Rieva Lesonsky

When it comes to the upper echelon of business and financial magazines, males rule, the exception being Entrepreneur magazine. Rieva Lesonsky, 50, senior vice president and editorial director, has the distinction of being one of the only women ever to hold a top editor spot at a business publication. Since 1987, she has served at the helm of Entrepreneur, and during her tenure, revolutionized the publication into a magazine of merit.

Ms. Lesonsky says as a female, she is able to provide a "different kind of perspective to the magazine" -- one that may be more reflective of today's business ownership climate where women have joined the ranks in amazing numbers since 1989.

"We try very much to talk to our readers - not 'we're so smart, you're so dumb' but as a friend, advisor or consultant," she said.

The tone is conversational and the content is practical.

"When you pick up Entrepreneur, you're going to learn something - how to grow your business or something you didn't know," Ms. Lesonsky said.

That knowledge and relevance is derived, in part, by the publication's own entrepreneurial status, she said. The $35 million-company is owned by one person.

"We deal with those issues the same as any entrepreneur would," she said. "I think we can relate to our readers more."

Since 1990, circulation at the magazine has nearly doubled from 300,000 to 550,000, and entrepreneur.com, whose editorial content Ms. Lesonsky is also responsible for, is considered the largest Web site for entrepreneurial information with some 100,000 pages of content.

Ms. Lesonsky began her tenure with Entrepreneur in 1978 as a research assistant. After being laid off in 1980, she was rehired in 1983 as head of research and then began climbing the ranks to editor-in-chief.

A native of New York, Ms. Lesonsky is the author of "Get Smart" and co-author of the books "Start Your Own Business," "Young Millionaires", and "303 Marketing Tips." She served on the Small Business Administration's National Advisory Council for six years. The SBA also honored her as a Small Business Media Advocate and a Woman in Business Advocate. She is a nationally recognized speaker and expert on entrepreneurship and small business ownership, and she is a regular on CNNfn's Entrepreneurs Only program.

Ms. Lesonsky said she originally wanted a career in journalism to help change the world. She says she's fulfilling that dream at Entrepreneur.

"We have an awesome responsibility because we are changing people's lives," she said. "Entrepreneurship is so empowering."

Her only major disappointment in her career thus far is that the magazine hasn't garnered the respect she thinks it is worthy of.

"I don't think we get the credit we deserve as a magazine. I think we are a better magazine than people know us to be."