Bloody Mary's makeup transforms movie stars, Marines and Halloween revelers.

Carol Stein set aside family therapy and opened an art gallery--with a 30-year record of success.

Starting With a Loan of $1.40, Fourera Soumana Grew Her Way to Business Success in Niger.

These female entrepreneurs are defining the future for women in India.

While solving her own problem, Jodi Pliszka developed a bankable product.

Financial expert starts a franchise business that makes the process of divorce both civilized and fair.

Robyn Waters has learned a lot in her fashion career. Here she offers her top three lessons.

Being a bit of a maverick proves to be Tova Borgnine's route to success.

Kathy Davis scattered seeds of joy and grew a garden of success.

Entrepreneur caters to everyman with a warm, inviting experience that features the best music, the best service and affordable prices.

Microsoft validates their concepts by bringing them to its Xbox platform.

Peggy Duncan teaches people how to work smarter--lessons she took to heart when it came to building her business.

Mya Jacobson saw her fortune not on Wall Street but in cookies.

Working outside your scope is rarely profitable, Cassandra Sanford says, and it won't propel your reputation.

As in China, the philosophy behind Kilop USA is helping one another create a meaningful living.

After her husband suffered a stroke and employees left, Jill Anderson literally mortgaged her company's future--and it paid off.

'Character goes a long way. You have to make your word count,' says Saxon Group's Jeni Bogdan, No. 17 on our list.

Amy Rees Anderson saw a way to break into the medical records market, so she consolidated two companies and built a multimillion-dollar business.

These women-led businesses are speeding their way to the top.

When you start in a dorm room, the sky's the limit. Make sure there are goals to reach along the way.

Leslie O'Connor, No. 14 on our list, says her virtual model helps keep her overhead low and her margins below the competition.

At staffing company Salo, there's an element of sparkle and good, old-fashioned fun.

For Kathy Lehne, the long list of challenges facing her when she started her company wasn't enough to extinguish her entrepreneurial fire.

If you can't do what you love, find something to be passionate about and develop whatever that is.

Liz McKinley knew she was a generation or three late to her chosen game, but $120 million in sales says she's figured out the rules and become a competitor.

It takes hard work, long hours, outperforming your competition--and reinventing yourself every day.

Knowing she was an entrepreneur at heart, Naheed Syed decided to stop creating new divisions at her corporate employer and instead create her own company.

'Companies go astray when they stay the same but the world around them changes,' says Ranjini Poddar, No. 7 on our list.

By never taking its initial customers for granted, direct-mail company Polaris Direct solidified its reputation and grew its client base.

And make sure you love it, or you're not going to have much fun.

Understand the market so you can present a value proposition to your clients.

Have the right people in place so you're ready to expand, but don't bite off more than you can chew.

Pinnacle's Nina Vaca says that 'being surrounded by the right people' is the No. 1 factor in her company's success.

Heidi Smith Price has the fastest-growing woman-led company, and she's managed that success in a male-dominated industry.

She's starting over as an artist and entrepreneur after Liz Claiborne shuttered her clothing line.

Girls' Night Out has an impressive following in 18 cities across the U.S.

Thanks to their passion and determination, these outstanding women have made and continue to make a difference in our daily lives.

Mary Crane was a lobbyist and White House chef. Now she teaches etiquette to Generation Y employees.

An accidental association with lingerie leads Carole Hochman to the heights of success in the design world.

Daughters describe the lessons they learned from their mothers about work and entrepreneurship.

The bright idea of adding loops of ribbon to toddlers' blankets blossomed into a multimillion-dollar business.

Alice + Olivia's 'quirky but wearable' designs are flying off the racks in more than 500 stores worldwide.

In observance of Black History Month, we look at black women's entrepreneurial experience in America, today and in the past.

It wasn't an easy road, but would-be rock star Dina LaPolt is now a successful attorney in the entertainment industry.

Female franchise leaders offer advice and encouragement to would-be entrepreneurs and franchisors.

In her book, Barbara Carey shows how your ideas can make you a millionaire, too.

With culturally inspired chocolates and a focus on going green, Entrepreneur's Woman of the Year is taking taste to a whole new level.

Pioneering developer makes New York-style loft living a hit in the Miami River area.

After traveling the world for IBM, Cynthia Bohn transforms her Kentucky vineyard into a tourist destination.

Amy Langer's 5-year-old business hit the $9 million mark after only 2 years, and now she's projecting more than $40 million in sales.

A corporate marketing exec uses her paid time off to launch a business that gives her more work-life balance.

After decades of growing successful ventures, Carole Hyatt is teaching other women to be rainmakers in their own careers.

Robin Fisher Roffer's Big Fish Marketing takes TV out of the box and onto multimedia platforms.

Tena Clark owes her music branding company's success to a keen ear and a feel for how music affects the customer experience.

Rebecca Herwick pulls all her interests into her business--from biking to helping others help themselves.

Your business won't grow if everything stays the same. Learn to expand with new products and ideas.

When one bored-of-scrubbing entrepreneur decided cleaning should be fun, she created a whole new category of luxury cleaning products.

Kim Kiyosaki shares her #1 secret to success and happiness, and it's simpler than you may think.

Glinda Bridgforth took a pivotal point in her life and turned it into a business--teaching others to emerge from financial trouble.

These two women entrepreneurs have brought stylish and comfortable underwear to more than a generation of women.

An introverted speaker company entrepreneur takes on massive competitors and a male-dominated field to come out on top.

Lisa Price's kitchen experiments created the product, but her mother's encouraging words brought them to the market.

Maureen Kelly went into the cosmetics industry green but came out with sales gold.

In store demonstrations, Q & A sessions were used to educate consumers on the value of chemical-free baby care products.

Ex-apprentice Andrea Lake's trump card: owning several businesses that suit changing demands.

Lunden De'leon was told to stick with rap, hip hop and R&B because of her skin color. Not listening!

Knock Knock's specialty gifts will squeeze a snicker or two out of your most uncaffeinated friend.

Tarte Cosmetics Founder Maureen Kelly had a surprising edge: her inexperience.

An IT consulting business is the latest endeavour in one hard working family's legacy.

Bling Team: A 9,000 strong teen and pre-teen network helps Tina Wells pinpoint whats hot.

Amahlia Stevens looked to her days on beaches foreign and local to create stylish swimwear.

Surf Diva school and apparel meets growing demand for female surfing instruction, cute bikinis.

How one Ex CIO is using her business know-how to fund Marfan syndrome research.

Stacy Pecor will do whatever it takes to prevent your next fashion faux pas

Lisa Druxman is making motherhood easier by helping moms with infants stay in shape.

Cyd Szymanski cracked the organics market by introducing cage-free eggs. Farmers (and chickens) rejoice.

When Holly Dunlap was paid in Manolo Blahnik shoes instead of dollars, a shoe designer was born.

Dawn Barnes combines lessons in compassion with karate class to create mindful little adults.

Amanda Horan Kennedy combined nylon pantyhouse with the ubiquitious undergarment to create her seamless signature bras.

...but it took 3 years and one lawsuit to get that name back, DuWop owners share.