From Corporate Career to Community Publisher: Who Becomes a City Lifestyle Franchise Owner

Short answer: most City Lifestyle publishers did not come from media. They came from sales, corporate management, teaching, real estate, the military and years at home raising children. What they have in common is that they are good with people and wanted to own something in the community they already live in.

Who becomes a publisher

• Corporate professionals who want the work without the commute, the travel and someone else's calendar.
• Sales professionals who already know how to build a book of business and want to build one they own.
• Teachers and nonprofit leaders who know their town better than anyone and are trusted in it.
• Parents returning to work who want a business that fits around a family instead of the other way around.
• Veterans and military spouses who bring discipline and want to put down roots.

The skills that transfer

Listening. Following up. Keeping your word. Showing up when you said you would. The publisher's job is built on those, and almost every prior career teaches them. What publishers do not need is design, editorial or printing experience, because headquarters handles all three.

What changes

You own the calendar and the business. You decide which stories matter and which business owners to meet this week. You also carry the responsibility: the magazine mails every month whether or not it was a good week. Publishers who thrive treat the first year as a full-time build.

What stays the same

Hard work. A publisher's year has a rhythm, monthly deadlines and annual renewals, and the people who do well are the ones who keep that rhythm.

Rachel Schaffner left a corporate career to own NBTX City Lifestyle. Her summary of the change is short: "I'm home for dinner every night." More publishers tell their own stories in the Publisher Stories series.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to live in the market I publish? Publishers live in or near the communities they serve. Being a neighbor is the point.

How do I know if my market is available? City Lifestyle assigns one publisher per market. Check availability at future.citylifestyle.com.