This column appears in the Dec 2009 / Jan 2010 issue of Connecting Rochester magazine.
Launching a print magazine probably doesn’t make it to the top ten list of new businesses most likely to succeed.
But here we are, closing in on the end of our first year. And there are many people to thank for making Connecting Rochester magazine a reality.
First on the list is you, the reader, and your fellow chamber of commerce members. I’m grateful for the cooperation of your organization’s leadership and their ongoing support. Please continue to offer your feedback and suggestions to us.
In the early part of 2010 we intend to start expanding distribution to other business groups throughout the Greater Rochester area. We also will make copies available for sale at local newsstands and offer affordable subscription rates for the general public.
We clearly couldn’t produce and mail this magazine to you with out the investment of advertising dollars from local business owners who see a great value in delivering their marketing messages to you.
Please look for opportunities to support these businesses and consider the opportunity to benefit from your own ad campaign in the magazine. Our sales director Connie Contestabile is always ready to meet with you and discuss a plan. Trust me – she can help you solve your problems.
Special thanks to Dave Young and his staff at Webster Printing on Empire Boulevard in Webster. Their constant willingness to remain flexible with a production schedule was essential to helping us succeed, and they are always standing by ready to offer their expertise.
I’m very grateful to the wonderful columnists who share with us their unique perspective on the business world. And also the contributing writers who exhibit their talent for storytelling. It’s been a pleasure getting to know them all and learning from them as well.
We’re very fortunate to have one of the areas most talented and professional writers overseeing the content of our magazine. Editor Karen Boughton Siegelman is just plain great – one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet – and I’m constantly amazed by her ability to capture each business owner’s experience.
Karen and Connie were both extremely influential in helping lay the groundwork for this magazine and their dedication is tireless. I consider myself very lucky to be able to work with them.
There is one other individual who played a tremendous role in shaping the type of magazine you’re now holding in your hands – and that person is Bruno Sniders. I don’t have enough space here to adequately express my appreciation to him.
Just know that Bruno was the one who was willing to ask me the really tough questions, the ones I was almost afraid to ask myself. Every business owner should have someone like him checking their assumptions and predictions. Hopefully he’ll share his writing talent with us again in 2010.
And speaking of predictions… I have one. Our economy will improve throughout the upcoming year and new businesses will continue to sprout up and flourish. You’re probably thinking that it sounds like a pretty safe bet. Good! Keep thinking that. Wake up every day consciously looking for new ways to connect, collaborate and grow.
In case you didn’t know, or have forgotten, there are many outstanding and generous business owners in our area willing to help other business owners succeed. I know this because I’ve met a lot of them this year. Their generosity has had a significant positive impact on Spiritus Media Group and we intend to pay them back by doing the same for others.
As most of these folks already know, you really can’t keep prosperity unless you remain willing to give it away.
