Driving force: a day in the life of Jumana Judeh, president of Judeh & Associates.

It's 5:30 a.m., and the Judeh household in Dearborn Heights is getting ready for another busy day. Meet Jumana Judeh, businesswoman and mother of two: 18-year-old daughter Nour (named after Jordan's Queen Nour) and 16-year-old son Khalil. Nour is a first-year student at Henry Ford Community College and Khalil is a junior at Crestwood High School.

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Nour and Khalil are the two main reasons why Judeh is who she is, and where she is today. Back in 1994, Judeh faced a challenge. Her marriage had ended, along with her role in a family business. She was a single mother with no job.

"I had to take a step back and decide what to do with myself," Judeh recalls. "The driving force to me was figuring out how to take care of my children and earn a living at the same lime. I wasn't thinking of a career in the corporate world. That's when I took classes and became an appraiser."

Three years later, in 1997, Judeh launched her own business, Judeh ft Associates. Judeh and her staff of five provide real estate valuation and consulting services to attorneys, accountants, bankers and property owners.

"We're small but very powerful," she proudly declares. "We're all either family or very close friends, and we've been together for a long time. We work very well together."

On a typical workday, Judeh Is up, dressed and off to the gym for quick workout before heading to her office in Dearborn. It's a little easier now that Nour and Khalil are older and don't need as much supervision from mom.

"I love what I do," Judeg says. "I love getting up in the morning. I love being challenged by complicated assignments. I'm very passionate about what I do--all I talk about is real estate!"

Judeh, 47, is proud of the fact that she has weathered the slump in Michigan's real estate market by successfully moving her business into new areas. Properly appraisal for lenders was once her main line of business, but that is no longer the case.

"I don't give up very easily, and I take on challenges aggressively," she asserts. "We have been re-inventing ourselves since 2006. We've gone after the legal market, and we've been very successful. We've gone after the tax appeal market, and we've been very successful. We still do appraising for lending purposes, but it's no longer our bread and butter like it used to be."

For Judeh, failure is not an option for two primary reasons: her children, whose photos are prominently displayed in her office and who will soon be embarking on careers of their own.

"Right now I'm not looking to 'get rich,' I'm not looking to be a millionaire," she says. "The only thing I aspire to right now is to put my children through college. I want to keep Judeh ft Associates alive long enough to see my son become a doctor, which is what he aspires to, and my daughter to become an accountant, which is what she aspires to."

The end of the he day finds Judeh home for dinner with Nour and Khalil by 5 p.m. Later in the evening, she sequesters herself in the den for a couple of hours of work on the computer, and then it's off to bed with a good book. "And then I'm out, and I get up the next day and do it all over again!"

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Jumana Judeh is a member of the Detroit Regional Chamber's Small Business Advisory cojncil and an investor in the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership.

RELATED ARTICLE: 'A Stubborn Rebel'

Jumana Judeh calls herself the "accidental appraiser" because it is hardly the career she was destined for. In fact, she wasn't originally destined for a career at all, beyond marriage and motherhood.

The seventh of nine children born to an immigrant tailor and his wife, Judeh was 11 years old when her parents, who are Palestian christians, came to the United States in 1970 and settled in the Detroit area. "My family is a traditional Catholic family. Girls are expected to get married when they're 18 and have kids, and that's what my four older sisters did," Judeh recalls. But young. Jumana had different ideas. Instead of following the parental program, she packed up and headed to Purdue University in Indiana to study business management.

It was a bold move for a woman from a traditional background.

"My father didn't talk to me for a whole year, but after I graduated for Purdue he bragged about me," she recalls. "He came to accept the fact that this is what I wanted to do with my life ... My mother will tell you that I'm the stubborn rebel in the family because once I put my mind to something, people really can't change it!"

Returning to Detroit after graduation, Judeh took a job as an aide to George Crockett, the legendary Detroit congressman, while pursuing a master's degree in industrial relations at Wayne State University. Five years later, Crockett helped Judeh land a job in the Urban Affairs Department at Michigan Bell (now AT&T).

Now married and the mother of two, Judeh took a buyout from Michigan Hell and briefly worked with her husband's business. In 1994, when her marriage ended and she found herself single and unemployed wiTh two toddlers, she took the appraisal course that ultimately led to the formation of Judeh & Associates.

RELATED ARTICLE: Q & A with Jumana Judeh

Q: What's the best way to start the workday?

A: Going to the gym at around 6:30 a.m. or so. I like to interact with people socially very early in the day. It puts a smile on my face.

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Q: What's the best way to end the workday?

A: Having dinner with my two children, working for a couple of hours and then curling up with a good book just before bedtime.

Q: As a businessperson, what gives you the greatest satisfaction?

A: A client complimenting me on my work. Also, winning on behalf of a client in court or presenting the winning bid.

Q: What is the biggest business-related challenge you faced?

A: The impact of the economic down turn. I've spent a great deal of time reinventing the company as well as seeking out new markets.

Q: What is your approach to customer service?

A: It's very simple--the customer is always right. It sounds like a cliche, but it is in fact how I run my company. I also try to anticipate the needs of my client by keeping up with changes in the industry and regulations.

Q: Are you a risk-taker?

A: Absolutely! The small business entrepreneur is the ultimate risk taker because we literally risk everything we have on an idea.

Q: What is your advice to someone starting a business?

A: Believe in yourself and stay focused, work hard and don't listen to the pessimists of the world, and be stubborn and accept the fact that failure is not an option.

Q: What inspires you?

A: I am inspired every day by observing strong women succeed in the workplace as well as well as in society in general. At the same time, I am equally energized by women who choose to be wives and mothers.

Q: What do you like to do when you're not working?

A: Reading. I mostly enjoy biographies, especially about strong women such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina. I tremendously enjoy being with my children. They're growing up, and I find myself turning to them for advice, which strengthens our bond.