For the past two years, Working Woman magazine has presented Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards to outstanding business owners in their respective fields. Our panel of judges choose women whose companies exemplify the hallmarks of success in each of seven categories:

General Excellence Original Product or Service Customer Service Innovative Business Strategy Social Responsibility Best Employer Overcoming Obstacles

What follows are the stories of five of the finalists.

Our first case study, of Linda Kamm and her company, Happy & Healthy Products, based in Boca Raton, Fla., tells the story of how Kamm built her frozen fruit bar empire — only to have it snatched away from her by a devious partner. That didn't stop Kamm. She rebuilt the business from scratch and now stands taller, smarter, and wiser. Kamm was a finalist in both the general excellence and overcoming obstacles categories.

Next we profile Celeste Ford, CEO of Stellar Solutions in Palo Alto, Calif. One of very few women in the aerospace industry, Ford had to work hard to get where she is today. Now she runs her own successful company and even employs some of her old bosses — the ones who gave her the opportunity to succeed and didn't downplay her achievements because she was a woman. Ford was a finalist in the general excellence category.

Professional dancer and model Judi Sheppard Missett invented the Jazzercise exercise program in the late '60s and today she presides over a multimillion-dollar company. Like Kleenex and Xerox, Sheppard Missett found herself having to defend her product from impersonators and competitors. Today, she stands strong and shares her lessons for success with others. Sheppard Missett was a finalist in the general excellence and social responsibility categories.

Julie Aigner-Clark's company, Baby Einstein, sells books, videos, and other teaching materials on the promise that they make children smarter. Whether or not her products can live up to their promise remains to be seen, but many parents buy the concept and Aigner-Clark is a very successful businesswoman today because of her idea. She was a finalist in the innovative business strategy, original product or service, and social responsibility categories.

Last but not least, we profile Cheryl Cwiklinski and her company, CCB Services Inc. Cwiklinski overcame more obstacles than most of us will ever face in a lifetime to reach the position she is in today. Through her success, she has helped herself to heal and she achieves a deep sense of fulfillment in helping others. Cwiklinski was a finalist in the overcoming obstacles category.

Look for other finalists' stories in this section (case studies in the small business channel) in coming months. Working Woman magazine will continue to honor outstanding women with the annual Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards.

In addition, we will profile many successful women business owners from all over the globe who have something to share.

Is there an entrepreneur you'd like to tell us about? Stay tuned to the Web site; we'll soon be adding a section where you can nominate women you think should be profiled.