Small Business Profile: Angela Dailey, West Georgia Woman Magazine

Small Business Profile:  Angela Dailey
West Georgia Woman Magazine
P.O. Box 2782
Carrollton, GA 30112
(404) 502.0251
angela@westgeorgiawoman.com

How did you get your idea or concept for your business?
I spent two years working in advertising, and realized there were many amazing women who were not getting any recognition for the remarkable contributions, they were making in their communities. Most of the local, glossy magazine publications in the area were owned, published or edited by men and, in my opinion, some of them were of poor quality, lacked editorial content that interested me as a woman and relied too much on boring “advertorial” — articles are written by their advertisers who were just pushing their products. I wanted to create a beautiful, high-quality publication that women would really love to read, featuring the amazing women of West Georgia along with other articles that would be of interest to them. In addition to this, after I began researching, I realized the power of the female consumer is astounding. Women are in charge of $20 trillion in spending annually, make the majority of the decisions on every purchase in and out of the home and are the major influencers on purchases they don’t make directly. You’ve heard the phrase, “If Mama ain’t happy, no one is happy.” That is funny, but true when it comes to almost every purchasing decision, so, I knew the magazine would be very beneficial for our advertising partners as well. The catalyst for me was when I was reading through a local publication that was published and edited by a man, and the only article in the magazine for women was an article on how to choose the right perfume (insert eye roll here). I mean, perfume is great and all but, where were the articles with substance? I decided at that moment the women in West Georgia deserved more than what they were getting in regard to editorial content and I was going to be the one to change that.  Four months later, I published the first issue.

What are the non-work habits that help you with your work-life balance?

 There wasn’t much work-life balance when I started my business and there still isn’t, really. I worked 18-hour days, 7 days a week for the first couple of years. Now I’m down to around a 13-hour work day and I am able to take off a day here and there, but I still work most of the time. My daughter plays college soccer and I make it a point to drop whatever I’m doing to go to every one of her games throughout the Southeast no matter where they are located. I’m also lucky to see my son every day because he works for me. Spending quality time with my children keeps me balanced.

You have the chance to ask your business idol one question. Who is that business idol and what would that question be and why?

It may sound trite, but my business idols are all local. There are some remarkable, successful and extremely intelligent business owners, businessmen and women right here in West Georgia who I reach out to for advice, including Drs. Fred and Anne Richards, Mark Foster, Jay Gill, Rodney Smith, Michael Stone and Dr. Dawn Harvey, to name a few. There are so many others I admire — too many to list.

What was your biggest “A-ha” moment?

The biggest “A-ha” moment for me regarding one of the women we have featured is when we published an article on Nov. 1, 2017 about a young female athlete from Bremen who had Type 1 diabetes. She needed $15,000 to purchase a diabetic alert dog and fundraising from friends and family had come to a halt after raising $7,200. We're not in the business of soliciting funds from our readers, but we will include a particular cause or nonprofit the women we feature are passionate about, and her outstanding athletic and academic accomplishments met our standards for feature articles. Within 40 days of publishing her article, she met her $15,000 goal, largely due to our article. When I heard the news, I literally just stopped everything for a moment and began to cry, it was so humbling and overwhelming to know that we helped her get the dog that might save her life one day, and much sooner than anyone had expected. She was still receiving donations months later that they were going to use for vet visits and supplies for the dog. A recent “A-ha” moment regarding a client experience is that we had a new community partner advertise with us for the first time in last month’s issue (April, 2019). They received eight new clients in April from that one advertisement! It’s exciting to hear these testimonials because we know that advertising in our magazine really is effective for most of our clients. We have numerous testimonials from our advertising partners and our readers alike. I have had readers and women we have featured tell me that we have changed their lives — talk about a huge sense of responsibility. It is truly humbling to hear that we have impacted many people in West Georgia.

What is non-negotiable for you?

We are dedicated to operating with the utmost transparency and integrity within our industry and we will not lie to advertisers about the reach of our product to make a sale. In our industry there is a plethora of inflated numbers that are pitched to potential advertisers. It is tough to take the high road sometimes, but at least I can sleep at night knowing that we are doing our absolute very best to reach as many readers as we can to help our advertisers gain new business from their investment in our product. That is a huge responsibility that we do not take lightly.   

If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

I have two: 1. Never let your current circumstances dictate your thoughts of future success. I started my business with nothing but a vision and I had to borrow the money to print the first magazine. 2. Never forget the people who helped you along the way. 

What is one way that operating a business today is the same as 10 years ago and one way it is different?

In my business — the advertising industry — the obvious answer to the question about the way operating a business is different has been the introduction and prevalence of social media. I think most people have spent the last several years believing that the internet and social media is the “be all, end all” in advertising effectiveness, and that has proven not to be true in the slightest — even with millennials. Multiple studies have shown that print magazines (especially niche publications that have a specific target market like West Georgia Woman magazine) are even more effective in today’s world. They are the number one preferred place to view advertisements, and readers trust print magazine advertisements more than any other form of media. Print magazines rank #1 in commanding consumer attention and advertising acceptance and are large influencers in readers following up and conducting a search online about the advertiser or their product. A recent 10-year Nielson study has also shown that print magazines have a higher rate of return on advertising spend (ROAS) than any other form of media. The way operating a business is the same is that our clients are the most important piece of our business. With my magazine, we have two very different segments of extremely important clients — our readers and our advertising partners. If our readers don’t love the magazine, then they won’t pick it up and read it, which means they won’t purchase the products and services from the advertisements in our magazine. If our advertisers don’t receive results from their advertisements, then we lose those advertising dollars that are essential to providing a free, high-quality product to our readers, and we are out of business. It’s a very symbiotic relationship. That’s why we take great care in creating the most interesting and highest-quality product that we possibly can each month to promote that balance that can only be had through all of us supporting each other in the community.

What were you like as a teenager?

Externally, I was smiling, laughing, fun-loving and friendly young woman. Internally, I battled with extreme sadness, anxiety, low self-esteem and depression on a daily basis.

What were some of the biggest lessons that have influenced the way you work?  What was the lesson and what was it like before and after?

I’ve had too many life lessons to list, but regarding my business, I suppose the biggest lesson I’ve learned is how to set boundaries and say, “No.” We can’t feature everyone or every organization in our magazine, although we would love to be able to do that. Also, because we cover such a wide area with the magazine, I am invited to attend numerous events all over West Georgia and I just can’t go to all of them, complete my work and have some semblance of personal life, too. I have learned to say no to some of those as well, although I do try to make it to many of them. Another lesson I’ve learned is that in my business, it is impossible to please everyone. 99 percent of our feedback is positive, but I’ve received two “hate emails” over the last 3 1/2 years regarding someone we featured in the magazine they didn’t like, and that hurt a bit but, considering that thousands of people read our magazine each month that’s not too shabby of a record. It’s still tough though because I really do want to please everyone no matter how irrational that may be.

How did you get the background and skills necessary to run your business?

My background was in banking, mediation (I am registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution in civil and domestic relations mediation and arbitration) and then, for a short time, advertising sales. I also have a B.B.A. in Management from the Richards College of Business at the University of West Georgia. Believe it or not, before I started my business, I knew nothing about publishing a magazine and I had never written anything in my life. But, I knew how to sell a product, and I knew if I could sell the advertising, then I could learn how to do the rest. I’ve been knocked down pretty hard a few times over the last few years and it sure hasn’t been a walk in the park — it’s very hard work! But, when I have a reader tell me how much they look forward to reading the magazine every month or when an advertising partner tells me their business received new clients from their ads it’s the best feeling in the world and makes all the hard work worth it to me. I absolutely love what I do for a living and I’m so thankful West Georgia Woman magazine is a valued part of the communities in West Georgia and East Alabama.