24 Apr 2018 Living the 501 LIFE dream for 10 years!

Going back to 2008 the economy was less than appealing.  We had some doubts!  

We quickly found that the relationships we built over the years in the business world and the encouragement to move forward would ultimately help us make our final decision. Our friends, family, contributors, editorial boards, designers and everyone in between would be “our village.” They would be our eyes and ears in the 501 communities. After much prayer, planning, hard work, never ending days and nights, we moved into a small office space on Front Street on Feb. 8, 2008. 501 LIFE was born!  

501 LIFE Publishers Sonja Keith (left) and Donna Spears. (Photo courtesy of Donna Evans)

We outgrew the space and moved into our current office at 701 Chestnut St. in May 2010. We have been very blessed. We started the magazine with 60 pages and now it ranges from 80-96 every month.  

Publishing a magazine is a non-stop job. You never finish. You never get away from it. You always have a deadline. You always have another story to tell. And, you always have another ad to sell.  

We came up with a pretty unique business plan that worked. 501 LIFE has far exceeded our expectations. Success comes in many forms and for us, our success is providing a product that serves our communities. It has been more about the friends we’ve made and the loyalty that they have shown.  The 501 area has embraced the magazine much like it is their own. For that reason, we quickly started calling it the “people’s magazine.” We are loving every minute of it!

I have always heard about “the dash” on headstones between the birth and death of a person and how it is representative of their life. While it’s not exactly the same, when I typed 2008 – 2018, I stopped to think what the dash has meant to me during the 10 years we have been in business. It’s been amazing. A step in a direction that was uncertain in the beginning, has been a great ride. I would do it all over again!

-Donna Spears