Copywriters: Move Here If You Want to Get Rich (Plus an Awesome Job Opportunity)

Our friends from Equitymaster, an industry-leading financial publisher in India partnered with Agora Inc., are in need of a copywriter. And they want to fill the position with an AWAI member. Read below for details.

“ … So the question my friend and I asked ourselves over tea and scones yesterday is this: If we were in our early twenties and our goal was to become billionaires (forget the measly millions!), where would we go to start our fortune?

“For me, there was only one answer: I’d move to India.

“Why India?

“Because India is, in many ways, like the United States was in 1900 … but bigger and better. It has a huge population — about a billion people, of which approximately 200 million are considered middle class. This is more than 10 times the size of the U.S. middle class at the start of the Industrial Revolution. The sheer size of the market is staggering.

“A study I read in the International Herald Tribune recently said that there are a million families in India whose income is more than $100,000 a year. That’s a very substantial class of wealthy people. Many of these wealthy people are entrepreneurs and investors. And because of India’s laws (and lack of laws), they will have few artificial obstacles to keep them from increasing their wealth.

“India’s positive investment climate and vast consumer markets have resulted in a decade of phenomenal growth. Since I’ve been tracking it, India has been growing at least twice as fast as the United States. And even today, with oil prices going up and productivity going down on a global scale, India is still growing at almost 7% a year. Again, more than twice the rate in the U.S.

“China, too, has a huge, fast-growing economy. But I’d choose to move to India over China because of its more democratic government, more homogeneous population, and the prevalence of the English language.

“And if I were going to set up shop in India, I’d start something in the communications or technology area. More specifically, I’d start an Internet publishing company there.

“Why Internet publishing?

“First and foremost, because it’s a business I know. And it’s always better to start a new business in a field you know.

“I also like publishing because it’s a growing industry in India. According to that report in the International Herald Tribune, the country’s magazine business will increase 20% in 2008, up to $302 million.

“In the past 12 months, all of the following magazines have been launched in India: Vogue, Rolling Stone, OK!, Maxim, FHM, Golf Digest, People, and Marie Claire. Most of them have been launched through licensing agreements with Indian companies. That’s what I’d try to do — get an equity position and put down my stakes in India. That’s how you make the big money, not just by passively investing from abroad.

“If the publishing industry is doing well, the Internet is doing even better. The growth of the Internet-based side of the information industry in India is impossible to know with certainty because of how many new companies are involved and how fast they are moving. But most insiders I’ve spoken to estimate the growth at more than 100% a year.

“To me, India is a long-term play — an opportunity that will continue to get better over the long haul. There will be ups and downs and specific sectors that fail while others succeed. But, overall, the long-term trend is upward — toward the billions!

“One of my biggest clients recently acquired a half-interest in an investment publishing business in Mumbai. That was a very smart move on their part. If things work out like I think they might, they will see a 100-to-1 return on their investment over the next five to 10 years … and a 1,000s-to-one return over a longer period of time …”

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Hi, I'm David Sexton.

The above was written a few years ago by Mark Ford. Perhaps you're familiar with him as one of the inspirations for AWAI …

I wanted to share it with you because I'm an editor at the Mumbai-based investment publishing company Mark mentions toward the end of his letter, Equitymaster.

Since partnering with Agora, our list has grown to over 1.5 million.

Would you believe that we're not satisfied with this number? Well, it's true. While we take the same long-term view of our business — and India — that Mark does, we are all too aware that we’ve only achieved a fraction of our potential. This is where you come in …

The Agora publishing model works everywhere and always. I saw this firsthand as a young editor at Port Phillip Publishing in Melbourne, Australia. In less than a decade, Port Phillip became Australia’s best-read independent financial publisher. It also became Agora’s most profitable subsidiary.

This was perhaps predictable. While Australia has a small population, it is a rich country that embraces free-market ideas.

The opportunity in India might not be as obvious. However, I believe it’s only a matter of time before Mumbai overtakes Melbourne as Agora’s most profitable office.

A confluence of factors will play into this.

First, Agora-style copy and market analysis isn’t common here. Indians are starved for our fresh ideas and approach. We must expect imitators, but nobody does it quite like we do.

Second, Indians are tremendously entrepreneurial and interested in wealth creation. Indeed, wealth is a one of the four purusharthas (primary aims of human life) of Hinduism. Further economic progress in India will only strengthen India’s enthusiasm for the investment and lifestyle opportunities we offer.

Third, India’s economy … Much ink has been spilt over India’s “miraculous” growth since the early 90s. And now India’s current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has renewed the promise of India’s march toward progress and prosperity.

India now stands at perhaps her most exciting position in history. The potential to become a world economic power is real.

But the unfinished agenda is huge. And herein lies our greatest opportunity …

Foreign funds dominate India’s markets. Less than 1.5% of the Indian population invests in securities, compared with almost 10% in China and 18% in the U.S. Just 2% of India’s household savings are exposed to equity. The long-term average in the U.S. is 45%.

From a Bloomberg editorial:

“The development of a robust Indian equity market after 1991 represents one of the great achievements of India’s liberalization policies. To reap the full gains, though, the government now needs to do a better job of educating and enticing its own citizens into taking part.”

India certainly needs more investment from within to achieve the progress it deserves. And though Narendra Modi seems serious about his free market reforms, we’re not so sure about relying on the government to usher in this age of enlightened domestic investment.

So we do our part …

We recommend investments, sure. But perhaps the better part of our service is education.

The extent of India’s progress will be determined in part by domestic support. Not blind support and unbridled enthusiasm, but the backing of educated and astute market participants.

And so at last, I get to the reason for writing to you:

We need an AWAI-trained copywriter to help us bring our ideas, services, and education to more Indians.

Your copy will reach millions and has the potential for massive impact. Of course, for your efforts, you’ll make great money. You’ll also have the pleasure of participating in — and in many ways, steering — an amazing story. You’ll live in a vibrant, cosmopolitan city in one of the most dynamic and exciting nations on Earth. And you’ll collaborate with world-class talent from India and around the world.

I can hardly imagine a better opportunity for a young (or not-so-young) copywriter.

In India, and at Equitymaster, you will find an abundance of material to work with and angles to pursue in your copy. You will largely be self-directed and able to try various ideas.

In fact, we want to work with a confident copywriter who will boldly take our copy to the next level.

As Mark says, forget the measly millions …

Some might see our ambitions as staggering, but the copywriter we want to work with will agree that they are quite realistic.

To get connected with us about this opportunity, email your resume/CV directly to my publisher at rahul@equitymaster.com and tell us about yourself as a copywriter and why you’re interested in working with Equitymaster and moving to India.