About Erasmus Inc.
Erasmus, Inc. works mainly with small, specialty magazines (magazines with circulations under 200,000). As a management consultancy, we work with individuals and businesses who are interested in starting up magazines or with established magazines that are looking to grow and become more profitable.
For the past ten years, we have helped clients create opportunities by analyzing markets as well as the economic landscape for their magazines. We work together to outline detailed business plans, brainstorm creative approaches to direct marketing, and develop organizational structures that help our clients succeed.
As a small firm, we’re able to customize our services to meet the client’s needs. In addition, we have a network of specialists that can be brought in, as needed.
An Interview with Hervey Evans:
Why did you call your consulting firm "Erasmus"?
Erasmus is actually my first name. My full name, Erasmus Hervey Evans, is an old family name handed down since the 1820s. (No, really — it’s a Southern thing.) I consider myself a Midwesterner now, although sometimes my accent gives me away: I’ve lived in the region since 1987. Erasmus is also the name of a 15th century scholar and writer—an appropriate name for the magazine world, don’t you think?
What was your inspiration for starting Erasmus?
I worked for a number of magazine companies over the past 25 years and saw specialty magazines struggle to find creative solutions that were consistent with their vision. At the same time, I was involved in a number of launch projects and spent several years with a leading consulting firm learning how to help businesses find solutions that had integrity and “fit” with their capabilities and philosophy.
Then, in August of 1995, my life changed. In one week, my wife found out she was pregnant with our first child… and that she had cancer. So even as we prepared with great joy for the birth of our first child, I also faced the possibility of losing my wife. As cliché as it may sound, I realized that life is too short. I made up my mind to do something I’d always wanted to do—start my own business helping specialty magazines succeed. It was a way for me to visualize a brighter future. Twelve years later, my son is a smart, happy boy; my wife is healthy; and through Erasmus, Inc., I can do the work I love.
Any words of wisdom?
I’m not sure about “wisdom”, but my experience has taught me these things:
- I’ve learned that each magazine is unique — and has unique, creative opportunities to connect with its advertisers and its potential readers.
- I’ve learned that magazines exist in the space between the anticipating mind of the reader and the creative vision of the publisher.
- I’ve learned that business is about managing risk, not just accepting it.
- I’ve seen advertisers buy “involved” readers and “involved” readers remember advertisers and associate them with a strong magazine brand.
- I’ve seen magazines thrive in the current of interchange within and among communities and can help those communities achieve identity and thrive.
- I have seen information accumulate quickly in the magazine business. I help people use that information to their advantage. Planning is best when it captures vision and, at the same time, is very practical.
- I have learned that integrity is about rigorous honesty. It is also about orienting your life and work around what you know and believe.
What’s the most interesting/unusual/strangest client or project you’ve taken on?
Is there such a thing as normal in the magazine world? All of my clients have been/are “interesting, unusual, and strange” in some way. Recognizing that each client is essentially unique helps me avoid making too many assumptions about what will and will not work in a particular situation.
Some of my recent clients show this best: • Tall Magazine: “Because life is short – and we’re not.” • Fierce Magazine: “For women too bold for boundaries” • Authentic Living Magazine: “Creating the life you love” • Community Transportation • Specialty Chemical Manufacturing
