We aren’t sleeping…

Well it is 1.30am in Britain and I can’t sleep. The reason for this could be related to a piece I wrote earlier today (yesterday) on the Bearded site about two big announcements in my life tomorrow (today).

The first announcement comes at 10am and is the confirmation of the 14 out of 19 teams playing in rugby league’s Super League for the next three years. I’m a Castleford fan born and bred and am quietly confident about our chances. It would be pretty disastrous for the club if we didn’t make it and after four years of hurt and uncertainty, the powers at the Rugby Football League can’t prolong the pain – can they?

The second announcement, which comes in at 11.30am, is this year’s Nationwide Mercury Prize nominations. I’m not really too fussed about them as I’m sure they will be a huge disappointment (especially with the hideous Lauren Laverne hosting the announcements).

But neither of these announcements stir me enough to really contribute to my insomnia (which had gone away for a few joyous weeks). What I attribute it to is the fact that I am, yet again, doing a cash flow forecast and refining Bearded’s (well, Fleeing from Pigeon’s) business plan.

It is the scourge of being an independently funded publication. Finance is key, and it is hard to attain without some sort of prostitution. I’ve talked in privately about the difficulties of funding (apparantly giving artists – both musical and visual – the chance to get their work known by tens of thousands of people isn’t actually worthy of merit), and told people of the horror stories I’ve heard and experienced of people receiving millions whilst other, arguably more worthy, causes have had pittances (and we are talking hundreds of pounds here) refused. I’m not going to get onto it, rest assured though that if you haven’t got funding in place yourself (which Bearded thankfully did for the first year), you’re going to have a hell of a task getting yourself off the ground.

Bearded is at a make or break stage. We have been publishing for a year come August and now have a clear, concise knowledge of the market and our readers and how to reach them and make the magazine sustainable (and profitable). All we need now is the finance to help the cash flow and allow us to expand. Hopefully positive announcements to be made shortly. Bearded is a hell of a publication with an absolutely bob on (morally) mission. Now, thanks to insomnia, we have the business plan to go with it.

Even if you reading this don’t have the money to invest in Bearded, you can help us by joining Beardaid – £2 a month for free records and mags… can’t be bad!