How We Got Here

The other morning while working in the barn I received a text from my father. It read simply: “I understand you are now in the publishing business.” When you read this to yourself, out loud, it sounds insane. In fact, everyone who has called has asked something along this line of questioning, and in almost every case they have asked why….right after. I wanted to tell you how we got here and what our goal is.

First off, let me tell you who we are. Tyson Rule and Jed Asmus (me) are the new owners of the Pacific Showcase. We are also the owners of Rule Supplements, which has a product line for show animals. We intend to alternate who writes the editorial. In all reality, the only way we will get one editorial in each issue is if both of us are forced to do it, and pray that one actually does. So let’s discuss how we got here.

If you stop what you are doing each day, take a step back and look at yourself, your business, or your job with perspective, you will often see things that you didn’t expect. We did this! On a recent vacation with my family, on a down day with nothing to do or planned, I finished a book that I was working on for some time. The summary of the book got me thinking about the future of interaction with our customers at Rule Supplements. We use social media to connect with many of you, and enjoy the freedom and flexibility it provides. However, the recent examples of deplatforming, banning and removal of people from social media with little to no recourse presents a massive problem. We are by no means the first to point this issue out, with examples quickly found on a google search. Needless to say, while thinking through the issue and how to address it, I got the idea to research where the Pacific Showcase was going. The details of that conversation are not important, but the outcome is: We own a magazine! The future is the goal, and the goal we have laid out is a marketing “platform” that includes print, digital, social and other forms of media. What’s not in that goal is to make Pacific Showcase a Rule Supplements magazine. Though Rule Supplements will be paying for ads like everyone else, the magazine only works when all of the industry has a spot. Without the entire industry, no one has a seat at the table.

That means that Pacific Showcase customers, both advertisers and subscribers, are the focus! If you haven’t seen how we feel about our customers, the simple answer is we treat them better than family. We want this industry to grow and prosper. Yes, the product we really make is the kids who show these animals. In many ways, this issue is very similar to the magazine you have read for years. The candid pictures from shows are still present, however, they came from you, via social media. We have decided to move show results to the web and social media.

We are going to continue to expand the articles and content style, covering different topics and from many perspectives. The name may be Pacific Showcase, but we intend to expand the focus to a national stage. We have a long way to go to achieve our goal. The only way to start that journey is by taking the first step….We encourage you to follow us down that road