History Of The Aylesbury Guide
The Aylesbury Guide was started because I couldn’t find a cost-effective local advertising medium for small businesses.
Beginning in July 2005 with just 2000 copies of a black and white 16 page A5 booklet The Guide went to 6000 copies in early 2009. Now, in 2021, 5700 plus go into homes in Bedgrove, Elm Farm, and selected areas in HP21 and HP20 6 times a year. Almost 1500 copies go into local businesses, referral networks, and places with high visitor levels.
Delivery is done in two ways, our personal activity in various small areas in and around Aylesbury, and we’ve found a local reliable distribution agency, Sure 2 Door, to cover all the major areas.
When we started the Guide in 2005 we would often come across piles of freebie newspapers, take-away menus and other leaflets dumped under hedges and other convenient hiding places. This appears to have ceased in the last few years and we think it’s due to Sure 2 Door’s reliability. David has worked for them part-time (until his fall downstairs) and considers them very effective.
Because I’m personally involved in the residential delivery I get to know how The Guide is received. Very often I’m greeted with “What rubbish are you delivering today?” or “No thanks, what is it?” When they learn it is the Aylesbury Guide their response is almost always “Oh, I’ll have that, thank you.”
Many people have told me they keep each issue until the next one arrives. Some have also said they have kept every issue right from July 2005.
Over the years we’ve had about 20 people say not to deliver any more. 20 out of 30 000 a year over the last 5 years is 1 in 7500. I think that shows how well The Guide is received.
One of my passions is personal development. I’ve discovered that happiness lies not in having possessions or in doing things but in being the kind of person you want to be. I’ve learned that organisations, large or small, can’t develop unless their leaders do so. Is this why there’s a continual cycle of boom and bust in the economy?