EyesOnBC Magazine

It's not easy to publish a community-focussed magazine ... yet, despite the ups and downs over the years, EyesOnBC Magazine has continued to showcase our community, its people and its local businesses, month after month for the past 10 years.

Well ... I've found myself in a bit of a pickle! Over the years, to supplement ad sales revenue, I've invested and borrowed a great deal of money for EyesOnBC because I believe it's an essential part of our community culture. I've re-mortgaged my house twice, depleted my RRSP, arranged a line of credit, secured four loans over the years, and had to visit a food bank two years ago. I need about $38,000 to dig myself out of this deep dark hole of outstanding bills and overdue taxes.

Is it easy to tell this story and ask for your support? No way! No how! But after working very hard to try to do it myself, I'm left with little choice. I've drastically cut expenses, laid-off staff, discontinued using paid writers, and stopped out-sourcing some design work. Current advertising revenue does cover the basic monthly expenses, but leaves virtually nothing to pay toward outstanding debts. Therein lies the problem; I'm getting nowhere and the stress is unrelenting!

The monies raised by this campaign will be used to pay off outstanding business debts and taxes as follows:

$25,000 - Business loan from a private lender
$700    - AGS Computer Inc.
$1,300 - Black Press (one outstanding print invoice)
$5,000 - Business Line of Credit
$6,000 - Taxes

So what happens after the business debts are paid off? I've been frantically working on a new business plan, a fresh and inspired focus for the magazine's content and additional streams of revenue. EyesOnBC has a great website, but doesn't charge for advertising yet. I consistently promote the magazine's 'in-print' advertisers on Facebook, but I haven't charged competitive fees for the supplemental marketing. I've put out feelers for experienced advertising sales people and am doing some ad sales myself to help boost revenue. The magazine is viable and can be solvent ... I just need a little help from my friends to alleviate the stress of this incredible financial burden while I turn things around. I believe EyesOnBC Magazine is an important part of our community culture and I'm committed to keeping it going ... and with a little help from you, I'll be able to do that!

Thank you for reading through this long explanation of the 'why' behind the campaign. If you need further information, please don't hesitate to contact me directly. Please know that the items listed above are business-related, not personal. Your donation will help support business debts for EyesOnBC Magazine, not me personally. I do have additional personal debts (including bank loans invested back into the business) that I'm taking care of on my own.

Thank you in advance for your generous donation - in whatever amount!! Even $10 is not too little! Your support is extremely appreciated! Not only will it help change a life for the better ... mine ... it will help keep an important community publication on the press each and every month. I believe the stories and information published in EyesOnBC Magazine are important to our community right now and they also help create a valuable legacy for future generations. That has always been my passion and  mission for the magazine. ~ LT