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span class="inline inline-left">Courtesy of Anita Moran, GoGirl!Anita Moran, the founder and editor-in-chief of GoGirl! magazine, reflected on the “workaholic” days when she started the teen magazine with her sister, Nina Moran, almost seven years ago.

Heavily engrossed in pouring her ideas into the magazine, Anita warded off financial worries and brushed off hints of doubt about the prospects of a magazine produced by absolute novices – Anita had just graduated from university with a degree in graphic design while her sister had brief experience in marketing.

“We were so sure of ourselves because we knew exactly what we wanted in the magazine,” the self-described magazine fanatic said on the source of her optimism.

“The fear of not getting any advertisements did exist but we were so determined that we did not really listen to what people said,” she added during an easygoing yet candid conversation with The Jakarta Post.

She recounted that during those early days her father came to her financial rescue by loaning three months worth of operation funds, totaling around Rp 1.2 billion (US$132,000), which Anita eventually paid back a couple of years later.

“We were young with no track record whatsoever so we were not able to secure loans from the bank. However, our father saw our determination in trying to get a loan here and there so he finally gave us a loan,” she said.

“However, he did not give the funds to us in one go. I had to note down every expense, such as for printing, before asking my father,” she said, adding that almost 70 percent of the funds went to printing the initial 15,000 copies of the magazine.

The remaining went into capital as well as to support her 12-member staff, which included four reporters responsible for filling the pages with original articles from the get-go.

She added with a laugh that the circulation agent and staff members, whom she recruited herself, were taken by surprise at the condition of the start-up magazine, which was headquartered on the first floor of Anita’s house.

“But then they saw the passion we had for making this sort of magazine and we recruited fresh graduates like ourselves. So we did not feel any awkwardness and we could state our minds about the kind of magazine we wanted to make,” she said.

GoGirl! eventually hit the stands and entered competition with big teen magazine franchises. But far from predicted, GoGirl! managed to sell 80 percent of their first edition copies, which the circulation agent said was a “magical” feat given that most magazines, even with considerable funds for promotion, sold lesser percentages of their print totals.

“We tackled the promotion problem by giving away cute bonuses – colorful cell phone lanyards – which were very hip at the time. Maybe people bought our magazine for the lanyards but from there, they started to read our content,” she told the Post.

From then on, the magazine has continued to grow, reaching a circulation of around 100,000 copies distributed across Indonesia, with earnings of approximately Rp 1.6 billion per month.

As the magazine grew in strength, so did Anita’s realization of her power to influence and her responsibility to her young readers.

“Since then, we have become more prudent about what we say,” she said, adding that the heart of GoGirl! has always been to convey messages of empowerment, and these days, entrepreneurship.

Yet, in spreading the message of self-respect, Anita said the magazine takes a different tone compared to other teen magazines.

Other magazines, she said, tend to sound preachy given that the advice articles were written by adults in formal language. GoGirl!, on the other hand, uses teen speak to make readers feel like they are “having a discussion among friends”.

It helped that the writers were young as well, giving them more affinity to the situations faced by teens, Anita added. For example, conscious of the prevalence of premarital sex, the magazine pushes for abstinence.

“We could only say that the girl has to have a high sense of self-respect for her body and her wishes,” she commented.

Anita attributes her strong sense of female power to the strong bonds of sisterhood she has with her two sisters, which were reinforced during her parents’ separation.

“My childhood was pretty tough and we were never coddled. But that’s why I became tough because there was me and my two sisters, whom were close to me,” she recounted.

Anita added that the magazine’s ability to remain true to its message of girl power was because it has remained independent from large magazine franchises that could dictate content.

Yet, Anita is facing issues with the magazine’s stewardship. As she turns 29, the new mother of a 3-month-old girl is contemplating finding a replacement before she turns into a preachy adult.

“Regeneration is important for survival but it has to be done carefully because the next generation must be able to pour the same soul into the magazine,” she said.

Motherhood has also given Anita new considerations; something that she says exemplifies the dual role women have to play within society.

She still has love for the magazine but she also has to deal with social expectations about what an ideal mother is.

“That really affects the psychology of women. It makes us want to fulfill those stereotypes because we sometimes lose the strength to deal with that pressure,” she said.

Learning the ropes juggling motherhood and work was not easy as well. Anita frankly recounted that she once broke into tears when the babysitter, not her, managed to calm her child.

“I often pour my heart out to my [older] sister. She has a 4-year-old so she has been through that. She told me to keep strong,” she related.

Yet, Anita ultimately relies on one person for motivation through the tough times – herself.

“Maybe this sounds narcissistic but my motivation has always been myself,” she noted. “I must keep the fire alive to be able to spread positive messages to young girls.”