It’s hard to imagine that companies like Mary Kay and Ben and Jerry’s were ever fledgling start-ups. In a time of economic uncertainty and risk, it’s nice to hear inspiring words from those who took the entrepreneurial gamble and ended up on top. Inc.com highlights 10 different entrepreneurs, each offering insight into how they made their mark.

From Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics: “I often say I started with nine people, friends of mine, really, who just didn’t have the nerve to say no,” she told Inc. in 1985. “They didn’t intend to stay around, but they were going to help me get it started. They were very kind and sweet—and last year one of them made $325,000.”

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