Hobby Course The way to a great business? She went with a hobby.

Thirteen years ago, Shelli Gardner was a stay-at-home momlooking for an opportunity that would give her a flexible scheduleand let her work at home. Intrigued by direct sales, Gardner andher sister, LaVonne Crosby, created a company to satisfy theirbusiness needs and fuel their creativity, turning to their favoritehobby, rubber stamping, for inspiration. Stampin' Up! Inc. wasborn.

The company now manufactures and sells exclusive lines of rubberstamps and accessories through its 18,000 independent consultants,or "demonstrators." With more than 400 stamp sets and avariety of accessories in its 250-page catalog, sales for 2000 werejust under $100 million. "We have some demonstrators who makeover $100,000 a year-easy," says Gardner, 39.

With no prior business experience, Gardner and Crosby begantheir adventure out of their Las Vegas homes. After a few rockystart-up years, they were advised to prepare for bankruptcy. Butthanks to a careful recovery and the decision to manufacture theirown line of stamps, they got back on track. In 1996, they movedtheir headquarters to Salt Lake City. Two years later, Crosby leftthe business to pursue other interests.