Baby craft gift idea shower

A good moneymaker can be like the nose on your face

Wite-Out corrective fluid. Java joints with sofas. Or what about a fragrant liquid soap for the body? How many times have you seen a high-flying business concept whose sheer genius is its simplicity? The idea is just so obvious, you wish you'd thought of it yourself.

We found and talked to five sisters who are visionaries of this stripe. A few of our entrepreneurs got their big idea from a figurative knock on the head that, like Sir Isaac Newton's apple, transformed a flash of insight into a novel business idea. Others have simply taken their passions, hobbies and know-how, tossed in a tenacious spirit and a serious helping of faith, and served up dream-fulfilling and moneymaking businesses. "After all, some of the best business ideas come from our gifts, talents and personal experiences," says Sally Murrell, a senior program director at the Small Business Administration's Office of Women's Business Ownership.

The five businesses featured here are just a sample of the growing cadre of sister-owned companies across the country. According to the National Foundation for Women Business Owners (NFWBO), Black women in the United States own more than 405,000 businesses. Although some attribute this latest wave in the Black female entrepreneurial revolution to better economic conditions, Black women have their own read: We want to be in control of our destiny. For some, that realization has come only after trying times: unexpected job loss, a painful divorce, the strain of balancing work and family or a straight-up cash crunch. But in the end, after the bumps and bruises, sweat, tears and sleepless nights, none would have it any other way. Instead, they encourage others to listen to that inner voice, maintain a clear business-minded perspective and spring into action when the apple hits you on the head.

ANGELA ALLEN'S MONEY MAP

Business Concept: Provide an easy-to-use map for tourists and business travelers seeking banks, ATMs, currency-exchange centers, check-cashing and wire-transfer services. Started with New York City's midtown area.

Company Name and Location: Money Map Inc., New York City; founded summer 1999.

Principal: Angela C. Allen, 32, president.

Projections: Allen says that this year, her second in the business, sales should exceed $100,000.

Financing: Allen, a journalist for a major New York daily newspaper, took out a $12,000 loan from her 401(k) plan to cover legal and printing expenses, plus the cost of hiring a cartographer.

A Start-up Is Born: "Show me the money" took on a whole new meaning for Allen when she was traveling in Scotland in 1996. Frustrated that none of her travel guidebooks listed ATM locations, Allen returned home and decided that with cash machines popping up everywhere from bookstores to bodegas, she just might have a hot idea. She buried herself in map books, traveled abroad to attend a few map-making conventions, taught herself the basics of cartography and honed her computer skills to create a workable database.

Then, she says, "I had to do an old-fashioned Lewis and Clark field survey, walking through the streets of New York City to find ATMs." Allen hired a cartographer who helped design the map.

Her initial print run was for 10,000 copies. Money Map, which comes in six languages, went on sale in July 2000 at Barnes & Noble for $5.95 each. Hudson News stores signed on in August. In just three months, Allen sold more than 2,000 maps.

The Beauty of This Business: As a useful tool for locals as well as a must-have for tourists, Money Map has abundant possibilities for expansion.

Challenges Ahead: Now it's a matter of getting the map into more retail outlets and hotels. To take her Money Map to other cities, Allen must increase visibility and sales. She's launching a grassroots, bootstrap public-relations campaign and marketing blitz. Meanwhile, she's working on selling the map to publishing companies for use as a branded product in travel guides. "No matter the idea, the challenge is to work past the doubts and the naysayers," Allen advises.

HELENE BARNETT'S DOWN-HOME B & B

Business Concept: A New Orleans inn that reflects African-American culture and offers first-rate service, plus all the comforts of home.

Company Name and Location: Lagniappe Bed and Breakfast, New Orleans; founded March 1995. (Lagniappe is a Cajun-French word meaning "unexpected gift.")

Principals: Helene Barnett, 35, and her husband, Kenny, 38.

Projections: Average annual revenues at Lagniappe now run between $160,000 and $175,000. The cozy five-bedroom B&B debuted five years ago with rates of $70 to $80 per night, but increased demand has pushed the price between $135 and $200 per night, depending on the season. New Orleans's reputation as a tourist destination and its year-round special events and convention traffic helped the Barnetts recoup all their initial costs by the third year of business.

Financing: Helene's mother, a 50 percent owner of the inn property, put up about $350,000 for the initial purchase and complete renovation, including sprinkler systems and new sidewalks. The couple drew on their own personal savings for their half of the investment.

A Start-up Is Born: Helene had a college degree and years of experience in hotel management for corporate chains. Her husband was an interior designer for a major department store. So when Helene's mother suggested they buy a dilapidated house in her downtown New Orleans neighborhood and transform it into a bed-and-breakfast, they saw the idea as a perfect fit with their skills and passions. These two "people persons" love entertaining, so in 1994 they quit full-time jobs and moved to New Orleans from Charlotte, North Carolina. They repaired one area in the old house before moving in, living there for more than a year and a half while completing renovations. In early 1995, Lagniappe Bed and Breakfast opened to Mardi Gras guests.

The Beauty of This Business: These folks truly love their work as professional hosts and innkeepers and have created a profitable venture.

Challenges Ahead: The lodging competition is getting stiff. As a result, in addition to using their guest-services and interior-design acumen, the Barnetts have had to learn a new skill--marketing and public relations. Positioning their niche as a haven for personal attention And a homelike atmosphere in the often-cold world of hotels is crucial to their continued success.

To keep guests coming, the Barnetts plan to add three more bedrooms. They're also offering more hotel-like freebies--robes, toiletries--to their guest rooms and providing private phones, which lets them increase rates. Bottom line: They'll get about $66,000 more annually in revenues.

FELICIA PALMER'S DURABLE DOT-COM

Business Concept: The Support Online Hip-Hop Web site--SOHH.com--is a cyberspace forum for hip-hop enthusiasts. These days, as the list of dot-corn deceased grows ever longer, SOHH.com has proved itself to be a true survivor.

Company Name and Location: 4Control Media, the parent company of SOHH.com, in Jersey City. 4Control Media was established in 1995; SOHH.com was launched in July 1996.

Principals: Felicia Palmer, 30, and Steven Samuel, 29.

Projections: 4Control Media expects to become profitable this year and clear $1 million in revenues from off-line award-show sponsorships, Web-site advertising and Web-development fees.

A Start-up Is Born: Palmer, a Cornell University graduate, was a new media manager for ESSENCE magazine's first Web site. Samuel, a programmer at CBS.com, was one of the originators of a hip-hop chat room where groups like the Cyber Mics waged lyrical battles, debated and exchanged ideas. The partners first used a tag-team, bootstrap approach to funding their venture. While one worked a job, the other focused on the business. In 1998 they both decided to give the site their full focus.

Financing: Last year Urban Box Office (UBO) gave 4Control Media and SOHH.com a major cash infusion in exchange for an equity position. But last fall, when UBO abruptly shut down and filed for bankruptcy, the shell-shocked Palmer and Samuel used their own money, including home-equity and personal loans, to cover operating expenses and moved the staff of ten to New Jersey to set up offices in a building owned by Samuel.

The Beauty of This Business: Created by true hip-hop aficionados, instead of record executives trying to chase an unfamiliar audience, SOHH.com is a well-respected forum.