Winners Circle Meet the BIZ Experiencesial Woman Small-Business Owners of the Year.

BIZ Experiences, in conjunction with Office Depot, is proud toannounce the winners of the BIZ Experiencesial Woman Small-BusinessOwner of the Year contest.

Winners were selected in three categories--the Grand PrizeWinner; the Homebased, or SOHO (Small Office/Home Office), BusinessWinner; and the Start-Up Business Winner.

From those applicants who met our financial criteria, acommittee of BIZ Experiences editors selected semifinalistsbased on three primary factors: how and why they started theirbusinesses, their community involvement, and the benefits orprograms they offer to employees. Final winners were chosen by theExecutive Board of the National Association of Women's BusinessAdvocates.

With so many applicants to choose from, and so many inspiringstories, making the selections wasn't easy--even for people whoread dozens of business success stories every day. But somehow, wemanaged to select the cream of the crop. We think you'll bepleased to meet them.

Green Thumbs

Fate may well have played a hand in the forming of Foliage byFlora Inc. "With the name Flora Green, I was destined to loveplants," acknowledges the 50-year-old founder of theMiami-based interior/exterior landscape design and holidaydecorations firm.

"Flora is our charmer," chimes in partner Jo Gillman,52, describing the woman whose company she joined one year intooperations. "She is the best public relations person anybodycould want."

Actually, both Green and Gillman know a thing or two aboutcharm--and, not incidentally, about growing a business. Together,the two have been selected as our grand prize winners forEntrepreneurial Woman Small-Business Owners of the Year.

"Jo and I just screamed and jumped up and down [when wefound out we'd won]," laughs Green. "We were like twolittle kids."

Flash back to 1975, when a recently divorced Green decided toturn her passion for plants into a means of supporting herself andher 4-year-old son. "I only knew how to be a mother and awife," she reflects. "That was about it."

That was the foundation for Foliage by Flora, nonetheless. Witha mere $200, a green thumb and the encouragement of friends, Greenpursued her BIZ Experiencesial dreams. "When I first started, itwas a one-lady operation," she explains. "I wore numeroushats, but I have to say I was never afraid. I enjoyed it."

When it was no longer practical to store plants in herapartment, Green moved her business inventory into palGillman's home. Gillman began to keep Foliage by Flora'sbooks and, gradually, the two friends evolved into businesspartners. They've been going strong ever since, carefullynurturing a business that is healthy enough to have necessitatedbigger and bigger warehouse facilities--and strong enough to havesurvived the damage to its offices by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

"This business has given me an opportunity to grow as aperson," says Gillman, who projects Foliage by Flora willexceed $3 million in sales this year. "I had good peopleskills before, but I've got excellent ones now."

Green and Gillman give as good as they get: Their "RecycledPlants for Charity" program distributes thousands of dollarsworth of "used" plants to local nonprofit groups everyyear. "It's basically a payback to our community,"says Green. "They have helped us get where we are today . . .and we know the monies are going to a very good cause."

With some 500 clients--mostly commercial--Foliage by Flora hasblossomed into a company in which both Green and Gillman can takegreat pride. Destiny, indeed.

Fit To Print

Why did Paula Inniss leave a secure, well-paying position atXerox to start her own digital printing company? "After monthsand months of research, I decided I wouldn't be able to livewith myself if I [didn't]," explains the 43-year-oldentrepreneur.

And so Columbus-based Ohio Full Court Press opened its doors toa primarily corporate clientele in January 1995. "Even thoughI knew a lot about the digital print side of the business, Ididn't know a lot about running a business--and they are very,very different," says Inniss, who has also done occasionalprinting jobs for a local basketball team as well as first-timenovelists and charitable organizations. "I went from having atotal support staff [at Xerox] to having no support at all. Therewere days when I sat in there with all that equipment bymyself."

What helped, certainly, was the fact that Inniss' silentpartner owned a commercial printing and fulfillment firm and wasable to send work her way. It didn't take long for business tobegin booming--and employees were promptly hired to keep Ohio FullCourt Press on a roll.

Even with a staff of 12, however, Inniss still maintains apretty grueling schedule. How grueling? She does paperwork at 5:30in the morning and follows that with 12 hours or so at the office."I'd heard horror stories about the time it takes to run abusiness, but I guess you never really know [until you do ityourself]," she says. "I thought I worked real hard withXerox--but there is no comparison."

Good thing Inniss grew up with a strong role model."She's been my greatest influence," says Inniss ofher 68-year-old mother. "[I was] taught to have a very strongwork ethic and never give up."

Persistence pays off--in this case, to the tune of 1996 sales of$1.2 million. Perhaps even more impressive, our BIZ ExperiencesialWoman Start-Up Business Owner of the Year makes it a point tosupport charitable causes in her community. "I don't justwant to say we showed up, we did a function, and we left," sheexplains. "I want to really get involved."

For Inniss, that involvement focuses on helping the homeless aswell as teaching local minority children skills to better preparethem for the work force. It may sound cliché, but Inniss trulybelieves that young people are the future--and she pledgescontinued community activism.

"The highs are very high and the lows--well, you have toscrape me off the ground," says Inniss of her BIZ Experiencesialsuccess. "But at the end of the day, I can look back and say,`This is mine.' "

Power Surge

I just decided to do it," says Rochelle Balch, 47,explaining the decision to launch her own computer consulting firmfour years ago. "[I figured] if it worked, great. If itdidn't, I'd be no worse off."

Turns out, Balch ended up a whole lot better than merely"no worse off." The transformation from downsizedemployee to founder of Glendale, Arizona-based RB Balch &Associates Inc. lifted the homebased BIZ Experiences into an entirelynew stratosphere. Last year, she recorded sales in excess of $2million. This year, she expects to download $2.5 million.

Not that it happened easily for our BIZ Experiencesial Woman SOHOBusiness Owner of the Year. Indeed, Balch pulled many anall-nighter during her business's first few years. Sure,she'd heard how important it was for homebased BIZ Experiencess toset up boundaries for themselves to keep from burning out--but toBalch's way of thinking, that just wasn't realistic."When you start off, you're [working] 24 hours aday," she says. "I don't care what anybodysays--that's just what you do."

And that's just what she did. Although it was difficultlanding those first few accounts, Balch's computer consultancywent into overdrive once U-Haul agreed to give her a shot in thesummer of 1993. "I told [the manager] I was new and reallywanted him to give me a chance," she says. "He could havesaid no and hung up like all the rest of them, but he said, `Allright, let me see what you've got.' "

Since that pivotal moment, Balch and the 30 independentcontractors who work for her have gone on to consult with otherbig-name companies such as American Express and Circle K. As ifrunning a thriving business and raising a 12-year-old daughterweren't enough, Balch also finds the time to participate in avariety of community volunteer efforts, including teaching classesto homebased BIZ Experiencess.

Any advice for women BIZ Experiencess hoping to follow in herfootsteps? "The main thing is you have to be extremelyconfident," Balch urges. "You have to exudeconfidence--it has to be dripping out of your pores."

And whatever you do, Balch stresses, don't sell eitheryourself or your business short--especially if yours is a homebasedoperation. "You can either be an itsy-bitsy homebased businessand treat yourself as somebody who works at home," she says,"or you can treat yourself as a business owner who happens tobe based out of your house and portray [a professional]image."

Clearly, Balch made the right choice--and she knows it. Far fromeager to run her business out of a commercial office, Balch isinstead planning to move her family and company into a two-storyhouse later this year. The move makes sense: With a boomingbusiness and a soon-to-be-teenage daughter besides, Balch needs theextra space.

Contact Sources

Foliage by Flora Inc., (305) 253-3939, fax: (305)235-1902;

Ohio Full Court Press, 4000 Business Park Dr., Columbus,OH 43204-5021, (800) 338-OFCP, (614) 278-9914;

RB Balch & Associates Inc., (602) 561-9366, (http://www.rbbalch.com)