Back in the day, a much younger version of me spent many a Saturday morning watching what was probably the best branded program in television history: Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.

Every week, I’d tag along with Marlin Perkins and first-name-only “Jim” as they encountered animals in their natural habitat. Come to think of it, Jim did most of the encountering while Marlin narrated. Nonetheless, their tag team efforts did a great job of showing lions and tigers chasing giraffes and wildebeest, birds on the hunt and evasive prey doing its best not to get caught. It was a tough lesson for a young age, but I soon learned that the wild really lives up to its name — and you never want to be left behind by the herd.

The same is true in business. You’re either first, or best, or fastest – or you’re gone. Fall behind and you’ll be picked off by hungry predators.

Which is why we here at Atlantic Business are dedicated to constant improvement. Yes, we’re the most award-winning business magazine in the region. And yes, we have the largest circulation in our class (audits put us 39% ahead of our closest regional competitor). We use only high quality recycled papers and inks in our print products and work hard to take full advantage of electronic delivery systems. All of our stories are available on our website in text and PDF formats (in case you hadn’t heard, we’re smartphone-friendly too). We’re also active on Facebook and Twitter, steadily building an ever larger and more loyal audience.

It’s all good stuff, but good is never enough.

In this jungle, it’s you — the reader — who is king. Call it the law of the eyeball: either we deliver must-read content or you look elsewhere. So when you talk, we listen — very, very closely. Which is why, based on your submissions to our annual readership survey, we’ve refined some elements of the magazine.

You may have already noticed one of them: our expanded and refined contributors’ page. We’ve adopted a more insightful and entertaining presentation style, allowing our writers and photographers to explain some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into content creation.

Speaking of contributors, we’re proud to say we’ve added a well known and highly respected name to our editorial roster. Stephen Kimber is a professor of journalism at University of King’s College as well as an award-winning writer, editor and broadcaster. His work has appeared in almost every major publication in Canada, from the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star to Canadian Geographic and Financial Post. As our new contributing editor, he’ll strengthen our coverage of Nova Scotia’s business scene.

We do, however, have some words of caution as you move forward: don’t panic when you can’t immediately find John Risley in his usual slot behind the Upfront section. He’s not gone, he’s just moved up the food chain. His new home is on the most valuable piece of real estate in the magazine, just inside the back cover. We thought it was a more fitting locale given his popularity with readers.

We’re also making adjustments online by beefing up our coverage of home-grown Atlantic Canadian businesses with our Business of the Month club. Each month, we’ll select a subject from submissions received on our website and publish an indepth profile of that company on atlanticbusinessmagazine.com. Plus, we’ll promote the profile via our e-newsletter and on our Facebook and Twitter channels.

Still hungry for more? We’re also partnering our online publishing section with student journalists throughout Atlantic Canada and posting their reports for your electronic consumption. It’ll give you a taste of emerging talent, provide next-generation journalists with a public platform for their work and boost our online offerings.

After all, there really is strength in numbers, and we’ll need that if we want to stay in front of the pack. We are Atlantic Business Magazine. Hear us roar.