Sheila Bermel, 49

Flanders, N.J.
Laid off from: MC², Sept. 26, 2007
New venture: Good To Go Productions
Last year's profile

Where she is now: Sheila Bermel's business designing and building trade-show booths dried up in the first half of 2009. She let go of half her employees, reducing headcount to four, until she landed a key account with Verizon Wireless and was able to hire again. Despite the slowdown, Good To Go Productions's revenue increased in 2009 to $1.45 million, from $1.15 million in 2008, her first year of business. Bermel says her biggest challenge is financing: Despite growing revenue and a break-even business, she says she cannot get a bank line of credit. Instead she cashed out her IRA, borrowed on personal credit cards, got trade credit from vendors, and required deposits up front from clients. "That was the single biggest hurdle and it remains the single biggest hurdle," she says. "I cannot get any money from the banks."