Who Made the Top 10?

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Every year, Entrepreneur magazine and PricewaterhouseCoopers' draw from a number of sources to come up with a list of fast-growing new companies. Then we contact those companies, get financial data, and crunch some numbers to get a list of the hottest 100 companies in America.

What do these companies have in common? They're all less than five years old; their founders still run the show; they have fewer than 1,000 employees; and their annual sales exceed $1 million. In fact, many of the companies have sales of much more than $1 million.

This year, the Hot 100 companies collectively had $1.7 billion in sales in 2005. The companies in the top 10 had nearly $640 million alone.

Learn more about our top 10--those that grew the fastest out of anyone--in the following slides, including their success secrets, best advice and startup motivation.

To view the entire Hot 100 listing, visit our Hot 100 page.

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Location: Chicago
2005 Sales: $207.2 million
Description: Financial and operational consulting
Began: May 2002 with 213 employees; now has 773 employees
Initial Investment: $22.8 million from private investors

Secret to Success: ''Our people. Huron's success is based on a simple formula: Continue building a company composed of people who are energized by our culture, and support them as they build legendary client relationships.''

Best Business Advice: ''My father taught me two principles: The customer always comes first, and you have to have good people with you. You also have to treat those people like you treat your family; otherwise you have nothing.''

Main Motivation for Starting Up: ''We founded Huron in 2002 with the goal of redefining the traditional consulting experience. We envisioned a company that would become known for business relationships built around exceptional service delivered by the best talent in the industry.''

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Location: Norwalk, Connecticut
2005 Sales: $80.95 million
Description: Media advertising agency
Began: November 2001 with 0 employees; now has 20 employees
Initial Investment: $90,000 from savings/personal funds

Secret to Success: ''Finding clients who believed in our ability early on and allowing us to continue to work with them.''

Best Business Advice: ''Develop a core competence and stick to it.''

--Tim Williams

(Photo from left to right: Tim Williams, Craig Woerz)

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Location: Richmond, Virginia
2005 Sales: $59.2 million
Description: Energy sales and service
Began: April 2002 with 6 employees; now has 19 employees
Initial Investment: $150,000 from savings/personal funds

Secret to Success: ''Collaborative decision-making. As an ownership-management team, we have made good decisions through our process of open discussion and feedback.''

Best Business Advice: ''You can't do it all yourself. Utilize the advice of both internal and extrernal, with expertise and experience in a lot of areas to help with building your business. ''

Main Motivation for Starting Up: ''Compass Energy was founded to gain both a larger portion of earnings and a greater degree of control than that available in 'corporate America.'''

--Barry M. Koski

(Photo from left to right: George A. Minor, Barry M. Koski, James E. Johnson, Joseph C. Lyne, Jr., Steven S. Baum, Christopher J. Ziegler)

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Location: Alpharetta, Georgia
2005 Sales: $26.7 million
Description: Pharmaceuticals for the pediatric market
Began: April 2004 with 1 employee; now has 60 employees
Initial Investment: $1.5 million from private investors

Secret to Success: ''If you surround yourself with incredibly talented individuals and provide a culture where they can showcase their talents and grow, you can't help but be successful.''

Best Business Advice: ''Two tips: Treat people as you would want to be treated, and never give up. Persistence pays off.''

Main Motivation for Starting Up: ''The challenge of building a company spirited my initial motivation, and the thrill of watching a company grow and thrive is an amazing motivator.''

(Photo: Mark Pugh. Art Deas not pictured.)

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Location: Atlanta
2005 Sales: $53.7 million
Description: Liability insurance for contractors
Began: October 2001 with 0 employees; now has 60 employees
Initial Investment: $13.5 million from friends/family, private investors

Secret to Success: ''Hiring the best person for the job.''

Best Business Advice: ''Stay focused and be patient.''

Main Motivation for Starting Up: ''To challenge my skills and prove my capabilities.''

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Location: Warminster, Pennsylvania
2005 Sales: $55.7 million
Description: Wireless computing systems
Began: August 2001 with 0 employees; now has 70 employees
Initial Investment: $350,000 from bank loan, private investors, line of credit

Secret to Success: ''Staying focused and establishing partnerships with our customers.''

Best Business Advice: ''Don't be afraid to think outside the box and make decisions based on instinct.''

Main Motivation for Starting Up: ''Being able to make decisions that greatly impact the direction and growth of the company.''

--Richard Hodge

(Photo from left to right: Richard Hodge, David Gulian, Craig Wilensky. Cosmo Denicola and Al Ciardi not pictured.)

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Location: Farmington Hills, Michigan
2005 Sales: $48.9 million
Description: Laser hair removal, skin rejuvenation and cellulite reduction
Began: February 2002 with 1 employee; now has 570 employees
Initial Investment: $170,000 from bank loan

Secret to Success: ''The people at American Laser Centers. I've surrounded myself with talented, motivated people and challenged them to reach their full potential.''

Best Business Advice: ''Someone once told me, 'Stop focusing on yourself--focus on the people around you.' When the success of others is priority, success will follow you.''

Main Motivation for Starting Up: ''I saw an opportunity to build a business on a national level. Other companies were in the category, but nobody was the dominant leader.''

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Location: Columbus, Ohio
2005 Sales: $24.3 million
Description: Wholesale distribution of data media supplies
Began: December 2003 with 0 employees; now has 4 employees
Initial Investment: $170,000 from friends/family, private investors

Secret to Success: ''Building a business model that enables customer confidence for repeat or ongoing business.''

Best Business Advice: ''Spend as much time and resources on customer relations and service as possible.''

Main Motivation for Starting Up: ''To be able to provide an environment of success for the owners and solution-oriented products and services for our customers.''

--Tony Somers

(Photo from left to right: Doug Broshar, Nate Williams, Bill Kleeh, Andy Haenszel, Tony Somers, John Roth, Larry Pangalangan)

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Location: Addison, Texas
2005 Sales: $36.2 million
Description: Retail advertising agency
Began: July 2002 with 0 employees; now has 91 employees
Initial Investment: $50,000 from savings/personal funds

Secret to Success: ''We listen to clients and custom-build marketing solutions vs. sell them a standard book of business or services.''

Best Business Advice: ''Hire for attitude and train for skill.''

Main Motivation for Starting Up: ''Advancing a new marketing model--Razor as the strategic partner at the core, and Razor and other best-in-class specialists serving as functional 'spokes' (media creative, branding, promotions, etc.).''

(Photo from left to right: Ray Rosenbaum, managing principal; Tom Cole, co-president; Dave Kirwan, founder and co-president; Jon Mills, principal; Chip Gorman, principal)

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Location: Prince George, Virginia
2005 Sales: $44.8 million
Description: Aluminum manufacturing service center
Began: May 2001 with 6 employees; now has 65 employees
Initial Investment: $13 million from friends/family, bank loan, private investors, credit cards, savings/personal funds, line of credit

Best Business Advice: ''You're only as good as the people who work with you.''

Main Motivation for Starting Up: ''To control our own destiny and build a world-class manufacturer in the U.S.''

--R. Scott Kelley

(Photo from left to right: R. Scott Kelley, Lloyd S. Dollins Jr., R. Randolph Weis)