The birth of Daisy Green Magazine
by Nicola Alexander
Last year, whilst on holiday in Scotland, my husband Roy, asked me a challenging question “Why do you read these glossy magazines when they have nothing that relates to you in them at all?” to which my response was, “there aren’t any decent alternatives.” “So why don’t you have your own magazine?”
And just like that, the seed for Daisy Green Magazine was firmly planted. Now, being a teacher and Special Needs Coordinator, running a magazine was about as far away from my comfort zone as I could get, but hey I had nothing to lose.
Within the next week, the now newly christened Mr Daisy Green, had arranged a meeting with a local web designer, who helped me write my business plan and complete all the necessary market research into online magazines. Simultaneously, I had started to blog my experience and thought processes, and Daisy started to take over my life.
Business Link funded, they liked my plan, and so I applied for a grant to get the website built. My best friend, Suzanne, was roped in (she has retail experience and also an MSc in Environmental Science) and we decided to do this thing for real.
We managed to wangle a stall at the Green Festival in Newcastle, and talked to a couple of hundred people about what we were trying to do. Notably, at this event we met two of our contributors, one of whom, Sallyanne is the third arm of Daisy Green Magazine.
Like a giant snowball hurtling down a mountain side, Daisy kept growing. By October 2008 we were ready to launch properly. 200 people in attendance we hosted a fashion show and swap party which was thrilling. There, projected upon the wall was Daisy in all her glory. 6 months from concept to reality.
And she just keeps on growing. This month, over 5000 people will hit our magazine, which is staggering. We are just normal women who want to lead by example and encourage everyone to do their bit. Because it does all add up.
Our plans are ambitious; make Daisy Green Magazine a household name, and given what she has achieved in such a short time, it may just come true. Being green is fun, Daisy Green can show you how.
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