A little over 10 years ago, I was courted to run an online magazine but little did I know, a secondary project birthed from the same time outran the magazine startup. It illuminates now as the longest running publication I’ve ever done.

The maiden newsletter dubbed Herald by Henry Butcher Malaysia was released in January 2015. It began with 12 pages as a monthly newsletter for the property consulting firm. Depending on the time and season, the newsletter would morph from 8 to 12 or 16 pages and sometimes accompanied by additional gatefold of sorts to jazz up the reading experience. This was mainly done to accompany the property projects that Henry Butcher Malaysia was marketing at that time.

Month after month, the newsletter was prepared and released like clockwork. From company updates, property advertorials and personality interviews, it slowly grew to include feature articles, market commentaries and event coverages eg. the Henry Butcher Malaysian & Southeast Asian Art Auction.

As it matured with time, local mainstream media began taking note and started picking up interesting and relevant pieces to republish on their esteemed media platforms. From time to time, friends of Henry Butcher from the legal and finance fraternities also took turns sharing their expertise with the publication’s captive audience.

Moving with time, The Herald was rebranded as HB Advisor in 2021 to draw a closer assimilation to the company’s identity.

So 10 years on, what can I deduce from working on The Herald to HB Advisor?

1) Consistency & Dedicated Resources

Due to the nature of publications, the set interval between editions demands adherence to deadlines. In other words, consistency is key. This will be put to the test when multiple deadlines from other projects come clashing together and such pressures are usually why internally assigned teams crumble when other more pressing agendas take over their priority list.

"But if the newsletter is prized as an important communications and marketing tool, shouldn’t it deserve the attention to get the job done on time, every time?

This is why dedicated resources is just as important as the mission imprinted into the publication's DNA.

2) Never Underestimate Humble Beginnings

Just look at:

• Dell Computers began with Michael Dell building customised personal computers from his university dorm.
• Samsung traded groceries like dried fish, noodles, fresh produce etc in its early days.
• Sony was an electronics repair shop located in a bombed out department store in Tokyo.
• Amazon was just selling books online when it began.

3) Content Integrity

Through the ups and downs of the business environment, including the dismantling of the internal production team and transformed the publication into a quarterly edition, the newsletter's editorial contents never wavered. It remained laser focused as a professional property consultant’s publication from day one until now.

Looking back, this series of Henry Butcher’s newsletters is probably predestined to survive. Why?

Because it has withstood the change of seasons including that of the Covid-19 pandemic and still grew to include a comprehensive annual property report - HB Perspective (since 2021) - as part of its communications repertoire. This is in stark contrast to some of the stories we've heard when anything-marketing was first to go as soon as crisis hits.

To me personally, the decade-long journey has been a totally unexpected marathon. Not only did it outlast the online magazine startup I was initially engaged to run, it also superseded the lifespan of a property magazine I previously co-founded with my brother called “homefinder.”

But all these would not have come to be if the good people at Henry Butcher Malaysia did not value the newsletter to begin with. To this, we would like to take this opportunity to record our sincere appreciation to the management of Henry Butcher Malaysia for continuing to entrust us with your official publication.

Here's looking forward to more editions to come!

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