I Sold The Magazine, Too

Hope Glenn keeps up the good work. As a journalist The Magazine has been eye-opening to me. Almost non-existing staff (Glenn and Marco), handpicked contributors and you get a excellent magazine running profitable in less then one month.<p>Shows how much baggage traditional media carries from the past and how convoluted a news organization can get once you start adding sales, advertising, and other departments that can be avoided now with the proper strategy.

Wow, Marco really does hate the idea of having employees. In this case, he accomplished the goal of many small business owners: a successful product where a trusted employee handles the day-to-day operations and the owner can be hands off and take the profits. But his immediate reaction is to sell it because he doesn't want to be a product owner, he wants to be the entire business.

It's great to see someone find success from things they've built. Marco is a solid example of what many of us strive to be: someone who builds things because it's what we love doing (and because at least one person out there needs/wants it).

On a recent ATP podcast episode, Marco hinted he had another major project or few in the wings, and from the sound of it, it was going to be unveiled soon.<p>He recently bought a BMW (a long running joke), and estimates guess he made about $6.2 million from the Tumblr sale. If he puts the BMW up for sale, then worry.

It's like the mental version of reducing your possessions to fit in a backpack. Pretty cool if you ask me.

I highly recommend everyone to listen to his latest atp.fm podcasts. I found it is easy to misinterpret Marco (as if he wanted to be a public person, ha) but after hearing from the guy, I can only applaud him.<p>Just a bit from ATP #14: "I'm terrified of doing anything that would make me look like a jerk in front of my family and friends"

I'd imagine now that tumblr made him a pretty penny he'll be working on a personal fun project that's been on the back burner.

Assuming the Magazine is successfully pivoted under new leadership, does that give Marco the award for most acquisitions?<p>Tumblr, co-founder, acquired by Yahoo. Instapaper, founder, acquired by Betaworks. The Magazine, sold to the other founder, so kind of an acquisition?

And in case you wondered, the company - Vivisimo - where Marco worked for his first job (before Tumblr) and where he owned stocks was also sold a year ago... So Marco made money from 4 different businesses in one year.

Excellent news, no note about what he's doing next though?

I know nothing of the back story. I want to give praise to the Marco for this: "I accidentally built a business that I’m not very well-suited to run." A profound admission, showing real personal insight. I had to realize this about myself recently, and it wasn't easy.

When I tried reading this site on my Android phone, I get a blank page I can scroll around, with a) a huge ad banner and b) a "read later" button which leads to Instapaper. Very un-satisfying. :|

I really admire Marco as an entrepreneur and as a person. I am already looking forward to his next endeavour already, no doubt it'll be something awesome as usual. Congratulations Marco.

As Marco has sold his businesses, I can't help but think of the line from Office Space "What would you say you do here Bob?"

Maybe now it'll be ported to other platforms, but they are generous with the platform-agnostic file downloads.

Instapaper. Tumblr. and now The Magazine.<p>Sounds like Marco is clearing house a bit.<p>Out with the old, in with the new.

How much?

I love Glenn. This is in good hands.

That dog is so gonna be next to go.

I like many of Marco's posts, but I find it amusing that this one made it to #1 on the front page<p>Instagram was a great product, Magazine a good follow-up.<p>It is marginally interesting that Magazine ownership is being transferred to Marco's partner, but I don't understand why that merits the #1 ranking on HN :)