Econsultancy, a publishing, community and training business for e-marketing and e-commerce professionals, tells us its pre-tax (EBITDA) profit grew 30 percent through 1998 2008, despite putting £500,000 in to upgrading its publishing platform.
The company, started by Ashley Friedlein in 1999, says it’s also on-track for the same kind of growth this year. Detailed figures for the privately-listed firm are not available in Companies House, however.
Friedlein now claims 85,000 registered subscribers who pay between nothing and £6,975 a year – it’s a sliding scale, offering a mix of research data, event attendance and marketing services.
Econsultancy hired ex ClickZ network VP and editor-in-chief Rebecca Lieb to start a New York office in January, and more international investment is planned next year.
As Friedlein said in our comments section this month, he believes data, but not content, can attract a decent paid subscriber base.