HCOB: Fast forward to today, what does the business look like now? Thames : It’s really grown, particularly in the past three years. We travel year-round to places all over the world. From New Zealand to South Africa to England depending on the season — Covey Rise is everywhere. And we recently launched a second publication, Bour- bon+, which tells stories from the heart of bourbon—the farmers who grow the grain, the distillers who labor over the process, the mixologists — and the people who raise their glasses to celebrate it all. We now design maga- zines for other people as well. We have been doing book design for major brands such as Orvis, and we recently published a cookbook of our own called Game: The Field to Table Cookbook. We've got an extensive new branding business, and we're creating branding for lodges, doing logo designs, and a whole range of consulting services for the hunting, fishing and wildlife adventure business worldwide. It's branched out into a huge business that I never would have thought possible. HCOB: And you’ve recently re-engaged with a number of initiatives at Auburn, right? Thames : Yes, that’s correct. I’ve been collaborating with Professor Michael Kinkaid on a few of his initia- tives, and he’s been doing a little consulting for us, too. I’ve also signed up to participate in the recently an- nounced Wildlife Enterprise Management degree program at Auburn. And we’ve also just featured Raymond Harbert’s property, Sedgefields, in the October-November 19 issue of Covey Rise. I look for- ward to expanding my engagement with Auburn and the Harbert College of Business. HCOB: One final question, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? What would you have done differently, if you could? Thames : What would I have done differently? I would have asked more questions up front, done even more research than I initially did. And I probably would have pulled to- gether a formal business plan. That said, I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t know what I didn’t know, or I might not have done it! As for what advice I would give budding entrepreneurs, I would say first and foremost — do your research. Make sure you know your product, what makes it different, and who your target audience is — you can’t know too much in that respect. And bring your passion to the table, rely on it. It might be the only thing that will turn a good try into a successful, viable business.
John Thames: advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: “ Don't be afraid to take the leap. You simply need to rely on your instinct, your passion and the research you've done and then just take the plunge. If my experience is any indication, you'll be glad you did. ”
HCOB: So, now you have designers, writers, photogra- phers, printers and a few initial advertisers, how did you get this off the ground and into the hands of potential subscribers? Thames : Hand to mouth, really. I started calling up lodges all around the country, offering to send them copies of our inaugural issue for free, and asking them to display them to their customers. I also attended the biggest trade show in the industry, called Dallas Safari Club, walking around the show floor handing out copies to vendors, facilities manag- ers, anybody who might get my publication into the hands of birding, hunting and other outdoors enthusiasts.
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