Carol Craig always looks at the big picture, finding opportunities wherever she is. A multitasker and self-described type-A personality, she says it's always been that way for her. At 13 and in middle school in Galesburg, Ill., the current CEO of Craig Technologies had some time on her hands and signed up for computer courses at Knox College. "I wasn't a nerd or geek," she says. "I had friends, an active social life, was in the math club, Junior Achievement and school orchestra.

"Other girls in school had boyfriends; I fell in love with computers," she says, laughing. "At 13! I was never a girly girl, and I walked the line between being the good girl and the bad one until I discovered computers. They kept me focused and on track."

Her interest in computer science and engineering design continued through high school. Ultimately, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in computer technology from Knox and a Bachelor of Science in computer engineering from the University of Illinois.

After graduation Craig joined the Navy as a naval flight officer, specializing in anti-submarine and subsurface warfare. "I was never afraid of trying new things. I'm an accidental entrepreneur," Craig says. "I had no thought of ever owning or running a business. I just wanted to design cockpits and engineer complex military systems. They fascinated me!" Craig was a key computer engineer for the Naval Air Warfare Center in Indianapolis; served as automated information security manager for the Strike Fighter Weapons School in Lemoore, Calif.; and developed mission planning training courseware for Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.

While working for the military, Craig completed a master's degree in electrical computer engineering from University of Massachusetts Amherst.

"Around that time, the Navy screwed up surgery on my bad knee, and I was told I was no longer able to fly. They discharged me as a disabled veteran."  Left to follow her husband, Naval Capt. John W. Craig, around the East Coast, she discovered several military projects that needed her skill set. As the opportunities grew, she brought in friends and family to help her apply for and consult on military projects.

Craig also discovered government set-asides for women-owned and disabled small-business owners and used these to her advantage. "I formally established Craig Technologies in 1999 when I secured a sizable military contract. I hadn't involved my husband in the business at first, because I was afraid for him to see how much money it took to run the business," she says, adding, "Craig Technologies was on the financial edge for many years." Now that her husband's in the Navy Reserve, he manages the financial side of the business.

Today, Craig leads a team of consultants and engineers providing avionic software development, project management, software systems engineering, web design, data warehousing and more. With headquarters in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and offices in Illinois, Virginia and Washington, D.C., Craig Technologies has grown from one employee in 1999 to a national engineering and technical services company with more than 170 employees and $20 million in income. Craig Technologies is a woman-owned, service-disabled, veteran-owned, HUBZone and 8(a) certified company.

Craig, 43, talks about the challenges of starting the business. "SBA loans involved a lot of paperwork and took way too much time to secure," she says. At one point, she resorted to factoring to keep the business going. "I couldn't wait 60 to 90 days to be paid for a job, so I'd sell the invoices for the government contracts and pay the factoring interest rate just to stay afloat. I also discovered the benefits of Hub Zones, which are distressed areas the government invests in to stimulate business growth. I used everything I could!

"The business today is about loyalty and relationships," Craig says. "I've learned along the way that family, friends and associates are much more important than revenue. It's not all about winning the big contract. I have always operated as if we're in a recession, putting money back into the business. I don't want employees worrying about health coverage or missing work because of a sick child, so we offer good health benefits. Many of our employees work from home, and they give 110 percent because they know we care."

Craig says she's learned how to delegate projects so she has more time for family. "I'm good with deadlines; military proposals require that I plan ahead and keep on schedule. Our pipeline is full of business. But there are times when I just let go of some things on the schedule. It is still more difficult for a woman in this business, since we still have major responsibility for husbands, children and family. But I'll send someone else to an important meeting when the choice is between that and going on a field trip with my children (Gillian, 7, and Danny, 8). If anything, I've learned to let go, say no."

A frequent speaker to women entrepreneurs, Craig says she always tells them never to apologize for being a mother or for their family priorities. "In fact," she says, "it will gain you respect; it will take you farther."

Craig was selected in 2009 as Small Business Person of the Year by the Small Business Administration-South Florida District and was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Society of Women Engineers in 2008. After her son was born with Prader-Willi syndrome in 2001, she became a founder and active fundraiser for the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research, an international nonprofit dedicated to research and treatment of the disease, a common genetic cause of childhood obesity. Craig also finds time to pursue a Ph.D. in electrical computer engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering at the University of Central Florida. "There's always more for me to learn, more opportunities around the corner, and I want to be ready," she says.