6. Irene Cohen

67, founder and CEO
FlexCorp Systems, New York, New York

Irene Cohen is doing for staffing what Charles Schwab did for stocks: Offer a service for a simple, per-transaction fee. Her $45 million FlexCorp handles payroll and health and retirement benefits for temporary workers at large corporations at a flat yearly cost of $3,500 per employee. It's better for companies, she says, which get the "flexibility of project-driven staffing without long-term commitments." And the savings let those companies offer temps better pay. -- Diana Ransom

7. Karen Bressler

43, CEO
AGAR Supply, Taunton, Massachusetts

Karen Bressler took over the family meat-distribution business from her father in 2001, just six months after overseeing -- all within one year -- implementation of a new computer system, creation of a road sales team, and a move to a new facility 30 miles away and three times larger than the original. It all made possible AGAR's recent expansion into new categories, such as frozen foods and sauces. To build awareness of the changes she'd made, Bressler found herself putting in more face time with retail and restaurant customers. "I don't think women are raised to brag," she says, but "there's a huge impact when I can talk to customers." We'll say: Revenue rose to a meaty $442 million in 2004 from $292 million in 2001. -- JM

8. Sharon Evans

55, president and CEO
CFj Manufacturing, Fort Worth, Texas

When people ask Sharon Evans what she does, she answers, "What do you need?" Her 110-person company, with six locations in the United States and four abroad, makes everything from custom promotional pens to jewelry for employee-awards programs. Evans launched CFj as a small jewelry shop in 1983, after divorce left her with just $11,000 in the bank and three kids to support. Her business experience? Two years of part-time sales at Zales. In 1986, a store regular gave Evans her big break: Could she make hundreds of branded lapel pins? Evans delivered, establishing a reputation for service that landed jobs for JC Penney, Frito-Lay, and PepsiCo. She hasn't slowed down since. Last fall, she won a $3 million account, one of her biggest. But Evans isn't satisfied: "I'll know I've reached success when I quit waking up three times during the night in cold sweats." -- JV

9. Madolyn Johnson

60, founder and president
The HomeMaker's Idea Co., Glendale Heights, Illinois

As a junior high-school teacher in 1971, Madolyn Johnson had a nagging dilemma: how to stay organized but make her classroom look cheery. She soon realized that her students' parents faced the same problem at home. Johnson used $1,500 from her retirement fund and $600 from a neighbor to start the HomeMaker's Idea, which sells decorative organizational products. She showcased her new line of wicker and wire baskets in her home, and the concept took off. Sales could hit $40 million this year. -- JV

10. Cyd Szymanski

48, CEO, Nest Fresh Eggs
Denver, Colorado

Hatching an Idea