Sean Oberle, Publisher, Oberle Communications, Bethesda, Md.
SIPA: What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
SEAN: I worked at a non-profit in the late ’80s, helping to write and edit its three monthlies. I was overworked and underpaid. I got sick of that and answered an ad for a proofreader at WBII (now FDAnews). I partly credit that first job for helping me succeed at WBII under the late Dave Swit because nothing could seem horrible after the non-profit. Actually, notwithstanding the horror stories people tell about Dave (and I could tell a few), he was a great guy and a great newsman—he plays a part in my current success.
Has there been a defining moment in your career? Perhaps when you knew you were on the right road.
I can’t think of any epiphanies. Rather, I look back and see myself usually happy with my work and generally proud of it.
In brief, describe your business/company?
I bought Product Safety Letter in 2003 (Dave started it in 1972). I had worked on it for more than a decade in the late ’80s through the ’90s, so it was a natural fit. It needed some TLC, and thus I’ve grown it steadily. It’s the core that I’ve been building around. PSL is a traditional, D.C.-based regulatory newsletter, in this case covering the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The niche is unique in that it’s broad but shallow. Readers are from many industries (toys, clothes, electronics, appliances, furniture, off-road vehicles and lots more.), but there are limited people in each sector. I call it a “horizontal niche.” It can be challenging to make the news relevant to everyone. I’ve been helped in recent years by a big new law passed in 2008; fear sells.
What are two or three important concepts or rules that have helped you to succeed in business?
a) Responsive and personal customer service is something I hope I can keep alive as I grow.
b) The problem usually isn’t getting things done, it’s getting them started. Once they get started, they usually get done. That realization has helped me figure out how to get my webinar program into the next phase.
What is the single-most successful thing that your company is doing now?
Webinar revenue likely will surpass new subscription income this year. I probably left a lot of money on the table in 2010 and 2009 because I did too few webinars. I’m still mostly a one-man-band with a few contractors helping. In 2011, I added a contractor who project-manages my webinars. It means I now have a planned webinar-cycle rather than webinars waiting for me to get around to getting them started. I need to keep applying that strategy when I can.
Do you see a trend or path that you have to lock onto as you look to 2012?
The past decade has been bubbling with technological change, and it’s meant that we’ve been focusing on HOW we provide information more than on WHAT we provide. Some media (like Twitter) are good for pointing to our REAL content, while some media are good for presenting that REAL content. It seems as if it all could be one big funnel for focusing potential customers towards us. However, I don’t think that as an industry we’ve yet figured out the broad, holistic approach despite our focus on the many little developments. The cliche, can’t see the forest for the trees, comes to mind.
What are the key benefits of SIPA membership for you and your team?
SIPA has always been a good forum to learn. It’s unique among industry associations in that we all do the same work, but we mostly don’t compete with each other. That makes people more willing to share ideas and strategies.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in the Washington, D.C. exurbs: Westminster, Md. and Stafford, Va.
What college did you attend? Is there a moment from that time that stands out?
At Hampden-Sydney College, all freshmen had to take a writing skills class called Rhetoric. Then, by the end of sophomore year—no matter our majors—we had to pass a writing test or get kicked out. Some people didn’t return for junior year because of it. The lesson was that effective communication is paramount no matter what you do. It’s stuck with me.
Are you married? Do you have children?
My wife, Meg, is a teacher at the Lab School, a private, special education school in D.C. My daughter, Olivia, 7, from a previous marriage, is a second grader.
What is your favorite hobby and how did it develop in your life?
I’ve become a marathoner in the past few years—so far four full marathons (including Boston) and two half ones, with both a full and a half coming up this fall. I grew up a runner and ran regularly through my 20s, but I got away from it in my 30s. I came back for sanity and health in my 40s, but then started racing, got hooked and worked up to marathons. It’s been gratifying to return to a neglected talent and find that not only wasn’t it lost, but that I’m good at it.
Is there a book you recently read or movie you saw that you would recommend?
I’m reading “Grass” by Sheri Tepper. It’s sci-fi, but more literary than most of the genre—sort of soft feminist. I discovered Tepper by accident this year when I was out of town for a 12K race and needed a book. Her novel, “The Margarets,” was on a take-one-leave-one shelf. I loved it. She’s been quite prolific over the past 30 years, but I find it inspirational that she didn’t publish her first novel until she was in her mid 50s.
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Sean lives in the Washington, D.C. Chapter region.
Tomorrow, they will be having a Marketing Breakfast Roundtable—
or a Breakfast Idea Jam—8-9 a.m. at the Potbelly Sandwich Shop
at 1660 L Street NW, Washington, D.C. (near Farragut North Metro).
This is an open event to SIPA members and nonmembers alike.
Please stop by and participate, and meet some sharing folks.
There’s nothing better than talking casually with your
colleagues to get your mind and ideas flowing.
As Sean said, maybe someone is making money from webinars
and has some great tips. So it’s worth stopping by.
Please RSVP to Donna Lawton today if you can make it!
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