Stick With It Tenacity is the key to building business relationships--just don't come on too strong.

The favorite mantra of athletic coaches--"Never give up"--is also the key to launching your company into the stratosphere. Not only does Jonathan Soares never give up, but he also is the textbook definition of tenacious. The 23-year-old founder of Q Products Inc. developed a barbeque sauce that he knew would resonate with consumers. Developing the idea while in college, he cold-called every major buyer and retailer in the country to gain knowledge and build relationships. "I wouldn't stop until I got them on the phone," he says. He would send samples, follow up a week later to get feedback and then request an appointment. Says Soares, "I was very persistent about it, and it got me a lot of appointments."

What folks told Soares couldn't be done--launching a national product with just $10,000-he did with sheer perseverance, starting his New Milford, Connecticut, company in 2005. This year, he projects sales between $3 million and $5 million as his Jonathan's Q Gourmet BBQ Sauces hit about 7,500 retail stores.