In the previous articles in this series I have written about the beginnings of my company ‘Next For Me.’
Next For Me publishes news and resources for 50+ audiences. We host events across the country to discuss work, our communities, and what’s next.
Our partnerships are opening up introductions to organizations that could be considered competitors. It’s made me pause to think of who our competitors actually are. I have not found a single other publisher that is focused solely on work and financial wellness over 50. Mind you, many include those topics, but they are part of a larger editorial plan which includes all of the caregiving for parents, health issues, and so on that have been a staple of AARP and some other publishers.
Our point of view is that while those issues are absolutely an important concern for our audiences, but ongoing employment must be resolved first to adequately situate our audience to address financial health and the rest.
When we first started we wrote and reported on the myriad of topics mentioned above. We soon found in our conversations with our readers and in analyzing what articles they engage with, that gainful employment and sufficient income is top-of-mind.
With that in mind we began to narrow our focus. It was a relief in many ways. We’re relatively small to invest in the range of news that a larger organization can cover. It also has opened the door to who we can collaborate with.
Opening The Kimono
In the relatively small world of the ‘Longevity Economy’ I’ve met some very friendly business owners. Everyone seems to concur that the opportunity is large enough that we can all succeed. Further, that by working collaboratively we can exponentially increase our opportunities and reach.
Personally this is my natural approach to doing business. I am perhaps naive at times in giving up information that could expose our strategy and work against us. So, when introduced to a big player in our space, I hesitated for a minute to consider how I’ll approach the conversation.
Our co-founder Carole McManus is more of a balanced realist and we’ll discuss the approach before the first call with the potential collaborator. I’m looking to Carole to consider what we should reveal and look for in the conversation.
Business To Business vs. Consumer Focused
There are a few organizations, our new contact included, that are focused on supporting businesses, like our own, addressing the new wave of focus on the over 50 market. They aren’t speaking to our audience so much as reporting on the businesses that are.
They are doing some very similar things, but pointed to another aspect. For example, they are publishing newsletters, conducting market research, hosting events. From a revenue standpoint we may be reaching out to some of the same people to support our enterprises.
Selling market research is where there is the most crossover. We’re researching the consumers themselves and the B to B businesses are looking at organizations that are serving them. This gives me a little peace in proceeding with the conversation and makes me think that we can work collaboratively.
Proceed With Caution
One of our partners has warned me to be careful when talking to some of the big players. They had the experience of exposing their strategy only to find out that the bigger player was making their own plans to go after their market.
So, while it’s my nature to trust everybody, I am proceeding with caution.
Previous articles in the series:
- A Conference Talk Leads To What’s ‘Next For Me’
- The Story, The Advisors And The Team
- Putting A Legal Structure In Place
- Spreading The News And Early Investments
- Testing The Facebook Ad Waters
- The Modern Elder Academy
- Can Your Startup Start A Movement
- Meeting Matter.vc
- Becoming A Caregiver Statistic
- Talking To Our Audience
- Making Assumptions And Forming Hypotheses
- How To Cope When You're Alone Again On The Startup Journey
- Developing The Brand Architecture
- Raising An Angel Round and Perception
- A Fellow Entrepreneur Offers Guidance
- The New Pitch
- Gracefully Radio Interview
- Ready For Anything, Even Wait And See
- Always Be Publishing
- Getting Out Of Your Head
- Activating A List Of Investors
- In The Details Of Subscriber Growth
- Interview: StartOut
- Keep On Connecting
- Backing Away From Facebook And Twitter
- Sell Your Product, Not Stories To Investors
- Building An Event Business
- Finding Comfort With Agility
- The Zen Of My Company
- I Got This
- Mapping Our Business Plan
- A Coaching Session and Going Bigger
