Rieva Lesonsky

Lesonsky spent the past 26 years at Entrepreneur magazine, where she started off as a research assistant and worked her way up to editorial director. Lesonsky is also one of the only women to ever hold a top spot at a business publication.

A native of New York, Ms. Lesonsky is the author of Get Smart and the best-selling Start Your Own Business, and co-author of the books Young Millionaires, Ultimate Book of Franchising 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 MSNBC's “Your Business” program and Fox Business News.