An interview with Lisa Messenger
Our editor Marissa Candy sat down with Lisa Messenger, Collective Hub founder and editor-in-chief, at JCU’s latest BEST Series breakfast event. During the on-stage interview in front of the sell-out crowd, Marissa asked the Aussie publisher and serial-entrepreneur about her recent decision to close Lisa’s much-loved print magazine, which was distributed into 37 countries. Lisa reveals the why, the how and the what next. (Hint: Collective Hub isn’t dead!)
Marissa: For a little context, tell us the story of how you launched Collective Hub back in 2013.
Lisa: I started my first business in October 2001 [a marketing agency], so I say Collective Hub was really an 11-year overnight success! It launched in March 2013, because I saw a gap in the market and I was frustrated. I was sick of the salacious gossip and the vacuous content that was out there in your local mainstream media.
I knew, having been an entrepreneur for 11 years prior, that it’s hard; it’s amazing, but it’s also really hard. I wanted to produce something that would tell the story behind the story, and be relatable, and attainable, and inspirational, and aspirational, and showcasing extraordinary individuals and businesses all over the planet. So many amazing businesses have come out of frustrations or pain points.
Marissa: In March 2018 you announced Collective Hub would be finishing; that you would no longer produce the magazine, to allow you to break apart the brand and remake it. Tell us about that.
Lisa: Five years into the Collective journey, we had about 2.4 million people in our community with the print mag. I’d found myself in the middle of a very big business, with $3 million in salaries and the advertising industry was getting tough. Because I was the happy ‘yes person’ I’d say yes to everything – more staff, more money, more more more! That’s a very dangerous place to be. I know now that next time I need a serious ‘no person’ in my team!
Marissa: And on the flipside, ‘no people’ need good ‘yes people’ by their sides.
Lisa: 100%. I sold two properties to underwrite it. And I wouldn’t change a thing in a million years. No amount of money me losing could ever offset the experiences I’ve had. It’s just been extraordinary. I would have spent, and pretty much did, every cent I had just to make it float.
Marissa: Your latest book, Risk & Resilience candidly reveals that decision process, and how scaling too quickly and hiring without strategy almost killed your dream, and Collective Hub.
Lisa: Risk & Resilience is very, very raw. I wrote it every day over 18 months and thought it would have a very different ending, actually. It’s a whole long story but in short, be careful what you wish for. Bigger isn’t necessarily better. Now for breaking it, I will be such a smarter business person. Next time I go for something big, I will do it much more sustainably and methodically.
Marissa: What advice would you give to those looking to be daring, and disruptive, and to make big change?
Lisa: In my experience, change is one of the most powerful things, and an absolute imperative in this day and age. I mean, things just move so quickly, and I think about how many times I’ve had to iterate in a sensible way in the last five years alone. Going from a print magazine, to digitising, to events. Just to evolve and keep up.
Throughout that period, skillsets and staffing needs – everything changes. You’ve got to be able to evolve and continue. These days, no industry, or individual for that matter, is immune from change; we have to keep up-skilling, be able to adapt and pivot and be unafraid.
Marissa: Well, you’ve broken the Collective Hub brand. What can we expect in the remaking?
Lisa: Now that I’ve taken time and space, to understand what went wrong, we’re going to bring one back in December!
Lisa Messenger’s latest book, Risk & Resilience: Breaking and Remaking a Brand, is out mid-September. Lisa writes about how scaling too quickly, hiring without strategy and trying to please everyone almost turned her dream into a disaster. Available from collectivehub.com and all good bookstores.
