Fit to print - Ohio Full Court Press' Paula Inniss as Entrepreneurial Woman Start-Up Business Owner of the Year - Entrepreneurial Woman

Why did Paula Inniss leave a secure, well-paying position at Xerox to start her own digital printing company? "After months and months of research, I decided I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I [didn't]," explains the 43-year-old entrepreneur.

And so Columbus-based Ohio Full Court Press opened its doors to a primarily corporate clientele in January 1995. "Even though I knew a lot about the digital print side of the business, I didn't know a lot about running a business - and they are very, very different," says Inniss, who has also done occasional printing jobs for a local basketball team as well as first-time novelists and charitable organizations. "I went from having a total support staff [at Xerox] to having no support at all. There were days when I sat in there with all that equipment by myself."

What helped, certainly, was the fact that Inniss' silent partner owned a commercial printing and fulfillment firm and was able to send work her way. It didn't take long for business to begin booming - and employees were promptly hired to keep Ohio Full Court Press on a roll.

Even with a staff of 12, however, Inniss still maintains a pretty grueling schedule. How grueling? She does paperwork at 5:30 in the morning and follows that with 12 hours or so at the office. "I'd heard horror stories about the time it takes to run a business, but I guess you never really know [until you do it yourself]," she says. "I thought I worked real hard with Xerox - but there is no comparison."

Good thing Inniss grew up with a strong role model. "She's been my greatest influence," says Inniss of her 68-year-old mother. "[I was] taught to have a very strong work ethic and never give up."

Persistence pays off - in this case, to the tone of 1996 sales of $1.2 million. Perhaps even more impressive, our Entrepreneurial Woman Start-Up Business Owner of the Year makes it a point to support charitable causes in her community. "I don't just want to say we showed up, we did a function, and we left," she explains. "I want to really get involved."

For Inniss, that involvement focuses on helping the homeless as well as teaching local minority children skills to better prepare them for the work force. It may sound cliche, but Inniss truly believes that young people are the future - and she pledges continued community activism.

"The highs are very high and the lows - well, you have to scrape me off the ground," says Inniss of her entrepreneurial success. "But at the end of the day, I can look back and say, 'This is mine.'"

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