Ever since Roger Fidler, pioneer of digital journalism, concluded that print was dead, media analysts followed suit and forecasted the demise of the venerable magazine industry. Well, to borrow from Mark Twain, the death of the magazine business has been greatly exaggerated. In fact, despite the challenges of a fractionalized media landscape, magazines (print and digital) have thus far performed well in the 21st century, and the industry continues to grow its readership above $220 million, with revenues of $26 billion in 2021.
It may have been this promise of growth that inspired publishers of City Lifestyle to launch their first lifestyle magazine in Leewood, Kansas, in 2009. Their mission: create a digital/print platform “that emphasizes the best of what a city has to offer, created and promoted by the people who know it — and represent it — best.” Today, City Lifestyle operates more than 160 franchise lifestyle magazines in cities across the U.S.
Greeley Lifestyle Magazine, which launched two years ago, is one of them.
Enter Greeley Lifestyle Magazine
Growth is central for any entrepreneur, admits Tara Rasmuson, founder and publisher of Greeley Lifestyle, “but for me, starting a [lifestyle] magazine in Greeley was more about sharing good stories, and in Greeley, they’re endless. That’s a value to both the community and its businesses.”
Tara Rasmuson is not a native Greeleyite. Yet, she is arguably one of those people who knows the city and represents it best. While her roots began in Oklahoma, she moved here in 2020 and she was hooked. “Greeley is such a gem,” she says. “I immediately fell in love with the people.”
In Greeley, she discovered a supportive community that afforded her the opportunity to find a new career in publishing after leaving the oil and gas industry.
Greeley Lifestyle Magazine is a 56-page glossy print and digitally formatted monthly magazine that focuses on Greeley and “connecting the residents to the people, places and things that make our city special.”
With stories that span everything from “Grit from the Ground Up: Greeley’s Story of Immigration” to February’s “Better Together,” which features area couples who find balance as partners in business, the magazine’s staff of 15 writes, shoots, and produces content that puts a spotlight on local arts, events, food, travel, family, style, business, and more.
Tara points to two goals she has for each issue: feature stories that allow readers to recognize someone they know, and to provide readers with content where they can learn something new. In addition, Tara’s aim with the magazine is to connect people to Greeley’s small business community underscoring the value of spending dollars locally.
“Our advertisers are our partners, and they have unique stories as well.”
Entrepreneurial Pursuit
The word “partner” is a word that Tara applies effortlessly when speaking about the community, her team, and about City Lifestyle’s franchise model. After all, entrepreneurs ultimately want to solve problems, and for Tara that involves building relationships with strong networks.
In a video about her role as publisher, Tara discusses how the parent company “City Lifestyle” has given her the tools, resources and training she needed not only to get up to speed when first starting out but also to succeed as an entrepreneur in a business that recognizes its tangible worth as well as its digital reach.
Indeed, in its two short years, Greeley Lifestyle Magazine has earned top ranking among its sister publications in terms of size, readership and revenue.
Tara credits the parent company for its support and for allowing her the freedom to be the kind of business owner she wants to be, which necessarily means championing a community interested in what’s happening and enthusiastic about stories and their capacity to bring people together.
“We’re hyperlocal,” adds Tara. “That means we’re 100% Greeley.”
Her advice to fellow entrepreneurs:
- Don’t quit.
- Dive into your community. Find out what makes it tick.
- Surround yourself with people who support you.
Fortunately for Greeley, Tara has taken her own advice. Greeley Lifestyle Magazine can be found around town, in mailboxes, and online, on Facebook and on Instagram.
What’s your Greeley story? Share it here.
