Enterprising women

by A. David Silver

Many of the entrepreneurs profiled in Enterprising Women will be names you'll recognize, like Mary Kay Ash, Liz Claiborne, Jenny Craig, Donna Karan, Muriel Siebert, and Lillian Vernon. Others may be new to you, such as Julie Brice ("I Can't Believe It's Yogurt"), Vinita Gupta (Digital Link), Gail Koff (Jacoby & Meyers), Lin W. Lan (Pacific Pioneer Insurance Co.), and Cheryl Shuman (Starry Eyes Optical Services). But they all share a common and remarkable achievement: Each created or built solid businesses worth at least $10 million in sales or $15 million in market value despite facing unique challenges in starting and sustaining her venture. Entrepreneurs with limited access to capital (a traditional hurdle for women, but one that increasingly applies to men as well) will find these accounts particularly useful. Only five of the subjects Silver profiles launched their businesses with professional venture capital; the rest got off the ground through sweat equity, supplier financing, an