The challenge
Nicci Kadilak is new to the business of journalism, but as a published novelist, she knew all about tackling difficult things. She launched the Burlington Buzz in 2022 with a goal of creating more voter participation and civic understanding in her town of Burlington, MA. Less than a year into her journey as a startup publisher, Nicci applied to the Managing Money and Risk Lab to learn how to establish her publication as a business and save herself from headaches down the road.
Nicci had a proof of concept and a base of subscribers, but didn’t know exactly how to think about growth or how she could best apply her efforts to grow revenue. Nicci had started the Burlington Buzz as a passion project, but was spending more and more time creating content and thinking about ways to convert her readers to paid subscribers. “I'm at a point now where it's so much work that I would not do it for free and I need to be compensated in some way for all of the work that I'm doing,” Nicci said. ”And yes, it's a public service, but also like, you know, I'm also a professional and this isn't work that anybody should be doing for free.”
“When I Started My News Organization, A Plan Was The Furthest Thing From My Mind. The Lab Helped Me Legitimize What Has Become A Full-Fledged News Business. My Work With My Coach And The Gni/Lion Team Forced Me To Set Aside Time To Look At The Most Important Aspects Of My News Organization — Time I Wouldn'T Have Spent Otherwise. Now, I Have A Revenue And Risk Management Plan, And I Feel Confident Going Into The Next Year And Beyond.”
Nicci Kadilak
Founder, Burlington Buzz