As any middle-aged woman can tell you, dealing with the effects of aging is not always pretty. At 47, Connie Sherman began experiencing menopause-related hot flashes that often left her drenched with sweat and completely mortified.
In an epiphany that came through a hot flash-busting New York snowstorm, Sherman developed the initial concept for Hot Girls Pearls and, sensing that she wasn't the only woman looking for a way to beat the heat, decided to take the product to market.
With a total investment of $150,000 from her mother and two sisters, 61-year-old Sherman began selling her necklaces and bracelets in June 2011. Customers have included menopausal women, women suffering through cancer treatments and MS symptoms, as well as those simply looking for hot weather relief.
And although the jewelry is fully functional -- each bauble is filled with a non-toxic, stay-cool gel -- it's also fashionable. Says Sherman about her design concept, "You gotta live through this; you might as well look fabulous!"
Bored? Turn your passions -- whether they are juggling chainsaws, chasing tornadoes or walking on fire -- into cool and profitable companies just like the following 12 entrepreneurs did.
