Starting your own biz magazine

Scott Leith of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution business desk writes Tuesday about how two former Wall Street Journal reporters — Anita Sharpe and Kevin Salwen — have started a business magazine called Motto.

Leith wrote, “They came up with a new business publication called Motto and found ways to work better and cheaper, like holding meetings in a favorite coffee shop. They’ve hired someone with a corporate background to serve as publisher. And they’ve paid themselves slim salaries in hopes of making more later.

“‘It’s a true test of commitment,’ said Sharpe, who won a Pulitzer Prize while at the Journal. ‘I was cashing out retirement funds to pay my bills.’

“Sharpe and Salwen are chasing a dream that many find elusive — creating a magazine that lasts. It’s tougher if the upstart publication doesn’t have the backing of a giant company.

“‘Most of them don’t make it,’ said magazine consultant Martin Walker, of Walker Communications in New York.”

Read more here. Talking Biz News talked to Salwen about the venture back in December.