How to Turn a Magazine Business into Multi Millions

watch_journal.2445The gorgeous office boasts an in-house Starbucks, custom artwork and weekly manicures for the staff. No, it’s not the corporate base of a high-tech company with big investment capital; it’s the home of a magazine empire built by Adam Sandow, son of a South Florida printer.

“Sandow, 46, publishes consumer magazines dedicated to affluence and beauty. But around the magazines he has added related businesses such as clothing to create a multimillion-dollar operation headquartered in Boca Raton,” writes Marcia Heroux Pounds in the Sun Sentinel.

“Sandow’s magazine titles cater mostly to wealthy consumers and women seeking beauty secrets,” Heroux Pounds continues. “Luxe Interiors + Design, for example, features homes of wealthy homeowners and top home designers in 13 markets across the country. NewBeauty highlights beauty and anti-aging news.”

What’s truly remarkable about Sandow’s publishing empire is that he’s used it as the basis to launch several related products that appeal to his upscale readership.

“The idea of NewBeauty led to the launch of other products: BeautyDNA, an online service that sends a customized package of new beauty products for $25 a month, and TestTube, a sampling program that allows customers to try beauty products before investing in them, for $29.95,” Heroux Pounds explains.

Sandow has leveraged his success even further, investing in a materials research company, building a creative management agency, and branching out into luxury retail management.

According to friend and venture capitalism Richard Ginsburg, Sandow “has the ability to take a business like print media and put things on top of it.  He’s always thinking, ‘How can I transform this into something else.’ ”

In an age where print is sometimes viewed as an also-ran, Sandow offers a striking example of print as the foundation for phenomenal business success.