member
profile
Country Register founder Barbara
Floyd and a host of Floyd’s licensees
get papers out to about a million fans
across the country.
the time and effort that I’ve put into networking,” Floyd points out. “I feel extra generous in
sharing my ideas about what we do, but didn’t
realize it would take so much time to service
my publishers and advertisers.”
COURTESY OF BARBARA FLOYD
On reflection, Floyd says she probably
would increase the annual licensing fee to
compensate for the expertise she offers. “But
that’s my least favorite part of the business,
because I really like to sell advertising and
create new ideas,” she adds. “I’ve been in my
cabin [in Munds Park, north of Flagstaff] all
week making cold calls to Washington and
selling ads.”
Floyd admits to being organizationally chal-
lenged because she’s adept at multitasking. “I
like to be working on 10 things at once, but
sometimes have to go back and clean up
my messes,” she says. “The office is very orderly
and functional—it’s only my desk that’s messy.”
The successful businesswoman who holds
her business plan in her heart has some words
of advice for anyone thinking about running
a business.
“Be passionate about what you want to do
and don’t get into it just for the money,” Floyd
says. “You’ll succeed if you’re focused, have good
work ethics and use common sense.” C
C
reating an
empire
Specialty shop and events newspapers
are registered hits with readers
By Alan M. Petrillo
TAKE A LOVE of crafts, marry it with shrewd
business sense and a driving desire, then mix
in an enthusiastic personality, and you have
Barbara Floyd, the owner of a highly successful string of specialty shop and events publications that spans the country.
Floyd’s signature newspaper, The Country
Register of Arizona, is a homey mix of features,
news items and advertisements arranged
around a particular theme, such as quilting
and needlework, tea and food, antiques and
collectibles, scrapbooking and paper arts, and
holiday gifts.
Besides her Arizona newspaper, Floyd
also owns Country Register papers in Oregon
and Washington, as well as The Antique
Register, a 56- to 64-page newspaper aimed at
collectors and dealers in Arizona’s antique
trade. The complimentary publications are
distributed statewide and supported by advertising dollars.
“I started the paper in 1988 and within a
year had licensed the name to people in other
states,” Floyd tells The Connection. “Today
there are Country Register newspapers in 44
states and five Canadian provinces.”
While the 68-year-old Floyd’s calendar is
crowded with the details of producing four
mini-tabloid newspapers every two months,
totaling nearly 80,000 in circulation, her hard
work at licensing has tr anslated into a
cadre of about a mill ion loyal
readers of the Country
Register newspapers.
“Our publication retains a
better readership
than most printed
newspapers because we appeal to the kind of
people who want to sit down with a cup of tea
and be cozy,” Floyd says. “These are hands-on
people like quilters and specialty shoppers. I’m
proud that we haven’t lost our readers like the
mainstream media has.”
But specialty newspapers aren’t the only
businesses Floyd has run. She’s owned a tea
room and gift stores, both in Phoenix, as well
as a large tea room and wedding facility in
Kennewick, Washington.
With so much detail to oversee, did Floyd
ever worry she might have stepped into the
deep end of the pool?
“No, never,” she says with a laugh. “Except
maybe this week, when I’m trying to get three
papers out.”
A former junior high and high school
teacher in Minnesota, Floyd admits she’s never
prepared a business plan, but takes each day as
it comes and handles the issues that crop up.
“I have [the plan] in my heart and in my
head, instead of on paper,” she says. “I’m the
kind of person who can’t look at an empty
building without mentally wanting to put
something in it.”
A crafter herself, Floyd has created hand-
made goods since age 6, collected recipes and
cookbooks for years and admits to spending
plenty of enjoyable time in the kitchen, even
attending cooking classes whenever
time permits. But business
is what occupies
the lion’s share
of her time.
“If I had to
do it again, I’d
charge more for
Tucson-based freelance writer Alan M. Petrillo
writes for a wide variety of magazines and is
the author of the historical mystery Full Moon.
member
profile
Business: Country Register Inc.
Owner: Barbara Floyd
Employees: Three full-time (excluding
herself), two part-time
Contact at: P.O. Box 84345
Phoenix, AZ 85071
(602) 942-8950
www.countryregister.com
www.theantiqueregister.com
Member at: North Phoenix, Arizona
Comments about Costco: “We use
Costco’s Merchant Services for running
our credit-card payments, and I also
fill up my gas tanks there as much as
possible. Last night I ordered photos
off my iPhoto direct to Costco, and the
last thing I have to do before I fly to
Minnesota [on vacation] is run over and
pick up the photos.”
