Associated Press reporter Susan Montoya Bryan notes that a business magazine called Rez Biz aimed at native American businessmen is gathering a following on reservations across the country.
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Bryan wrote, Editor George Joe “says the more than 61,000 hits received by the Rez Biz Web site (http://www.rez-biz.com) offer evidence that readership has more than tripled in the past six months. Magazine figures also show that for each printed copy, more than three people take a look.
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“It’s distributed at grocery stores and other businesses across the Navajo Nation and in Albuquerque, Gallup, Flagstaff and Phoenix. It’s also used as a teaching tool at a couple of Navajo schools and at the University of New Mexico’s Gallup campus.
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“‘Reader stats just keep going up and up and up,’ says Joe. ‘They want to know about the ups and downs, the decisions, the hardships, the day-to-day.’
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“The magazine pushes to educate Indians about the ins and outs of business by featuring other Indian business owners. But Joe may be his own best example. He has experienced the difficulties of getting the magazine off the ground, keeping it going and actually making it successful.
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“Rez Biz nearly folded after the first issue because financing hadn’t been secured, a problem that led to a rift between Joe and his former partner. Joe, the only full-time employee, was also stretching himself thin between the demands of the publication and graduate school.”
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