Served as transitional CEO for a women’s specialty magazine group

On behalf of investors and the board, a Quantum Media member served as acting CEO of a magazine publisher specializing in women’s books. The consultant reviewed operations and created circulation and business plans for this troubled company. She focused on marketing strategy, cash management and cost control, and new business development.

A key to the successful sale of the business was the consultant’s development of a radical (ad-free) circulation strategy for one of the major publications (900,000 paid circulation) and a high-growth, innovative circulation strategy for the other major publication (1.5 million paid circulation). The consultant managed operations and protected assets until the business was sold one year later.

Structured and created an equity partnership between an international publishing company and a start-up publication

An international publishing company with a nationally famous science magazine engaged Quantum Media to investigate an equity investment between one of its U.S. properties and a start-up archaeology magazine. Working for the president of the U.S. property, our consultant completed the following: 

• A market analysis on the archaeology field for investment purposes. This included a broad market overview, a review of competitors and trends, an estimated P&L of the key competitor, and a sensitivity analysis on the potential profitability of the start-up publication based on two key components: renewal rate and cost-per-subscription-order
• An editorial analysis of the key competitor and a plan for the editorial components of the start-up publication
• Ideas for circulation strategies, printing contracts, list brokers, newsstand distribution contracts and more
• A full-blown three-year business plan with detailed assumptions across all areas of magazine publishing - circulation, advertising, operations, distribution.

The Quantum Media consultant also devised a plan that was key to the partnership’s success. The plan called for acquiring subscriptions through house ads in the established magazine in return for licensing this magazine’s name and for granting equity in proportion to the “house ad dollars” spent. This was a low-cost, low-risk way for the two firms to partner. Using this method, the corporation so far owns 15% of the new archaeology magazine. The start-up magazine continues to grow and is on the road to profitability.

Led the effort to launch a website start-up for instruction publishing

A Quantum Media member developed a custom-publishing, web-based service offering post-sale consumer electronics and appliances support and product ownership services. For the Internet start-up, she: 

• Wrote the business plan
• Hired tech and marketing staff
• Identified funding sources and strategic partners
• Supervised the demo build
• Made calls to the trade for strategic partnerships

When it became clear that the company was not going to be a viable independent entity, she found an exit strategy for the business-having it acquired by a similar company.

Assessed a publication purchase and assisted the new owner with the re-launch

A potential buyer of a niche consumer magazine engaged Quantum Media to create a realistic assessment of the market as well as a projection of future revenues and expenses for the publication. After purchasing the magazine, the buyer retained the consultant to advise on various aspects of the re-launch, from setting up the departments to establishing new systems for managing finance, production, advertising, fulfillment and circulation. The consultant continues to advise the buyer on publishing strategy. The magazine has performed closely to the consultant’s projections of both revenue and expense. A year later, renewal percentages are up 20%, and the subscription base is up 26%. Both continue to improve.

Structured and implemented the US launch for a Canadian media start-up in out-of-home television

A very promising new advertising medium, based in Toronto, engaged a Quantum Member as the first outside Director on its Board and as a consultant to advise on entering the U.S. market. Our consultant worked directly with the CEO on the business strategy for the American market and helped hire staff in the U.S. (COO, Head of Ad Sales). The consultant also formed a Media Advisory Board, comprised of prominent ad agency executives and advertisers, to advise the CEO, Board and staff on out-of-home advertising issues and to represent the company to prospective investors. In order to gain distribution for the company, the consultant also led a feasibility study for a major U.S. real estate property manager to assess other locations for this medium throughout his buildings. As a result of its successful launch, the company was able to structure merger terms with its competitor on favorable terms. The consultant continues to be engaged by the acquirer.