• You’ve got a creative vision for a new product or service.
• You’d rather be your own boss.
• You’ve got business savvy and a competitive streak.

Sounds like you’ve got the makings of an entrepreneur!

People in all types of careers start and run their own companies, from carpenters to engineers to hairstylists. What makes a successful entrepreneur? Some believe it's simply a matter of offering the right product to the right people at the right price.

Making the leap from “employed” to “employer” can be scary. Yet more and more people, especially women, are doing it. Small business is the fastest-growing sector of Canada’s economy and women entrepreneurs are the fastest-growing segment within that sector.

Here are profiles of seven women who have built successful businesses. Some are members of Women Entrepreneurs of Canada, a networking and support organization based in Waterloo, Ontario.

• Catharine Fennell - President, Market Yourself Smarter Services Inc.
• Dr. Pirjo Friedman - The Pirjo Friedman Dental Clinic
• Eleonore Goulet - Goulet Professional Translating Services
• Freda Iordanous - Head Designer and Co-owner, Freda’s
• Marcelene Anderson - Raven Strategic Management Consultants
• Ruth Bastedo - Continuum
• Stella Yoon - cStar Technologies Inc.