Hat Trick They were labeled mad hatters at first, but this creative couple used their heads to put their event business on top.

What: Interactive entertainment company
Who: Fiona and Steve Markowitz, co-founders of Party Hats Entertainment
Where: San Diego
When: Started in 1993

At a birthday party 14 years ago, Fiona Markowitz, 40, rolled up paper bags into hats and let her children paint them for fun. Encouraged by party attendees who were wowed by her creativity, she and her husband Steve, 45, took a chance at making it a business. Now Party Hats Entertainment offers pre-made hats and many décor options, such as feathers, buttons, beads, silk flowers and more.

Fiona credits some of their success to The Special Event, a yearly international conference and expo for event specialists that she began attending seven years ago. "That's where I learned who the [event] industry people were, what their greatest needs were and what we'd be able to accomplish with [our business]," she recalls.