the editor talks with you

When we looked back on a long life in journalism 26 years ago, we wondered how many more we had. We had left a newspaper we loved, the Dispatch-News. The parting was less like divorce than a death in the family. We were too young to retire. We looked around for something else to do. We thought some impossible thoughts about businesses that might be fun to start or buy and run. Many we had no experience with and were completely unqualified to do. Duncan Crowe gave us sage advice. “Do something you know how to do,” he said. “Why not start a newspaper?” That was a dicey idea. Lexington already had a newspaper. We had rescued it from bankruptcy 8 years before.

Then a strange thing happened. Others we knew advised us to start a newspaper – in Lexington. They felt the Dispatch-News out-of-town owners weren’t giving them the newspaper Lexington deserved. We surveyed potential subscribers at random and found many of them felt the same. We contacted potential advertisers and asked them to talk us out of doing something foolish – starting a newspaper in a small town that already had one. Surprisingly, they encouraged us. That led to developing a business plan and recruiting some of our colleagues who had worked with us at the Dispatch-News.

In 2 months we mailed an announcement and had almost 1,000 charter subscribers before we published the 1st edition. One friend said he thought we were crazy. The economy was in the tank and no one but fools were starting anything new. Our competition said we would not last 6 months. Here we are 26 years later. And it has been a great experience. We had been locked in a business with partners who wanted to manage us. Now we are free to serve our readers, advertisers and the community. This is what fools and maverick entrepreneurs do. Tell them they can’t or shouldn’t do something and watch out. They will do it and probably succeed.

This story, in greater depth, is told in a new book, “Maverick Entrepreneurs’ Million Dollar Strategies.” In it, 11 of us mavericks from 11 different walks of life reveal how we did it and managed to succeed. You may know many of the authors: Greg Wych, Ann Elliott, Geoff Ellinwood, Suzanne Riley Whyte, Mike Ward, Alysia Kehoe, Michael Aun, Linda Sauls, Chuck Mc-Curry, Emily Wright and me. We even offer you a bonus: “Master the Power of the Master Mind.” This will show you how to set up your own personal Board of Advisors to help you improve decisions and make plans for the futures.

The book is loaded with wisdom, ideas and action plans. You will want to own and refer to it often. You’ll want to share it with your key people. You may want to give it to your best clients, too. The official launch day is December 20. But you can pre-order your electronic copy right now through Amazon. It’s $5 off the $20 print edition cover price. If you prefer a hardbound, autographed copy, call us at 359-7633. Order it with a credit card and we will pay for shipping.

Special Christmas gifts

Looking for something unique for someone who has everything? How about a personally autographed copy of Jerry’s “Your Life’s Great Purpose”? You can inspire yourself or a friend for only $20. Call 359-7633.