Today we’d like to introduce you to Ron Epstein.
Hi Ron, 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.
I started as a newspaper sportswriter a long time ago and eventually moved into consumer magazines. I always loved the content side — determining what people read — and soon began learning the business side of publishing: sales, distribution, printing and overall finances. I worked for two companies in Ventura County — Affinity Group Inc. and then SAGE Publications — for a combined 20 years before getting an itch to do something on my own. In late 2012 I got connected with L.A. Parent, which was a magazine my wife and I leaned on when our kids were young. It was struggling, and the company that owned it was looking for a publisher. A few conversations later, my wife and I wound up purchasing the company.
A lot has happened in our 11+ years of ownership. We moved offices twice, added products, and really entrenched ourselves into the parenting community in LA. The pandemic almost wiped us out in 2020, and we pivoted to all-digital for several months, but business has steadied since then and we’re again launching new products, printing the magazine and growing in new directions.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t know many business owners who will say running a business is smooth. Ours has had its bumps in the road, but we learn from them. Here are two areas in which we’ve struggled and how we’ve overcome them.
Seasonality: Our busy seasons used to be in the spring (for summer camps) and in the fall (for back-to-school), which left big gaps much of the year. LA Parent is a team of parents, and we have a good sense of what our audience — parents throughout LA — is looking for, from enrichment programs to family travel to pediatric health to holiday programs. So, we developed content and specific products in those industries, which led to sales, and that mitigates the times when we’re not busy.
Our Team: As we crafted a new culture at LA Parent, we realized the most successful people in our business were those who loved being a parent. Our mission is to make parenting easier for parents in our community, so we changed who we were looking for to join our team. No more was it about “Can you do this job?” It became “What attracts to you to our community and our brand?” It took a while, but we have an all-star team now that leans on each other and learns from one another and makes me proud every day.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As publisher, my job is to help develop new products, write business plans and monetize those products, make sure our bills are paid on time and that we as a company grow and are profitable. I see us as a community resource. If you’re a parent in Los Angeles, be it West LA, the South Bay, Mid-City, the beach communities, the San Gabriel Valley, Santa Clarita, the San Fernando Valley or anywhere in between, L.A. Parent is here for you. We’re that go-to source for whatever a mom or dad needs, from help with their child’s social skill development to choosing the right school or summer camp to what questions to ask a pediatrician. We are a team of parents who try to make parenting easier for the next generation of parents. It’s a great job.
I like staying behind the scenes. I attend our events (summer camp fairs, education fairs, etc.), and I’m most proud when a parent comes up to our booth and shares how something we wrote about or posted made a difference in their family. Whether you visit our website, read our magazine or newsletter, or follow our socials, knowing that we’re making an impact on family lives is gratifying.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Listening. I don’t have all the answers to our business, and there are new challenges almost every day. I try not to make decisions without asking for feedback from others on our team first. We have a team with brilliant minds and great ideas who know how to solve problems, and I learn from them every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.laparent.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laparentmag/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LAParent
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/laparentmag
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPATBs3QXX9UjfNhNVfJwQg
