Selling Iowa Outdoors
For those living under a rock, I’ve recently announced my plan to sell Iowa Outdoors. There were quite a few factors I made my decision on but the two biggest were to focus on my family and to help the site. While the proposed sale price isn’t too shabby, it pales in comparison to the personal time I have put in and I have to admit I take great pride in seeing what is has become. So why am I selling it? To free up the time I put into the maintenance of the site to spend more time with my wife and kids. Maia is a budding outdoor enthusiast and Lauryn is already itching to “go hunting with daddy” not to mention Kate who has been patient as hell through all of this. But there is more.
Back when I started Iowa Outdoors I had no kids so time was on my side. I would write code into the wee hours of the morning getting the site on it’s feet. In contrast, time is now my most precious commodity. My weekdays are focused on spending ample time with Kate and the kids. In fact, my ability to really make progress on Iowa Outdoors has stopped and long ago I entered a tread-water state without ever being conscious of it. The site has fallen a bit behind the times…not so much in terms of content and serving the membership but, rather, in providing the best possible online experience. At 1.25 million page views per-month it deserves someone who can dedicate their time from 9-5 on it and while I’d love to have been able to do that, it’s just not in the cards. The new ownership, The Heartland Recreation Group, has a sincere desire to take Iowa Outdoors to that next level. In essence by stepping down I’m ensuring the future of the site…a sad but true reality.
Good news is I’m not disappearing completely. I’ll still be an everyday user of Iowa Outdoors and I do have grand plans on a new outdoor site with a completely different focus. Stay tuned, once I close on the site I’ll be announcing my new plans!
–Tony