A great business opportunity

Join us

The Family Grapevine is a wonderful resource for families with children of all ages; from pregnancy to teenagers.

Our free local Family Grapevine magazines are packed with information for families, childcare professionals and businesses. They help you find places to go, things to do, helplines, antenatal groups, toddler groups, childcare, education, parties and lots more. They are published by a group of independent, friendly and enthusiastic editors, all working with the same goal in mind … to provide you with accurate and comprehensive information. You can find your local magazine here.

Background

The Family Grapevine started in 1995 when Nikki and Sheridan had an idea that would prove to be an important resource of local information for parents, and a great way for family oriented businesses to reach those readers. Since then the number of magazines has grown and the current directors, James and Elizabeth are ready to grow the group into new areas across the UK.

We are dedicated to providing information to as many parents and businesses as we can, through local magazines and online; whilst at the same time helping and supporting editors who join our group to build successful businesses that fit comfortably around family life.

Is this you?

We are looking for people to join our group who:

  • May have experience producing magazines, although not necessary
  • Preferably have some sales experience
  • May have experience with Desk Top Publishing
  • May have experience with website management
  • Are reasonably computer literate & use social media
  • Are willing to learn and follow instructions
  • Are willing to work hard, mainly during term time
  • Are good at working independently, but also appreciate working as part of a group
  • Are willing to share ideas with others in the group
  • Are resilient, because selling can sometimes be tough
  • Are realistic about initial slow growth and realise that hard work in the early days pays dividends later on
  • Enjoy building business relationships, which is essential when selling
  • Pay careful attention to detail
  • Enjoy finding out about their area and what activities are available

FAQs

The role can be extremely rewarding. Our editors all know that they do a very worthwhile job that allows each of us to provide valuable information for the community. We are all really proud of what we do.

Most of the work has been designed to take place during school term time, meaning you have the vast majority of the holidays with your family. We produce three issues each year that come out in early March, early July and early November.

You will be responsible for every aspect of your local Family Grapevine, including research, assessing the competition, marketing, building up leads and contacts, selling and designing adverts, preparing each edition for press, administration, accounts and distributing copies.

Most editors carry out every one of these tasks themselves, although a few subcontract some elements.
The work is hardest at the very beginning of setting up a brand new area, when there is lots of research to do and lots of calls to make. Many areas have been going for a long time though and just change hands, so then the infrastructure is already in place.

All our editors make money by selling advertising. Your main operating expense will be printing, followed by some postage, telephone, other office expenses (such as stationery) and petrol for distribution (3 times a year). Everything left over is profit.

We are unable to guarantee your earnings. We will only tell you that great things can be achieved with dedication and enthusiasm. Only one person can make your business succeed, and that’s you!

If you devote time, energy and enthusiasm to your business you should be able to achieve a reasonable income. Typically a first edition can expect to break even on its operating costs.

The purchase fee for a brand new area is lower that that for an existing area, as it will take time to build up a new area.

If you are interested in a current area that is for sale, the price will be given to genuine enquirers. The fee of £1,000 for a complete course of training is added to the cost of the area.

The Management Service Fee (MSF) is associated to your turnover per annum. This is paid a year in arrears, so costs are kept down in your first 12 months – we know it takes time to build your business.

You may also need to invest in office supplies, computer hardware (PC), printer and software. This outlay, should you need it, can vary greatly, so it is in your interest to shop around. We can provide advice on some programs you will need.

  • Exclusive rights to operate the Business within a defined territory
  • A well-established and recognised title in many areas of the country
  • A microsite specifically for your area, off our main website www.thefamilygrapevine.co.uk.
  • An email address, for example [email protected]
  • Marketing for your area from the main website
  • The benefit of cross-group advertising
  • A comprehensive customer relationship management database specifically designed for our business. This has all the facilities you will require for entering and printing your collected research data, controlling your distribution, providing customer information to assist you selling adverts and marketing your business
  • A comprehensive business guide and full training, especially leading up to your first publication
  • Peer to peer support. It is invaluable to be able to ask questions of people who have been editors for many years.

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