Growing up in Tarboro, NC, as one of 11 children, Janice Bryant Howroyd didn’t know many people working in professional jobs, let alone many entrepreneurs. Getting a temp job in Los Angeles after college opened her eyes to the need for job placement services. With an entrepreneurial spirit and about $1,500 in savings, she launched ACT-1 Personnel Services in 1978 to nurture her passion for helping people find work they liked.

Today, as the CEO of ACT-1 Group, Janice, 56, heads one of the largest female/minority–owned staffing agencies in the United States, with offices in more than 75 cities. “The best thing you can do to empower yourself,” says the mother of Katharyn, 24, and Brett, 23, “is to empower others.”

Janice received the Entrepreneur Award at the BET Honors, where she was celebrated alongside Alicia Keys, Tyra Banks and other African-American luminaries. With the anticipated publication of her book, The Art of Work, in 2009, she will add author to her list of accomplishments. “My diversity is a strength,” Janice says. “I don’t allow it to be a challenge. A lot of the people I work with are excited about that.”