Note: This is an update of an article I wrote a few years ago on a blog I shut down.
In 2002, I unsuccessfully attempted to start a digital lifestyle magazine for Black golf enthusiasts called, Seven Under. To this day, when I mention the project to someone, the response I usually get is, “that sounds like an interesting idea, why did it fail?”
It took me several years to come up with the real answer to that question.
The over-simplified answers are:
- My partner and I lacked previous publishing experience.
- We didn’t have enough money to have a real shot at success.
- The timing was bad because Vanguarde Media, which, at that time, was a dominant player in the Black Magazine space, just filed for bankruptcy. And advertisers were not keen on a new publication in the same category.
- We were ahead of our time with plans to launch a digital-only version of the magazine in a pre iPad-era.
While there is truth in all those answers, none of them is the real truth. The real reason the magazine failed is because I was too desperate.