AMY HILLIARD FOUNDER: THE COMFORTCAKE COMPANY

Amy Hilliard's favorite dessert has always been pound cake. Whenever she'd bake them for dinner parties or her children's bake sales, she'd draw raves--and suggestions that she sell them. After serving as senior vice president of marketing for Soft Sheen Products--and before that as a marketing exec at Pillsbury, Gillette and Burrell Communications Group--the savvy Howard University graduate and Harvard M.B.A. ventured out on her own. Today the Detroit native owns Chicago-based The ComfortCake Company, LLC, makers of "pound cake so good it feels like a hug." ComfortCakes are in nearly one hundred Cub Foods and Jewel stores throughout the Midwest With a small staff and two bakeries that bake cakes in volume, The ComfortCake Company is a success no matter how you slice it.

COOKING UP A PLAN: "At a Christmas party someone tasted one of my liqueur-infused cakes and said, 'Wow, this is a comfortable cake.' I checked the name ComfortCake on the Internet and it was available. So l filed for a trademark and domain name (comfortcake.com) and put my dream into action. After consulting with my family, I sold my home with one goal in mind: to become the premium producer of pound cakes."

NO CAKEWALK: "It was difficult to find a bakery that could fill large orders and bake our cakes from scratch. Through networking we landed a meeting with United Airlines that led us to our current baker, whom we've used for two years."

LET THEM EAT CAKE: "Two days after we met with United, the airline ordered 500,000 slices to be served on its Hawaii flights. Then came our biggest client, the Chicago public-school system, which so far has served students more than 1 million slices. In addition, ComfortCakes have been featured on the Home Shopping Network and are also available at amazon.com in the Gourmet Food section. Our single size Baby Bundts are sold in 7-Eleven stores nationwide."

WORKING WITH FAITH: "Starting a business is tough. You must be committed to making it happen and above all, you must have faith. That means: F: Focus on the goal. A: Assume success. I: Combine instinct, intellect and integrity. T: Trust that it's not an overnight process And H: Lead with your heart.--SHERRI A. MCGEE

I Love This Job!

PLUS-SIZE MODEL

RANDI GRAVES SALARY RANGE: $150-$5,000+ PER DAY

MY BEST FRIEND AND I WERE TAKING THE train to New York City one day to go shopping when he dared me to visit some modeling agencies for a tryout. We went to several but had no luck until we reached Wilhelmina Models. I was at the reception desk inquiring about open call when Susan Georget, who has since become my agent, came up and asked: 'How tall are you? What size are you?' I told her I was a size 10, but she wrote down 12, gave me a photographer's name and number, and said, 'Get some pictures and come back.' I thought, Yeah, whatever. A year later I came across the photographer's number while cleaning my room, and I did what she suggested.

"I returned to Wilhelmina and sat nervously for an hour and a half waiting to be seen, watching dozens of tall, thin girls leaving (some in tears). I had my hand on the door, ready to leave, when I was called into a booker's office. She took some Polaroids, and after a brief interview offered me a contract. My very first modeling job was with Macy's West, and I was so nervous I sweated my makeup off. But my second job--a six-page spread for Mode magazine--was great.

"I didn't plan on modeling, because while growing up in Morristown, New Jersey, I never saw any mainstream models that looked like me. I attended Hampton University and was on a path to either business school or law school. But modeling is a great career, though there is a downside: I have to watch my weight so that I don't drop below plus-size; and I have to get plenty of exercise to keep my body in shape. But I balance my heavy workload with pampering treats like a facial or a massage or treatment at a spa once a month. I love the freedom and the confidence that working in the industry has given me."--STEPHANIE SCOTT

so you want to strut your stuff?

HERE'S HOW TO START STEPPING

KNOW WHERE TO GO. If you live outside a major city, look in the yellow pages for an agency near you. Some larger agencies are Wilhelmina (New York, Los Angeles, Miami), Elite (New York, Chicago) and Click (New York, Atlanta). Pick up the Model and Talent Directory, edited by Gregory James; check out Model's Boot Camp: How to Break Into Modeling and TV Commercials the Right Way! (video) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Being a Model, coauthored by Roshumba Williams.

MEET AND GREET. Attend an open call to meet professional agents. Call the agency near you to find out what day they host these events. Leave your hat, makeup and scarves at home so the agents can see the real you. And never lie (about your age or height) on applications, if you don't get signed your first time out, keep at it. But before signing any contract, have a lawyer read it.