Curious about the origins of The Laughable News?
...here is a little more info on us...(continued from "About Ryan")
Earthson Coffee Roasters
Believe it or not, The Laughable News is only here today because of a small coffee roasting company.
After our second child was born, we decided it was time to take control of our destiny, and start a business. Of course, deciding to start a business was the easy part. The hard part was choosing what kind of business to start. After much thought, we decided we should, "Do what you know!" - Coffee!
My wife, Kartini, knew coffee. In fact, I'd say she was a coffee addict. She even took a job at Starbucks to support her habit. But, Kartini wasn't the typical employee who just learned the bare minimum. She was intrigued by the whole coffee culture, and her main love was learning about coffee beans. Could there be a better business idea for us?!
Within a month, I had researched roasters on the internet, decided on a company to go with, and attended a course at the Diedrich Roasters factory, in Sandpoint, Idaho. Three months later, we had an industrial coffee roaster installed in our basement. The next 2 years were a caffeine filled haze...Kartini eventually had to enter a 10 step program for her addiction...just kidding :) But, seriously, when you have a source of unlimited, freshly roasted(to perfection) coffee, you WILL consume too much!
With Kartini's knowledge of the world of coffee beans, and my skill on the roaster, we quickly developed some killer coffee. The few customers we had raved about the coffee, but it really was only a few customers... We needed to advertise!
We didn't start out in our home because we loved the idea...we did it because money was tight. We didn't have a big budget to blow on radio or tv ads. Print seemed to be the best way to go. So, we shopped out several newspapers, and were quite surprised to see that it would still cost us a small fortune to advertise there. And, the worst thing was that our ad would be lost in a sea of newspaper pages...how could anyone see it when there were so many pages?
The First Newsletter
After seeing a local community newsletter in a restaurant (No, it wasn't the newsletter you think it was...it was a local, no name newsletter), I became intrigued with the idea. It seemed brilliant to advertise in something more 'local'. No more losing your ad in a sea of pages. Targeting JUST the local community made much more sense than using a 'shotgun' approach that would happen if I advertised in a major newspaper. In a newspaper, my ad would be seen by people all over Alberta, and that was pointless for a small local roaster, who only sold locally.
The down side of all of this was that the newsletter just wasn't that interesting, or well put together. It had bad jokes, abrasive commentary, and grainy images. The idea of advertising in this newsletter, that no one would want to read, seemed plain silly.
Then a lightbulb came on in my brain. Why advertise in their newsletter, when I could advertise in MY OWN newsletter?! Why not start another business, which would allow me to advertise my existing business FOR FREE?! How hard could it be to start a newsletter? Surely, I could put something together that would equal, or exceed, the quality of this local newsletter.
After a little trial and error, I came up with my first newsletter, the Earthson Coffee Newsletter. Yep, not exactly a thrilling name...I wonder to this day what the heck I was thinking...
Name aside, with our funny content, cute cartoons, and cool puzzles, we quickly left our competition in the dust. But, I wasn't satisfied. I knew I was missing something.
...the Light bulb comes on again...
If this newsletter is doing well here, why wouldn't it do well everywhere? I needed to expand! It was time to offer templates to others, so that they could start their own local business.
...back to reality...the name had to go!
The Laughable News
In 2005, we started publishing under the name The Laughable News.
Over the next few years, we made some sweeping changes to the design of the templates, the price structure, and even the content. We have been constantly evolving, in order to offer our publishers the best possible content, at the best possible price.
Now we have reached our latest stage, and I think you'll be very happy to be joining us at this time. We've done away with weekly template fees, opting to go with low cost annual memberships. We've built a community based website that will allow you to network like never before. We've locked down printing deals that will allow you to print a high quality newsletter, at low low prices!
The Future...
Of course, we will continue to grow and evolve. The world changes too quickly to sit on your butt and watch it go by. We will strive to keep The Laughable News current, and competitive. And, now that we are a full fledged community, we'll expect you to do your part as well...
...share ad designs, ideas, and assistance with other members of the community! Remember, when we work together, EVERYONE will benefit!
...and, if you have an idea that you think will improve The Laughable News, then let us know! We welcome all feedback.
