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I`ve been fishing around but I think this area where I live is too small for me to find someone with both the desire and the appropriate skills to partner with me, so I`m putting this out there in case it appeals to an appropriate person here.

My business is a digital publishing company. I`m in the very earliest startup stages right now — I have about a month to go on the business plan, and another 6-8 weeks on infrastructure development after that.

My target market is a small but very rapidly-growing, values-based niche comprised of mostly college-educated people with a fair-to-considerable amount of disposable income; most hold to deep green values, and a small number hold to patriotic and national-security values.

Currently this market is dispersed across several even smaller sub-niches with limited interaction between them. What I am doing is consolidating these sub-niches under one banner: I will be the first to name this market, to define it, and to mainstream it — all under my own brand identity. I am positioning my company and myself personally as this market`s go-to source for consumers, journalists, producers and merchants, and would-be producers and merchants.

This market niche has two obvious defining characteristics:

1. Demand far exceeds supply. If demand stood still and allowed supply to catch up, that alone would be a huge amount of growth.
2. Demand grows as a direct response to bad news.

Now is absolutely the right time for me to do this!

About me:

• I have a demonstrable track record of relatively high-level involvement in this market. People know me.
• I began in print production in 1991, and picked up the web skills starting around 1998 or so — I`m doing all the web and print materials myself
  
• I am nearing completion of a journalism degree from Penn State University and will graduate with distinction (I went to college late in life — I`m actually 39)
• This business plan is a modification of an earlier incarnation of the same basic idea. So, I still have the archive, mailing list, goodwill, etc., from my previous attempt.

I can handle operations and editorial with my eyes closed. But that precludes time for all that things that actually bring in the money. I need someone who can balance my own inclination toward production.

Here`s what I need in a biz partner:

• Successful experience managing an advertising sales team (print experience is fine, but be prepared for a learning curve)
  
• experience and/or education in marketing
• Basic or higher level of bookkeeping knowledge
• At least some familiarity with digital publishing
• An undergraduate degree in something recognizable as higher education. If you have an MBA I will grovel at your feet. Not really. Well maybe.
  
• You need to live in New York, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania or New Jersey and be available to road-trip to meet with me on occasion. I`ve been part of an interstate startup before and it does actually work, as long as the principals can get together now and then.
• You need to be tolerant of my rather perverse sense of humor and occasional penchant for crass language. If you laughed through From Beyond we should be good.
  

Extra bonus points if you are interested in green-tracking your career.

I think that`s about it. If you`re interested send me a PM and I will bombard you with further information.

—paula

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