Ellen Fisher
Publisher and Founder, Women’s Yellow Pages
» Book on her night stand: 100 Things To Do Before You Die by Neil Teplica. I always love escaping to travel. Travel is a passion of mine.
» iPod tunes on repeat: K.T. Tunstall’s “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree.” I have no idea what it means; it just catches me. I saw her perform on The Today Show when she was 18 or 19, and I was fascinated because she did all the instruments herself—she was like a one-woman band. And I guess I can identify with that.
» Restaurant of the hour: I like Pepper’s Café in Ardmore.
» Personal hero: My father. He was an entrepreneur himself and he always loves to think outside the box. One thing she knows for sure: If you help promote other people’s businesses, you have a greater chance of being successful.
» Very own vici: I love the fact that I ran for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives—that I believed in some issues and went out and did it. I’m proud of my family, too—my daughter just got into Bryn Mawr College. Zen destination: Any place with rocky cliffs on the sea.
» If she had an extra hour each day, she would: Cook more, devote more time to trying to connect with other business people, and think about how to help my clients more.
» Pet peeve: People answering cell phones when it’s inappropriate to talk. Life view: chance or fate? Fate and planning—not necessarily chance. I like to think we design our lives. Most marked characteristic: I wear hats all of the time, so maybe that’s it. But I’d add my wry sense of humor. Quality she most admires in others: Creativity; I like people thinking differently about things.
» Mantra: Plan for fun.
