Bloomberg Businessweek (1-year auto-renewal)

I was a long-time and avid subscriber until last year. In fact, I started in 1989 while in business school. The aspect that I appreciated the most was the in-depth reporting that I couldn't get anywhere else. However starting in 2008, I noticed that the in-depth articles were getting fewer and more of the reporting seemed to be the same as any newspaper. That was about the same time I started hearing that the operation was for sale.

So, I canceled in early 2009. Recently I got an offer for a free issue of the relaunch under the new ownership of Bloomberg. I have to say I'm very impressed. The in-depth reporting is back. Also, there's a breadth of content that probably comes from the Bloomberg network that is also very welcome. So, I'm a fan again. Hope they keep it up.

After several years, I am giving up by BW subscription. The magazine is getting pretty light and reminds me more of USA Today than the New York Times. The articles are pretty general and lack depth. Additionally, the magazine is very US-centric and often limits global coverage. It is a good light read for US business news, and if you aren't looking for great depth, might be a good choice. For my money, I would rather pay up for the Economist and Fortune.

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First of all, I subscribe to Fast Company, Inc, Businessweek, and HBR. If you want to learn how to run a business than Bloomberg Businessweek is not the magazine for you, you need to maybe subscribe to HBR (Harvard Business Review) where they have awesome case studies and pretty much base their entire magazine on how CEOs run companies, how start ups succeed, and include non-stop in depth case studies detailing what statistically works and what doesnt in certain areas of business. There is no other magazine in print that will give you the know-how to learn everything, but Harvard Business Review will keep you sharp. They also have apps for the iphone with informational videos.

If you are in an online start up, the natural course would be to read "TechCrunch" everyday to keep up with what's going on in the online world (It is a web-based magazine).

"Website Magazine" which is free and highly advisable if you have a web-based business because you stay in tune with the very fast moving happenings of the internet. Website magazine covers SEO, Social Media, and Tools you need to know about. They have a PRO option for $22 a year that allows you to sift through all their issues and have access to premium info, I highly advise this as it will keep you in the loop of what available tools there are for you to succeed in the internet world and at the end of the day its completely free for a standard print subscription, so why not try it?

"Fast Company" magazine is just okay, let me tell you why. Everything covered in Fast Company you can find on TechCrunch for free. Fast Company has a free online magazine that is updated very often, and they do not do a good job of condensing all that info. into their printed monthly issues, so why not just go with the free route? Again, you will only find a few case studies in this magazine, but will have some info on what's going on in the start up world via its interviews with entrepreneurs and current articles about the tech world. Fast Company is more of a start up news magazine opposed to you learning anything crucial.

"Inc" Magazine is decent because it gives you resources that you can use for your current business. I believe it is from the same publishers/editors as Fast Company as the layout is exactly the same. INC is geared towards giving you information on how others are succeeding in their business opposed to just a news magazine.

And Finally "BusinessWeek". You need businessweek if you want to be "updated on business news" and cannot sift through cnn money online everyday or watch the news all the time and want to keep up with current happenings. It is a macro business magazine covering business related topics around the world. I love it because it is raw information mailed to my doorstep. The magazine is heavy and it never seems to end, this is good because you want information on current business events right? 5 stars.

I know this is a magazine review, but I figured if someone wants some advice on some good business literature, my favorite business books are Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki, Competing for the future by CK Prahalad, from Good to Great, and The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Stephen Gary Blank. You will definitely benefit from these books and I believe they are a must have for emerging entrepreneurs.

Hope this review helps.

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A good magazine for those of us with a short attention span that want more straightforward details on topics we are already familiar with.

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Business Week provides a very basic overview of business on a weekly basis. Articles are very low on sophisticated analysis (unlike The Economist), too many pictures, not enough macroeconomic coverage and too much story-by-analogy. Too geared towards business managers and business students (undergrands primarily). Needs much more sophisticated analyses regarding stories.

Update as of June 2010:

Now, about 2 months after Bloomberg has taken over the magazine, many of the changes implemented by Bloomberg have improved the quality of the magazine (i.e., primarily more in-depth and intelligent articles as opposed to the previous superficial articles) but, so far these have been relatively minor. The magazine is worthy of a 3.5 stars instead of a four at the moment. However, the changes being implemented by Bloomberg are being made in a relatively slow and incremental way so it is not difficult to believe that, in a few months time, this magazine will become a four star. A determination will be possible to make around the Fall of 2010 when Bloomberg fully implements all of its planned changes.

Update as of January 2012:

Not that Bloomberg has fully implemented its plans the quality of the magazine has dramatically improved.The magazine is written much more intelligently and now would benefit not just, primarily, lower level undergraduates but higher level and those in the working world. A big improvement over the years immediately proceeding the magazine's purchase by Bloomberg. The magazine can now be rated a solid four star.

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