In Celebration of Our 10 Year Anniversary
When I started Pink Magazine in a small 8’ x 12’ room in my Hilton Head Plantation home, I didn’t think ten years ahead. I never once thought it would fail, but all I could do is take one month at a time, just trying to keep my head above water. (What can I say? Deadlines are killer!) It was not more than six months before I needed to move out of the house into a larger space. Pink Magazine grew like wildfire, even when faced with unexpected competition.
In looking back, I think one of the biggest success tools has been having a “We can do that!” attitude. I love ideas, and even more, I love turning ideas into reality. I also have a penchant for thinking big. One of the most notable examples of how I think was when we were putting together an issue about being adventurous. As we are all thinking about who is adventurous, I thought to myself, “Astronauts are adventurous.” Next thing I know, I’m blurting out, “Let’s call NASA and interview a female astronaut!” We did call and we got an interview! It was fun challenging ourselves to see what we could accomplish.
However, the most important tool for success is our mission: emPower, Inform, eNcourage and evoKe thought. Those five words were on the cover of the very first issue in April 2004. They have been in all 121 issues since. In the last ten years, there have been many accomplishments, as well as learning curves. The magazine and I have somewhat grown up together. Through it all, I would never change our mission.
I believe those five words have kept us grounded, real, heartfelt and trustworthy throughout every single issue. Those words remind us of who we are and why Pink is important to so many people. It hasn’t always been easy to stay the course. Sometimes it’s not sexy or trendy to stay true to your mission. But, I believe in order for us all to grow as individuals and to nurture our spirits, it is imperative to put out a positive message. That’s way more important than trends!
My goal is that Pink Magazine moves your life forward. Whether the pages of the magazine make you smile, laugh, connect, feel inspired, reflect, empathize, cry or just feel something shift inside of you, even if for a moment, we have done our job.
I am proud to reach the milestone of 10 years. I could have never of done it without the tremendous support of many. With that, I want to express my gratitude to seven groups of people who have made Pink Magazine what it is today. I know you will fall into at least one of them, maybe more!
Our Advertisers: Our advertisers are the only way we can bring Pink Magazine to Beaufort County, and we happen to have the best advertisers in the world! Not only are they a pleasure to work with, but they also represent businesses that I respect—businesses that I frequent myself, and am proud to recommend to others. I hope you do business with our advertisers, and please let them know you saw their ad in Pink! After all, they are the backbone of our community.
Our Readers: Loyalty is the best word to describe our readers. I have women stop me all the time to tell me how much they enjoy the magazine and how they read it cover-to-cover. I’m always moved, sometimes to tears, by the fact that something I’ve created is important enough to others that they actually take time to give it attention. I am especially touched when someone shares with me how the magazine has made a difference in her life. That is when I know for sure that this is my calling.
Our Featured Women: From day one my mantra has been: Every women has a story…I don’t care who you are. I love it when a woman tells me that she’s not interesting, and then her story blows me away. Sometimes it blows her away too, because it was all bottled up, and it becomes free through the interview process. If you haven’t been featured yet, it’s only because we haven’t gotten to you. Don’t be surprised if one day your telephone rings and it’s me saying, “We’d like for you to be one of our featured women!”
Our Partini Goers: I am amazed at the record crowds that continue to love and support our monthly gathering. I designed this event for ALL women—business women, stay-at-home-moms, retirees, young and old—and that’s exactly what it has become. Women have met friends, danced, laughed, dressed up, competed, and had a ton of fun over the years. We’re already booked through 2014, so there is much more fun ahead.
Our Artists: I have always been a lover of art, and by featuring works of art on our cover each month, I have met, befriended, and interacted with some of the coolest artist, not only across America, but also across the world. Our covers are ever popular and it’s always fun to get to see what’s coming next. Even my distribution team has no idea what the cover will be; when the truck unloads the monthly shipment of magazines, they too are surprised and excited, just like you!
My Family: My family has been unbelievable in supporting this endeavor. Yes, they have suffered, as I’ve put in long nights. In fact, when the kids were younger, they were at the office almost as much as they were home. Sometimes they would fall asleep on the conference room floor, having no idea actually what time they were carried to bed. I have missed games, dinners, play practices, the opportunity to be a room mom, but I have never missed loving them to pieces. They know that and they have seen their father support me through it all. Dana, Conner and Jacie, you three rock!
My Staff: Finally, my staff. I learned a long time ago to surround yourself with great people, and that’s what I strive to do at the office. We have a very small team, but they have huge hearts and huge talent. Most importantly, my staff understands the mission of Pink and lives that mission as best they can. We all love Pink, and what it stands for, and won’t settle for it being less than the best.
I thank you all for your loyalty, and encourage you to keep viewing life from the positive side! Here’s to another year of discovery, connection, growth, laughs, and thinking Pink!
With All My Heart,
Elizabeth Skenes Millen, Founder, Owner, and Publisher