2018 was a bad year for the GS MotorradMagazin. Due to the late publication, some readers did not understand that this was still a "one-man show" that had to make do with a low budget.
I was bombarded with resignations and people were "teasing" me on social networks. It all culminated in a post where a female person I didn't know accused me of "quote: ...and then you shove everything up his ass".
The frustration of not understanding the situation caused me to slide into a "deep valley". Did it even make sense to devote myself to a passion when I was still being publicly attacked?
I think you should prove that it is possible, that it works, to pursue a project with passion and real commitment that may never be enough to make a living from.
In 2017, I increased my presence at trade fairs and showed myself in Friedrichshafen, Munich and Dortmund. To offset the costs, I also launched T-shirts with attractive designs. Sales were excellent, but the GS riders were only "keen" on the T-shirts and less on the GS:MotorradMagazin. In spring 2018, I had to start rethinking things. The financial situation was getting worse and it was almost impossible to keep the magazine going.
Subscription numbers continued to decline, which was due to the delayed publication. In December 2018, I found myself in a vicious circle. Lack of liquidity on the one hand and the obligation to my readers and subscribers. Advertising sales have never been the strength of the GS:MotorradMagazin. BMW Motorrad led the way, the then head of marketing described the situation to me as follows: "Armin, why should I advertise in a GS MotorradMagazin? What good is an ad for the GS Motorrad in a magazine? Nothing...!"
Nevertheless, two issues of the GS MotorradMagazin were published in 2018. I would like to thank four people. First and foremost Ulf Böhringer, Klaus Hinterschuster, Peter Zander and Jürgen "Juri" Grieschat. All four believed in the GS:MotorradMagazin concept from the very beginning.