Natalie and John Radzwilla, Co-Founders of Hook & Barrel Magazine Podcast Por arte de portada

Natalie and John Radzwilla, Co-Founders of Hook & Barrel Magazine

Natalie and John Radzwilla, Co-Founders of Hook & Barrel Magazine

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 Natalie and John Radzwilla of Hook & Barrel Magazine on “Only The Strong Survive”Natalie and John Radzwilla have a fascinating story of entrepreneurship. Initially, the couple owned a boutique public relations firm in the outdoor space. After having difficulty finding any media to connect with their more lifestyle-oriented clients, they decided to become the media. In a time when most were strongly retreating from magazines and any print mediums, the couple decided to go all in and launch their own magazine.The first edition of Hook & Barrel Magazine came out in July 2018. Unlike most outdoor media at the time, its content was more lifestyle-focused instead of technical or a heavy emphasis on reviews. However, that differentiation was no guarantee of success.Bootstrapping Hook & Barrel Magazine from its first print issue to its current status of a small multi-media empire has been quite the journey. In this episode of “Only The Strong Survive,” Natale and John Radzwilla discussed what they learned along the way about entrepreneurship and making a magazine thrive in a digital era. Click on the icon above to listen to the entire episode. Here are our top five takeaways:* There will always be naysayers regardless of what you do.* Burying your head in the sand never works.* Being relentless is a huge part of brand building.* Artificial intelligence has its limitations.* Success requires paying attention to every detail.People Will Think You’re CrazyMost people told Natalie and John they were crazy for wanting to launch a magazine with their own money. Those naysayers had a point in an era when multiple publishing companies were going out of business. However, Natalie and John believed in their vision and stuck to it. Seven years later, they have proved that they have found an underserved niche and have a viable business model.“In the beginning, everybody thought we were crazy. At the time, both of us were 33 years old, and what 33-year-olds back in 2018 were deciding to start an outdoor lifestyle print magazine? That was our tangible product and what we were coming out of the gates with. It didn’t start from a website or from a blog or from an Instagram or Facebook page,” said Natalie. “A lot of people at the beginning were very discouraging and saying we were crazy and would never see a dime.”You Can’t Ignore TrainsWhen John and Natalie launched Hook & Barrel Magazine, many publishing companies were going under. The vast majority held onto their print properties too tightly and tried to ignore the “freight train” of people shifting online. John and Natalie knew they wanted a magazine but also needed a website and online presence to back it up. Ignoring consumer preferences like others had was not a viable path forward.“The internet was coming, and it is amazing what happens when people ignore the train. They want to pretend it is not coming, and that is how you get rolled over,” says John. “The magazine itself is the one tangible thing we have because we didn’t want to become only a blog or a vlog or whatever. We wanted to have a tangible product, but at the end of the day, I always knew what the evolution was going to be. It’s going to be a multi-faceted media company.”You Have to be RelentlessLarger companies have the luxury of a built-in consumer base and lots of resources when they launch a sub-brand or new product. Hook & Barrel Magazine had none of those and had to be built as a brand completely from scratch. Pulling that off takes a lot of determination, strength and absolute relentlessness. Without all of those traits, successfully launching a magazine in a decentralized media landscape would be impossible.“You have to find a unique niche, like my old CEO said, then dominate that space, battle-harden yourself, and then just be absolutely relentless and ruthless when it comes to growing your brand until those seeds take root,” said John. “At that point, you start nurturing it. Until that thing actually sprouts, you just have to buckle down and be ready for it.”The Impact of AIArtificial intelligence is a huge talking point in the publishing world, as some magazines have ditched their writers for AI-generated content to maximize their profits. Hook & Barrel Magazine has integrated AI into its website to help suggest articles, but both John and Natalie say there is a limit to its use. Neither has the desire to adopt AI completely and solely rely on it.“It is one thing to adopt something new and integrate it into what you are already doing. It is another thing to change everything and fully adopt it 100% and change your whole business model,” says Natalie. “Actual writers were the original influencers, and they are always going to be. We would never replace our content with something AI-generated.”Success is in the DetailsGrit, determination and a bold vision are all important components of entrepreneurial success. However, one element that doesn...
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