The author lists out reasons that have contributed to the longevity of the magazine
I have been writing for Business Goa since January 2014. I remember meeting Harshvardhan Bhatkuly, the Founder and Editor towards the end of 2013 and happened to mention to him that the Entrepreneur magazine for which I used to write a regular monthly column for many years had folded up and I was in the throes of acute withdrawal. He promptly said, why don’t you write for us? And I did. When I moved out of Goa towards end 2017, I asked him if I could continue to write, even if I didn’t live in Goa any more. And he said, what’s the connection?
So between Jan 2014 and June 2026, I must have written at least 145 columns, if not 150. That’s a pretty long relationship. I singularly attribute it to Business Goa’s staying power. Because Harsh started the magazine in in July 2009 and for a ‘hyper-local’ magazine to thrive for 17 years is no mean achievement. I told Harsh that I would like to write this column on 17 things Business Goa did right! I thought it would be as easy as writing Harsh’s name 17 times!
Because knowing him and the magazine for so long, I have no hesitation in saying that Brand Business Goa is synonymous with Harsh and vice-versa. Whatever act of commission or omission that the magazine has done till date is directly attributable to Harsh.
I am obviously not going to list 17 things but a few that as a reader I believe that Business Goa did that has contributed to its longevity.
- Leadership
Just as Business Goa’s ethos is to be the ‘Voice of Business in Goa’, it has had one leader whose voice has stayed true, consistent and engaged with the stakeholders of Goa business community. It is Harsh’s vision and voice that has led Business Goa for 17 years without a single discordant note.
- True to its core value
Business Goa was meant as a ‘hyper-local’ business magazine and it hasn’t strayed from that core value. I am sure there were temptations from time to time to expand the magazine, both in content and reach, to at least neighbouring states. But it has stayed in Goa.
- Stuck to the knitting
The Goa milieu is what Harsh knows best. That is his arc of engagement, influence and support. The magazine has flourished because of the support of those very people whose voices have been represented by the magazine.
- Small is beautiful
Sometimes I wonder. Goa is so small. Goan business is so small. It accounts for 0.35-0.4 percent of GDP. How much can you keep writing about a small economy like this? But the magazine has tracked growth not just of companies but of the respective domains and emerging opportunities over these 17 years to stay relevant, informative and meaningful.
- Numbers don’t lie
Goa’s density of small businesses is 3.2 per 100, which is very high and it has the highest per capita income of `3.5 lakh in the country, according to an economic survey report. It has emerged as a major hub for startups and entrepreneurial thinkers. Goa now has 651 DPIIT-recognized startups and has been ranked as the ‘best performer’ among smaller states and UTs in the national startup ranking of DPIIT. Who talks about them? You are damn right, Business Goa!
- His Master’s Voice
Business Goa has focused on Goan culture that drives enterprise, local industrial policies, apex industry bodies, homegrown talent, state government’s contribution towards articulating business-friendly policies and creating necessary infrastructure to give the right impetus to emerging businesses, especially in the internet space. I know huge strides have been made in upping the ante, technologically. I remember when I used to live in Goa between 2013, and 2017, Wi-Fi was a hit-and-miss. Not too many service providers, so the one or two that were operating held you to ransom. Amazon used to take 2 weeks for delivery. Business Goa has never shied away from covering the missteps.
- Goa beyond beaches
Where did we first read that Goa was more than mining scandals and hippie beaches? From fado to fashion, from pubs to pharma, from startups to sagging businesses, Business Goa has covered them all. I once told Harsh that although he had positioned it as a business magazine of Goa, for a newcomer like me, trying to live there, it was more like a City Directory!
- Brand integrity
To my mind, this is the singular reason for Business Goa being able to celebrate its 17th birthday! Never once has Harsh veered away from it. Never has he compromised by accepting paid promotional articles or become the mouthpiece of any one government or industry. The magazine’s journalistic integrity has served the brand well.
- Event-based branding
I believe launching Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence was a masterstroke in creating the new playbook. Firstly, In creating these awards Business Goa built a multi-channel revenue stream loaded with elite corporate sponsorships. Magazines cannot survive on circulation and advertising revenue alone.
Secondly, they created engagement with their stakeholders, especially the small and emerging businesses. Business Goa was no longer just a magazine to read; it became a premium dashboard where it was ‘aspirational’ for every Goan to be featured in it! It is perhaps not out of context here to mention that I was very proud to receive this award in 2014 as Businesswoman of the Year!
- Stakeholder ROI
Business Goa created the much-talked about sociological phenomenon called we-feeling (apnapan in Hindia) in its stakeholder community. It focused on everything Goan and the outside world be damned! Goa’s business has never garnered much attention in national media. Business Goa beautifully and purposefully filled that void and created a fiercely loyal community of decision makers, industry bodies, thinkers, policy makers, industrialists and political leaders – a veritable galaxy of high net-worth subscriber base. This in turn delivered high RoI for their advertisers.
- Inclusivity
Harsh being young, self-made and entrepreneurial himself, it was only natural that the magazine did not become an elitist young boys club. Whilst they covered everything mainstream, they did not ignore anything avant-garde or non-conformist. Micro-entrepreneurs, home chefs, butchers, bakers and candle-stick makers – men and women – young and old – successful or struggling – everyone was given an equal opportunity to be heard.
12. Digital Avatar
In 2012, Business Goa went online in addition to print. This was again a wise move as it extended access not only outside Goa but outside India too. Portugal for instance has an umbilical connection with Goa and many Goan families that have migrated to Portugal still have enough ties back home to want to remain connected.
For many years now, the prophets of doom have predicted the death of print. I firmly believe that Business Goa is an excellent case study of how to stay alive, relevant and involved in a format that may have lost its sheen elsewhere. Honestly, I think it is not hard for me to list 5 more reasons but I have now run out of space!