Lessons Learned in My First Year As A Fashion Magazine Owner
It’s been a little over a year since we pulled the trigger on the rebrand of PinkMuse and created Advisor. Advisor. is the premier platform at the intersection of Black fashion and culture—part fashion business journal, part industry pulse. Beyond original stories and deep dives, Advisor. also serves as a curated hub for Black fashion news, spotlighting the designers, entrepreneurs, and creatives shaping the culture in real time. With every issue, update, and headline, we amplify the voices redefining the industry—documenting the trends, moves, and narratives that matter most. From exclusive interviews to community-submitted news, Advisor. exists to connect, inform, and empower the global Black fashion ecosystem. If you follow me on Instagram then you know how very transparent I was in deciding to shelf the first magazine, and honestly how disappointed I was. I felt like a failure and it really ate me up inside. So I’m really proud of myself for not letting those feelings overpower and honestly really proud of the growth we’ve seen. Within that growth, here are some things I’ve learned and are still learning about owning a magazine:
Why Having A Clear Vision Is Important
The entire reason why we did a rebrand stemmed from the lack of clear vision with PinkMuse. Yes, we produced some really bomb content but there wasn’t any infrastructure or core goals that defined who we were. I was not budging on bringing back the concept of owning a magazine unless I knew that it made sense. With Advisor. – I know what we’re doing can address a market need. As one of (if not the only) Black fashion news aggregators and editorial magazines that only focuses on the Black fashion community, we are helping to solve a problem, and with any business, that has to be the #1 goal because – that’s how you make money. If you are not solving a problem or addressing a market need/concern – it’s going to be very hard to scale.
I Have To Take My Personal Feelings Out Of It
I had to take my personal feelings out of the business (at least 80%) so I could make sound business decisions. My personal platform, such as this blog and the content I produce as AK Brown, are all very personal because it’s me using my experience in the industry to help you all. With the magazine, as much as I have a personal devotion to the issues we are solving – it’s not “my baby”. I know that because I operated from a personal mindset before, is part of why certain things happened that should not have.
Media Is An Expensive A** Business
Writers are expensive. Graphic designers are expensive. Good photographers, videographers, & editors – anything you can think of to make a publication an authority in the industry takes a whole bunch of money. Even our small office space is an expense, and as we plan to scale, will become an even bigger expense. Right now, we are self funded. We make some revenue from our magazine sales (please consider buying a copy here), and while we are applying for grants, crowdfunding, accelerator programs, and pitching ourselves to investors – we fund this magazine out of what we make at our other jobs or through our other businesses. I am beyond grateful and thankful that I have a community that believes in my vision enough to partner with me, knowing the blessings are coming down the pipeline.
Building & Managing A Team Is Hard AF
One of the biggest struggles I feel that we’ve had to overcome, and still do, are keeping a consistent team – especially our interns. I am so grateful for the interns we have, and try to make the opportunity of working with us beneficial on both sides until we get the capital to really start to pay people (college credit, networking opportunities, paid article opportunities, etc) – but as we grow we have to add to that rolodex of interns and finding decent people is hard. I had a potential intern get mad at us because she missed our meeting because she didn’t know we were in a different time zone, even though we stated it in the email (like girl how?!). Then – I still have PTSD on what we went through as PinkMuse and I’m very protective of the small bubble I have created, but I know in order for us to grow – we have to let other talented creatives in and that’s been very hard.
Having To Relearn Social Media Is Annoying
I’ve never been able to master social media (I have the biggest love/hate relationship with it), so still trying to master my own – while figuring out the algorithm for a different business?! *cue in banging my head against the wall* It’s hard as hell. That’s the quote.
Navigating The Grass Roots Stage As A Publication Is Humbling
The biggest lesson I’ve learned to date owning and being the fashion editor of Advisor. is that we’re in the same position as our audience in the problem we’re trying to solve for our audience. As a grass roots magazine it’s hard for us to either get recognized or get the respect we believe we deserve. We try to pitch some of the industry’s favorite movers, shakers, and innovators and are left on read, and then we’re approached sometimes very obnoxiously and tacky by people who don’t respect us like a Vogue or Essence. That – has been the most challenging element for us. I say that to still say – if you are a Black fashion ANYTHING – we would love to feature you in our magazine. I even put together this handy guide on how to pitch yourself!
Even with everything that is hard, I LOVE what we are building and I know it’s necessary in the space of media and journalism in fashion. I guess you can say from the beginnings of my blogging journey with Mind of a Fashionista, being in media was inevitable, but yall know I have to take it a step further. I can’t just work for the magazine, I have to own it lol!
