Inside Job: Doing What You Love (washingtonpost.com)

"For my father, it came down to: How was he going to make a livelihood?" says Nizam Ali, who along with his brother Kamal now runs the family business known to Washingtonians and visitors alike. Ali's father Ben came to the U.S. from Trinidad in the 1950s and, with wife Virginia, opened Ben's Chili Bowl in August of 1958.

A staple in Washington's U Street area for nearly 50 years, Ben's Chili Bowl, a 'mom and pop' restaurant known for its food and hospitality, has seen the neighborhood around it evolve.

Ali has witnessed the neighborhood's ups and downs firsthand: The restaurant was one of only a few local businesses to remain open during the 1968 riots, which erupted after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and also survived the drug epidemic that hit the District during the mid-1980s.

He believes it's no secret why his family's business has been able to survive: "It's important to be part of the community you serve," he says. "Be a place where people can come to engage in great conversation and find out what's going on in the neighborhood. That's the place we try to be."

Since it's a family owned and operated business, says Ali, "somebody's always here." He and his brother often put in 50 to 60 hours per week and their mother, although retired, stops by to help on a regular basis. It's that sense of family, being hands on, and being available that has helped keep Ben's Chili Bowl going strong.

With an undergraduate degree from Howard University, an MBA from Harvard Business School and 10 years of experience working in corporate America for such companies as IBM and Polaroid, Detroit-born Gloria Mayfield Banks wanted more.

Banks says she originally had no interest in entrepreneurship. "I grew up in a family of career-focused individuals," she recalls. But after some personal struggles involving an abusive marriage and then a transition to single motherhood, Banks was looking for ways to earn extra cash. A friend introduced her to Mary Kay, a make-up and skin care company known for providing home-based business opportunities for women.

Intrigued by the potential for growth, Banks began selling Mary Kay products part-time while continuing to work full-time as an assistant admissions director at Harvard.

Banks excelled with Mary Kay, quickly advancing and enjoying the opportunity to take advantage of company perks -- including the opportunity to drive one of its trademark pink Cadillacs. She left Harvard in 1990 to manage her own business full-time and has been helping bring up other women along the way.

In 2001, she was named an independent executive national sales director. And since leaving her corporate job, where she was taking home $60,000 annually, according to Banks, has earned more than $4 million throughout her Mary Kay career. She now resides in Ellicott City, Md., with her second husband and kids.

Banks credits her success to her approach to work. "Your attitude is everything," she says. "Find the joy in what you're doing and work hard to succeed in it."

His passion for food dates back to early childhood, recalls Warren Brown, owner of the bakery Cakelove, which has locations in Washington and Silver Spring, Md. "I'd always liked food and the science of cooking," he says.

But long before starting his own business, or before TV producers from Food Network came calling, Brown practiced law -- though he knew he wanted more. "I felt unfulfilled and like I had reached my maximum potential," he says. Looking for ways to occupy his free time, Brown took up cooking again. "I would make cakes at home and bring them to work," he remembers. "The response was overwhelming."

Brown would soon begin to sell his baked goods, and in 2000 quit a stable gig to pursue his love. In 2002, he opened his first store in downtown Washington. The first year was difficult, but he persevered: The following year he opened the Love Cafe across the street from his bakery. In mid-2005, the Food Network debuted "Sugar Rush," a television show featuring Brown's visits with seasoned pastry chefs. In January, he opened his second Cakelove in Silver Spring.

If you're considering a drastic career move to pursue a dream, Brown offers these words of advice: "Expect for people to think you've lost your mind. Be prepared for it. But don't let it defeat you if you're truly committed to the cause of your business."