Twenty years ago, Michele Hoskins, a divorced mother of three, was struggling to make ends meet. Her ticket to the American dream turned out to be her great great grandmother's recipe for a delicious syrup. Michele sold her home, her car and jewelry, banking her future on the belief that people would love and buy her grandmother's syrup.

"When I first started, I would make syrup in the basement and I would take it around to retail stores and I would tell the merchant, 'If you sold it, I will come back and invoice you,'" Michele says. "Well, I would go back and buy it myself."

Persistence was a major ingredient to Michele's success—after nine years in business she scored a $3 million contract with Denny's after calling them every single week for two years straight. Michele's Honey Creme Syrup is sold in 10,000 grocery stores bringing in over $8 million a year!

Update on her success since appearing on the Big Idea:

Since appearing on the Big Idea, Michele’s Syrups has grown with the addition of several new product lines, has increased distribution to an additional 2500 stores!

On a more personal level, Michele was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. After a several rounds of treatment, she was given a clean bill of health by her doctor and is now cancer free!

For more information on Michele and her company, visit her website!