In 2001, I launched and ran my own free magazine for local parents and carers of young children in northeast Cheshire and south Manchester. While I juggled life with two small children and not enough sleep, Little Tigers grew into a 48-page publication full of information, inspiration and loyal advertisers. It had a robust distribution network, a local reputation to be proud of, and a decent bottom line. I sold the business in 2007, but I must have missed it because I sat back down in the editor’s chair again nine years later and stayed there until 2022.
As editor of Little Tigers, I researched, wrote and edited the hyper-local content, built marketing partnerships with advertisers, commissioned editorial contributors, curated images, laid out the pages with Adobe InDesign, and organised the distribution of the printed and digital editions. The magazine was freely available in day nurseries, primary schools, playgroups, libraries, community centres, toddler groups and soft play areas, and health visitors gave copies to parents at home with newborn babies. Little Tigers was read by thousands of parents and carers across the area and I am proud of how well it served the local community for so many years.