From running nail salons to a bakery to a law firm, these young entrepreneurs got an early start in making their way in the business world.

Samira Asemanfar, 28

Bellacures Franchising LLC, Beverly Hills, nail salon franchise; Bellacures Corp., Beverly Hills and Brentwood nail salons

Employees: 31, Bellacures Corp.

Financials: $1 million in revenue in 2010 for Bellacures Corp.

What led you to start your own company?

After graduating from the Marshall School of Business at USC in 2004, I joined KPMG. I realized that corporate America did not satisfy my drive, so I took a risk and walked away. Bellacures opened its doors February 2006.

Where did you get the startup money?

From my parents and several credit cards.

What was the most important lesson you learned?

How to appreciate and value any achievement along the path. Sometimes the benchmarks you reach allow you to adjust your end goal, and the beauty is seeing your business grow in ways you never imagined that are often better than your original vision.

Does your youth lead to awkward situations, such as when you supervise older workers?

Absolutely! Sometimes putting your foot down with someone who is double your age can be awkward. I have learned to remind myself right before meeting with an older employee to forget about our differences in age and remember that we are both human.

Will you start another company?

Yes. I would love to start several businesses throughout the rest of my life.

Could you ever work for someone else?

Working for someone else is like being used to cable Internet and changing to dial-up. It is simply out of the question.

What do you do to relax?

Every now and then I will pick up a new activity, whether it be getting heavily into yoga or skydiving. It is while I engage in these activities that I feel truly free from my subconscious, because when you are jumping out of a plane 13,000 feet above ground worrying about staff issues is the furthest thing from your mind.