award ceremonies, MANSIZED has the potential to grow and go there with the support of the professionals who want to see more recognition for this hard working, creative industry. 

Whether he works in a hair salon or barbershop, the barber is back and there is an army of image conscious, trend savvy men waiting for his service. MANSIZED offers this professional the chance to promote the art of his trade whilst making sure he is moving with the trends of the industry and ensuring his clients are the most well-groomed gentlemen on the street.

Due to launch in April 2014 with yearly subscriptions starting at £16 you and your clients have the chance both to look good and be MANSIZED!

Visit Prezi to view:

Investor Pitch Slides

Right on TREND

TREND is an online magazine which will generate income through subscriptions. The content of the magazine is specifically based in the north-west region of the UK and will feature local issues that affect 18 – 30 year olds living and working in this area. The magazine will be focused on social and cultural events, activities and places to visit with an easy to use listing system that will make planning a day or night out in the north-west easy and accessible.

TREND will look for independent businesses in these locations that provide quality services but are often overlooked due to mainstream businesses taking their customers. TREND will review these businesses to allow customers a real insight into what each provides.

TREND will also offer local offers and deals, as an incentive to subscribe to the magazine and also to generate interest in the local areas that it covers. It will be a magazine that caters for more than one age range so that students will find it as useful and functional as young professionals. This will be a big focus for TREND, as the economic position of 18 – 30 year olds can differ greatly due to varied careers and education choices.

Social media will be a massive part of the brand, Twitter and Instagram will offer immediacy and allow customers to be involved with TREND and its content 'as it happens' whilst Facebook and Pinterest will promote material after it has been published. TREND will put emphasis on building that relationship with its customer so the brand is formed by their input and really concentrate on what they want to see in the magazine.

The magazine will focus on Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool, Lancashire and Cheshire and so will cover a wide range of up and coming locations throughout the north-west, particularly because BBC have now relocated to Media City in Salford and job opportunities are much more varied and prosperous.

 Looking forward, TREND will aim to be a real part of the north-west community, hosting events around the region encouraging customers to get involved and build an online magazine that they know they love.

The Year So Far

The Year So Far magazine will take a look at some of the biggest and most interesting news stories from the past six months. In addition to just news, this magazine will feature sport, technology, film, books, music, fashion and any other culturally significant events from the past months.

The Year So Far will be publish two issue a year, one in June and one in December. Each will look back on the past six months at have a roundup of all the big news stories. The magazine will also look at sports from football to tennis to golf to formula one, looking at the top sports stars in the world from the past half a year. There will be a section on the technological developments and technology trends that have been prominent that year.


The magazine will also look at the best and the worst films, music and books that have been released with sections of the magazine devoted to each as well. We will also explore the latest fashion trends that have dominated society. The main feature of the magazine will be an article counting down the 20 most important men and women from the past six months, who can be on there for anything as long as they have done something important or significant.

This magazine will be unlike any other as it will chronicle society and culture every six months and not just be normal weekly or monthly news magazine.


The target audience for our publication will be 18-35 year old men and women, who live in cities and have an active interest in news and culture, most specifically the millennial generation, who this magazine is aimed at. 

The magazine title will not actually be 'The Year So Far' but 2014 So Far or 2016 So Far and the title The Year So Far will act as a brand name like Now That's What I Call Music is compilation music brand. 

Wayfarer magazine

The Wayfarer reader is young, curious and excited to travel. Wayfarer magazine aims to provide a platform for students, young people and travellers to publish their adventures. As a customer publication it will be contracted out to STA Travel who provide the perfect platform and audience for this magazine. In return, Wayfarer will promote their business by featuring their destinations and prices. It will build a relationship with STA customers, while also attracting new ones. Wayfarer magazine will produce content for STA and will of course be subject to approval by them, much like airlines and their in-flight magazines. Editorial direction will always balance STA with its customers and feature a wide range of destinations and activities.

The monthly title will be 28 pages long and will feature guides to destinations, upcoming festivals and events, hotel and restaurant reviews, adventures and photography, along with historical and cultural features and anything else to inspire travel. For its readers it will serve to inspire travel; provide informative cultural content; and provide a platform for them to publish their travel stories.

What differs Wayfarer from its competitors is its contributors and content, it is targeted and tailored to a specific group of people, the STA customer, and will feature many of its readers, as writers.

As a contract magazine, the main revenue stream will be from STA Travel and it will be distributed free throughout their shops. It also has the potential to be distributed as a supplement in university newspapers in the future. Additional revenue will come from advertising, advertorials and student journalism awards.

A core editorial team, including an Editor, Art Director and Advertising Manager, will produce the magazine. Content will be sourced from STA customers, students and young travellers. 

Comicate Magazine

Who We Are

Comicate is a brand which has two extensions. One is the website which holds competitions with incentives of winning electronic gadgets, and second Comicate is the name of our magazine which will feature winning designs of competitors. It is a company for creative individuals with a passion for animation, journalism and creative writing. We want to be regarded as a prestigious magazine, and a feature published with in this magazine is considered of a high honour to everyone in the UK.
The timing is right for starting Comicate because animation, design, content and story telling plays a huge role in everyday life, as well as in the work place. More than 3000 People in the UK sign up to a creative course and then find that there are no communities for them to engage with, or compete in. This is where Comicate comes in, and will fill the gap in the market for those with creative passion.
Saima Omar, the sole trader and the owner of Comicate has worked in a high-pace customer facing roles in retail customer service and sales for over five years. She has studied English Literature and Language at degree level and is doing a Masters in Magazine Journalism. she has knowledge of how a magazine publishing business works, revenue models, magazine content, law and also literary aspects of themes, story telling, writing prose and so on. management team has a strong mix of business, financial, and mechanical experience that will ensure a great investment and the overall success of the venture.

Magazine publishing is a high profit and high margin business. Therefore the main way to succeed at this is through good marketing. Comicate has made sure it has a extremely purposeful multi-dimensional sales and marketing arrangement to construct its total circulation base rapidly.
The magazine will be printed on matte paper, 78 pages, contemporary in appearance and appealing to many creative people. Quality art and written content is the constant goal of this magazine. The magazine will be entertaining and thought-provoking. It will appeal to a broad artist and journalistic readership. No magazine like it is available today.
Pricing of our products must remain initially competitive with our rivals. The price of a copy of the magazine will be £2.50 for at least the first year before the price will be reassessed.
The revenue forecast represents the business scaling up sales quickly in the first year as the UK community recognizes the high quality of the magazine it produces, the prestige surrounding a feature in the magazine and the prize incentives that are to be won.
What We Sell
Comicate sell competition entry for a chance to win an electronic device/gadget. They sell a magazine for animators, designers, creative writers and journalists. They also sell advertising for other businesses with in their magazine and website. When the business in up and running and a bit of profit is made Comicate will sell printed personalised merchandise such as keyrings, t-shirts and mugs.

Who We Sell To

Our market analysis looks at potential customers and potential business. Comicate explored the market segments, their needs, and did a marketing analysis. The need for this venture was looked at first. Does the UK need a creative magazine for animators, journalists and story-tellers? The answer was a resounding yes.
Once the need was established, Comicate needed to analyse the make up of its customers, who and how many. Who is the potential customer? How many potential customers are there?
Once it was determined that there was a need and who the customer is, the next step was to figure out how to make them Comicates customers. How do we get the potential customer to visit our website, and buy our magazine?
There is a movement towards horizontal integration as Comicate will provide events every so often so this can include industry professionals wanting to get involved with Comicate. The main target market is students and those people who are learning or practicing their creative hobbies. It will be a specialist interest magazine with several interests combined with in its 78 pages.
Financial Summary

Financial Highlights 

Comicate will fund its launch largely though its own cash reserves and a loan for the start up of the website, marketing, advertising and magazine printing.

Financial Highlights by Year.

 No net loss was projected.

Your Street, Your Style

Street style is booming.  It is beginning to define the fashion industry and designers are starting to look to the streets for inspiration for their clothing lines.  Many people look in magazines for inspiration in their everyday style, only to find outfits that have been styled by professionals and sometimes, at very high prices.  What if there was a magazine that showed you real street style on real people?  Would that inspire you?

That’s where Street comes in.  This will be a magazine which will be published monthly on newsstands, along with a digital edition and an online platform that will be updated daily called streetmagazine.com.

Street will be a magazine for young women and men who are looking for inspiration in their everyday style.  The magazine has a commitment to be a platform to showcase real street style from around the world, purely based on high street fashion.

Street will be 60 pages, saddle stitched and contemporary in look and appeal.  Quality photography and content is the constant goal.

There is a gap in the market for Street.  Not one magazine is currently out there that is dedicated purely to street style, based entirely on high street fashion.

My target market includes men and women aged 16-28 who have an interest in fashion, trends and style.  They only buy high street labels and want to live a stylish lifestyle.  This target audience have increased their consumption and demand for magazines in line with their rising standards of living.

I believe there is a big audience out there who are ready to consume this content.  So many outfits in fashion magazines are put together by a stylist.  People are waiting for a refreshing idea that shows them how people put clothes together themselves, just like you and me.

So get ready for an innovative, versatile magazine that will answer all your questions about style.  Just remember, it’s your street and it’s your style.

Click here for more information.

Holly Sutton

Business Proposition: Lost and Found Magazine for International Students

Who We Are

Lost and Found London is a magazine aimed at international students in London. Due to be launched in July 2014.  With ten years experience in teaching international students I know their needs and interests well. I have a good working knowledge of online journalism ensuring that I am  well placed to create the content for this magazine and its online presence.

What We Sell

Lost in London is a monthly magazine of 24 pages.  It will contain culture, fashion and events listings.  It will look cool and trendy and ensure that it is a must read for any student in London.  There will be articles about what is happening in London and the UK.  

The content will be supported by a strong online presence including a mobile friendly website where students can find interactive links and vocabulary games to help reinforce their learning. There will be forums where students can buy and sell and find accommodation.

There will be social media sites where students can form and maintain networks and make friends.

There will be opportunities for students to contribute to the magazine by writing articles, providing photos and design pages.  
A key element of the magazine is its tie with Lost in London, the biggest international student events planners in London.  With links to over 50 schools in London, they will help to distribute the magazine.  Events will be listed in the magazine and photos of students attending them will be included in future magazines.

Who We Sell To

The magazine is aimed at the thousands of international students who come to study in London each year. The UK Council for International Student Affairs puts the figure at over 100,000 international students studying in university in London.  When we consider that there are over 100 private language schools in London, each with a few hundred students then the demographic is at least twice this number. 

The tightening of visa restrictions means that the majority of these students are well off and have disposable incomes.

They enjoy shopping, fashion, and socialising.

Financial Summary

Financial Highlights

Lost and Found will be competitively priced at £2.50 a copy.  This will ensure that the business turns a profit from the first year.  If we sell 2000 copies in the first month and sell more at increments of 250 a month until reaching 5000 copies a month by 2016.

In the first year 2015, we will make a profit of just under £25,000. In 2016 this will rise to £60,000 and in the year 2017 it will be around £70,000

Read my full pitch with financials here

<

The innovation of Netflix

The online streaming service Netflix is a great example of a company that continuously innovates. It began in 1997 as a DVD mail rental service with the simple promise of never having late fees and within two years they had innovated the company into a subscription based service that offered unlimited rentals a month.

In 2008 they introduced online streaming that ran parallel to their DVD service, offering both services in one package. In  2011 they split the company between online streaming and DVD rental in order to aggressively cannibalise the company and move forward with online streaming. They effectively made their customers choose between DVD rental and online streaming otherwise they would face a 60% price rise. By doing this they allowed the streaming service to grow whilst allowing the  DVD rental service to slowly shrink away. This in turn gave them the money and subscribers needed to improve their streaming service, which has resulted in them now having the financial capability and confidence to create their own shows and films. Netflix knew they wanted the future of their company to be online, as this is the best platform for them to offer unlimited, easy to access content at a cheap rate.

Netflix products are film and television shows that it supplies now through it online steaming service but they have begun innovating their products as they have moved from simply distributing to creating content as well. An example of this is the Netflix original television show ‘House of Cards’.

They have successfully repositioned their image as an online streaming service as oppose to a DVD rental service. Netflix has also shifted the social paradigm of what should be expected from media distribution services by offering cheap, unlimited entertain that is easily accessible. By focusing on their long-term goals for the company Netflix have been able to grasp the online streaming market through radical innovation and aggressive cannibalisation.