We’ve been dying to hear more from our Publisher and Editor in Chief, Alessandra Pollina, on how and why she got started and what’s in store for Quotable Magazine in the future. So we decided to do a fun Q & A to learn a little more about the passion behind Quotable Magazine.

What inspired you to start Quotable Magazine and what drives you to continue? Why is it important to share the stories of female founders?

I was getting so many great pitches for the podcast I host, but could only realistically produce so many episodes, which left so many stories untold and I wanted a way to share more. At the same time, we felt there were not enough great platforms out there for the kinds of stories we wanted to secure for our PR clients at my agency either. Sharing stories of how female founders have done what they’ve done allows others to see that they too can follow their dreams and create things that the world needs.

I love flipping through a print magazine, and always have. When I was in elementary school I started a family newsletter on my home computer, and later started one for my friends too. I loved writing and sharing information with others in that medium. When I went to college everyone said print was dead and not to pursue journalism, so I didn’t, but went the somewhat related PR route instead. Turns out, creating my PR agency ended up allowing me to start my own magazine, so I got to make my magazine dreams happen after all!

Who are some of your biggest influences or role models and why do they inspire you?

In the content space I look to Alaina Kaczmarski, founder of The Everygirl a lot. It’s solely online and geared toward literally every girl, but in terms of a platform, I’ve followed it since almost the very beginning and have always loved the kind of space she’s created there. I kind of wanted to take a similar vibe and bring it to the business space and print. I love that she’s so down to earth and approachable, family-oriented and clearly a great mom and business leader at the same time, and has built an incredible business through many phases with smart and steady growth.

In addition to your professional life, what are some of your personal interests or hobbies that help you recharge and stay creative?

I like to read in my downtime, and always have a fiction and a nonfiction book going. I like both because a novel helps me relax and not think about work, but I love a good professional development book or a memoir from another founder for inspiration, to keep new ideas coming and make sure I’m always thinking about things in new ways, which I think is important for any leader.

If you could describe your leadership style in three words, what would they be and why?

Supportive, trusting, inspiring.

I want my team to feel supported so they will love working here, be the best they can be, and want to be a part of it for the long haul, while also enjoying their life.
I trust people to get their job done and that they will do great and be superstars– because if they weren’t, I wouldn’t hire them.

I want my team to feel inspired by our work every day! I want to be an inspiration to them personally, but also make sure they’re feeling inspired by everything they’re doing so it will stay fun and exciting and enjoyable.

What do you find most rewarding about creating space for female entrepreneurs? What do you hope to see happen through the Quotable community?

Seeing women support each other and build the life they want with help from the connections they build with other entrepreneurs in our spaces is the best.

I hope our community, between the magazine and podcast, our events, even our PR agency and anything else we do, helps bring women together and just feel like anything is possible. I hope they’ll get the inspiration, connections, or tangible help they need to get there and we will have all made the world a better place through the things we’ve created together.