Name of company: Enterforce
Name of woman leader: Marie O'Brien
Based in: Waukesha, Wis.
Description: Managed services provider
Began: 2001
2003 sales: $1.9 million
2007 sales: $50.3 million

What was the inspiration for your business?
O'Brien co-developed another company in the mid-1990s that was attached to a staffing business. But that meant other suppliers were skeptical when she tried to recruit them. "You're going to give that business to your sister company first," they would say. So O'Brien determined to develop a management consulting firm that would offer a level playing field to all the suppliers at a client site.

How much did it cost to start the business?
She used $16,560 from her family's savings.

How did you grow your business so rapidly?
"We're on-site at our clients. We manage all the temporary business within that client," O'Brien says. "Thus, the contractors, the other firms that are working with us, are rolled up under my business. We manage them. It's a big amount of money. We're looking for clients that have anywhere above $10 million in contingent expenses in a year."

O'Brien has been in the staffing business since 1981, so she has developed a lot of strong relationships, "customers who have counted on me to provide them with great talent," she says. Technology has been a factor, as well, as she adapted to the advent of PCs and Excel spreadsheets. "What I tried to do was stay ahead of the curve and understand the market better than our competition," she says. That way she has been able to present a value proposition to her clients. "It's the long-term relationships that really bring in the business."

How has being certified as a woman-owned business helped?
O'Brien says she'll soon be sitting down with the CFO of Halliburton because of her affiliation with the Women's Business Enterprise National Council and its annual conference (WBENC certifies women business owners). "Getting connected is really what that organization is all about," O'Brien says.

How do you balance your family and business responsibilities?
"You can't lose sight of the family, the husband, the house, the friends," she says. "And sometimes you have to give up something, because balance is important. I learned that lesson many years ago. You can't be gone every night of the week on business. I'm pretty well planned ahead of time. You can plan your down time, too."

What's on your iPod?
"Everything from Springsteen to Sinatra to Bonnie Raitt." O'Brien says she studied music for 16 years. "I took piano lessons and I studied in college, as well."

Personal milestones
She graduated from college in May with a degree in business communications. She's been taking one class at a time for years. "When I was 18 years old, I had my appendix burst and I had 16 subsequent surgeries. Then I ended up having breast cancer. But I am a 15-year survivor this year. I am very blessed."

What books are you reading?
Take Time for Yourself

What's your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to grow their business?
"Know your market, No. 1. Really, really know your market and what's your opportunity." Know what differentiates you from other organizations, "and then be able to speak to that and market to that. What makes you unique? What makes you different? You have to have that in your hand."

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