Joanna Meiseles of Snip-its

When Joanna Meiseles took her son Ben, now 20, for his first haircut, she wanted it to be special. She even brought along a camcorder to make videos to show his grandparents. "It wasn't so much a bad experience," says Meiseles. "But it wasn't everything I hoped it would be." So Meiseles set out to create the "most amazing place for a kid to get a haircut." Snip-its is now the largest salon focused on children's haircuts in the country, with 63 locations and plans for U.K. franchises in the works. Back in 1995, when the first location was opened in Framingham, Massachusettes, Meiseles saw it as a prototype. "I immediately saw something that could be big," she says.

Roman Abramovich, Russia

Net worth: $18.7 billion

Age: 40

Orphan by age four; grew up with uncle and grandmother. After military stint, dropped out of college to take part in controversial Russian oil-export deals. In 1995, teamed up with fellow Russian Boris Berezovsky to take over oil giant Sibneft for a reported $100 million; sold it to Russia’s Gazprom for $13 billion a decade later. Passionate soccer fan owns U.K.’s Chelsea club; has many other toys, including jets, yachts and a home that reportedly cost $100 million. Recently made headlines for divorce from his second wife and speculation over how much of his fortune she’d get.

Chris Zane of Zane’s Cycles

Chris Zane is in the experience business. Whether it's selling bikes in his Connecticut store or filling orders for corporate rewards programs, he knows a successful business is about more than just selling stuff. Zane, 46, got his start at age 12 fixing bikes in his parents' East Haven, Connecticut, garage. At 16, he convinced his parents to let him take over the lease of a bike shop going out of business, borrowing $23,000 from his grandfather—at 15 percent interest. His mother tended the store while he was at school in the mornings. In his first year, he racked up $56,000 in sales. This year, he expects to bring in $21 million.