Today we’d like to introduce you to Lou Earle.
Hi Lou, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It’s hard to know where to start a story, no matter what the plot. But when you. are the protagonist, it becomes especially challenging. And although I am now embarking on a writing career somewhat late in life, this particular endeavor is a “crapshoot”, so bear with me. Here goes.
My name is Lou Earle and I am the CEO of Austin Fit Magazine. I purchased this publication in 2004 after a relatively successful thirty years in the high-tech industry. My civilian career began way back in 1972 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and doing my time in the US Navy for four years during the Vietnam War.
I started my career in sales with NCR Corp. and after 25 years moved to Austin, Texas to join Dell Computer. Texas was a welcome change in so many ways, but after four years with Dell and almost thirty-working for “the man”, I concluded a radical change was called for, so I decided to start my own company. As it turned out, when Austin Fit Magazine went on the block, it seemed like it would be a good fit. I was a runner and both my eldest son, a Ph.D. in Cardiovascular Health from Emory University, and I enjoyed writing and we both felt that healthy living and fitness was a focus we could really get behind. As Count Rugen so famously stated to Lord Humperdinck in “The Princess. Bride”, “if you haven’t got your health, you haven’t got anything”. And so, my journey of managing a family business began.
Since that fateful day in 2004 until now my wife Lynne and I have sometimes watched from a distance and more recently engaged in earnest in the operation of our business. In the beginning, I was full-time with my son, creating all the processes, policies, and procedures, doing the billing, creating the financial reports, collaborating and editing content, and most importantly meeting with clients. The company grew consistently and soon my youngest son also joined the firm. Things seemed to be working out as planned. We began to add new products to our portfolio and launched another magazine called “Austin Runner”. We even invented a unique fitness competition event called the “AFM Fittest” which we later sold. As the business grew, I turned my focus to community outreach, joining the Mayor’s Health and Fitness Council in Austin founded by Mayor Will Winn, and ultimately became its chair.
But life has a way of throwing curb balls and for AFM the first one was when my eldest son, our magazine’s editor, announced that he was leaving to start his own marketing company. Saddened to lose a family member, but happy for his opportunity, we re-grouped, hired a new editor, and moved forward. I continued my community work and consulting engagements while my other son and Lynne managed the magazine. AFM continued to thrive and deliver on its crucial message of educating and inspiring its readers to live healthy lives!
A couple years later, another shoe dropped when my youngest son was offered a wonderful opportunity from one of our best clients, and both Lynne and I encouraged him to accept the offer if it would make him happy. Even considering the implications, it was not a difficult position for us to take. Isn’t that what parents should do? Just another bump in the road of life and business, we both said, and began to rebuild. The family business was now up to Lynne and me.
And then Covid hit! As a former “tech guy”, I had always believed that in publishing print would eventually need to share the market with digital delivery, but I felt that in hyperlocal journalism and specialty pubs that transition had longer legs. Covid changed all that. We were printing and distributing over 15,000 magazines to 500 plus locations per month and when the pandemic began those “drops” literally disappeared. No one was leaving home. Even our largest volume locations like grocery chains were becoming challenged. We knew we had to make the transition to digital and do it immediately. That was the only way we could continue to get our message out and hold on to our readership.
Talk about scary stuff! How to begin? What would our readers and clients think? Did we have the technology? But if you work hard and maintain a positive attitude, all things are possible. I actually counted us as very fortunate that we were in an industry that offered such an elegant solution. Not only could we reduce our costs, but we could expand our distribution from central Texas to a global readership. And that is what we have been doing for the last two years.
We are now digital, while still maintaining our option to return to print if we see a benefit to our readership and clients. We have a new website, a really cool IOS app and our content is better than ever. We have expanded our page count and you can read our magazine just like in print but anytime and anywhere on any digital platform that has internet access. And we have been able to benefit our environment by not killing any more wonderful trees in the process. My wonderful wife Lynne has taken the helm of the magazine and we have brought in another great partner to help us keep our vision and mission alive.
And while I still keep my hand in the strategic directions of AFM, I continue to be engaged in community work. And in the last year, I have finally launched my newest career of becoming a novelist. While I have been writing stuff for years like anniversary poems for my partner of fifty-four years or children’s books for my grandchildren, I have never had the courage to write a real novel and attempt to get it published. Well, I intend to change that. Inspired by my Naval experience while working in the National Security Agency (NSA) and because of my love of spy/thriller novels, I have now completed my first and second books of a suspense trilogy that I am hopeful will be published later this year. Talk about a challenge, but I believe it’s never too late to try something new. Besides, you’ll never know if you can do something unless you try and that’s the best way to learn and grow.
I do imagine this is my final career change, but I am really excited about it and can’t wait to see what the future holds for me as a storyteller. I hope you enjoyed my personal story and please know that we all have curb balls when we least expect them. But what is really important is that if you have a positive attitude when you face the toughest challenges you can still hit the ball out of the park!
I hope to see you at my first my book signing.
Warm regards,
Lou
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Family Businesses require a different style of management and can be fraught with risks. The familial relationships mandate very honest and constant communication and significantly more attention and sensitivity than traditional work environments.
Planning is crucial to every successful business, no matter how small. Contingency planning is a crucial element in business management that is often overlooked. Short- and long-term predictability requires consideration. Paradigm shifts are much more common than most imagine and trends should be evaluated to identify these relatively unpredictable events.
Every business should have a “management system” that integrates and operationalizes the business to optimize its execution. This is not just a big business need. The challenge is that younger employees, those less experienced or those unfamiliar with this concept are seldom willing to adopt these processes until it is too late believing that they represent un-needed bureaucracy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Austin Fit Magazine is Austin’s first—and only—monthly magazine focused on keeping area residents fit, healthy, and active. AFM’s mission: to educate, motivate, and inspire people and communities to live a healthier lifestyle through a balance of health, fitness, and nutrition.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Things always take longer than you think, so plan on it.
Look for solutions from unexpected places.
Change is inevitable and necessary. We all need to learn how to welcome it and take advantage of the opportunities it offers. That said, it should be evaluated rationally and sensibly and managed to the benefit of all constituencies.
Experience is very under-rated and should be cherished. Wisdom is not about aging, but about experiences and life’s transactions and is a very hard-earned talent.
Nothing happens unless someone sells something. Even the best products/services don’t always win. So, get your best advocates out there into the marketplace and make something happen.
Contact Info:
- Email: lou@austinfitmagazine.com
- Website: https://www.austinfitmagazine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austinfit/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AustinFitMagazine
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AustinFit
Suggest a Story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
