[9_LEE]

Yes, that’s the current thinking and plan – certainly from myself, and to a strong but lesser degree with Keith. I will elaborate.

It’s most likely very apparent that my life has changed over the last 5-6 years since closing down LifeStyle AV. Watching the business I’d loved and spent almost 20 years building follow B&O as a company down the wrong side of the hill really took the wind out of my sails. My visits to BeoWorld are now few, my enthusiasm is low to say the least, and even though I’m still dealing in Bang & Olufsen my love for the brand is negligible at best.

I’m done.

Add to that the fact I’m working 7 days a week most weeks to pay all the bills and try to move forwards it leaves me little to no time for BeoWorld. What used to be the most wonderful “well paid hobby” in the world dealing in B&O has become an all-consuming struggle to make next to nothing. Really good used B&O is becoming increasingly difficult to source, people simply don’t want to pay the money for it any more, brand awareness amongst anyone under 35 is almost zero – and the biggest nail in the coffin was Brexit literally killing my European business overnight.

In complete fairness, and with total transparency, this website is only here because of the work Keith has done, and does on an ongoing basis. He runs the server from his own home, he fixes any bugs which appear, he has ramped up security to a point we get almost zero spam, and he spends hours developing on the back end. I do nothing apart from the Prize Draw (well, negotiating fees and appearances with PrizeDrawBot etc. *cough*)

So, personally I’m at a point where I don’t have the time (or money any more) to casually throw huge sums at complete revamps like I did all those years ago, and Keith is reaching a point where he’d actually like to enjoy his retirement as opposed to locking himself in his office for hours on end writing code.

So, after literally months (possibly a couple of years all told) of discussing that this day would eventually come, it’s our intention to put BeoWorld up for sale.

We don’t want huge amounts, just something which reflects what a long-established site with high Google ranking and an excellent reputation is worth, alongside the hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds put into it.

BeoWorld needs new enthusiasm, new blood, someone (or a group of people) who can take it forwards from now and beyond with drive and flair. Yes, it can also be monetised and most likely turn a good profit if it’s done well – but it’s not something Keith and I have the time or motivation to do. Keith has no ties to B&O from a business perspective, and I’m slowly layering out of doing it for a living.

What if BeoWorld doesn’t sell? Then it’s going to be a decision wether to just leave it as a chat forum and delete all the archived forums and reference sections (these are the areas which are costly to store on servers) or just take down the site altogether. I feel Keith would be happy to keep just the forum going, but that would be his decision alone and is certainly not guaranteed.

So, there we are. This website is absolutely prime for development and monetising if you have the knowledge and enthusiasm to do so. It could be a great advertising vehicle for a business related to B&O, or it could be a truly excellent hobby-site for someone who wanted to build closer ties to B&O as a brand and/or company. I’ve had some wonderful VIP experiences with Bang & Olufsen as the owner of BeoWorld which I will never forget.

So, there we are. I cannot really add anything to this. I’ve posted it on the Moderators Forum first and will leave it here for a few days before posting on the main forum. If anyone feels this should be edited, or would add anything, please let me know.

Kindest Regards

Lee

[Steve at Sounds Heavenly]

Hi Lee and Keith,

May I extend my thanks for the time, money and enthusiasm that you have both generously given to the site over many years. I think back happily on the many Beoworld prize draws, events and get-togethers that we have enjoyed, including the Beoworld party at the Kensington Roof Gardens nightclub in London (2010?) and the big Beoworld group visit to B&O in Struer in 2012 where we met the then CEO of Bang & Olufsen, Tue Mantoni.

I fully understand your reasons for wanting to move on and I wish you both the best for the future. I will, of course, be happy to continue offering financial support to Beoworld and any help required by the new owners in the day-to-day running of the forums, whoever they may be.

I have been approached by interested parties recently, who are keen to support the site, so I have passed these on to Lee. For this reason, I have confidence that the site is well placed to be able to continue long into the future as the global hub for B&O enthusiasts.

May I take this opportunity to wish Lee and Keith the very best for their future projects and to stand publicly in support of Beoworld going forward.

Kind regards, Steve.

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