Transform your life.

Like it or not, we've all had to follow rules in our lives. Whether demands came from parents and teachers or employers and clients, at some point we were told what to do. And we often did it without question. If not, we faced consequences, and usually they were severe. Some rules make us stronger, fostering a sense of discipline and dedication. Others, frankly, are meant to be questioned or broken. Daring to be bold not only creates new rules but can forge a new sense of self.

This

is the time of year to reset agendas. It's time for many of us to toss out the old rule book and develop a new plan to reach our full potential. Whether targeting your career, business, or relationships, you can find new ways to take your life to the ultimate level. And age doesn't matter. Twentysomethings go through "quarter-life" crises while professionals in their 40s and 50s deal with midlife crises. Both groups display a sort of restlessness that can be harnessed only through redirection and self-discovery. Through this period of uncertainty, however, you can develop into a better you.

We charge you to reinvent yourself or, at the very least, to transform some vital aspect of your life. The toughest part is always getting started. According to a survey of 350 professionals by The Reinvention Institute, a Miami-based professional coaching firm, the perceived barriers to career reinvention most cited were lack of knowledge (26.5%): scarce financial resources (21.4%); and a paucity of contacts (18.9%).

Don't let those factors hold you back. Our Consumer Affairs Editor Tanisha Sykes, Editorial Researcher Tennille Robinson, and Editorial Assistant Stephanie Young spent months finding the formula for lasting transformation--one adopted by superstar athletes, top-ranking CEOs, high-flying entrepreneurs, and other successful folk In the feature "The Rules of Reinvention," they identify six simple but powerful steps, from exploring your gifts and talents to creating new personal and professional standards, to help readers customize a program for taking control of their lives. In making such changes, you'll discard baggage and anxieties that have kept you from attaining your goals. By the time you finish reading our feature, you'll stop talking about change and start creating it.

It's only fitting that in an issue in which we review the strategies of reinvention, we highlight a group of young, hot entrepreneurs who have written their own playbook for success. In the feature, "Team Players," we profile a series of business partners who have taken control of their destinies by developing groundbreaking enterprises. Take our cover subjects, twin brothers Shane and Shawn Ward, co-founders of DETNY, a $1.5 million footwear company that produces casual and dress shoes for men and women. Through relentless salesmanship and old-fashioned moxie, the two have managed in just four years to get their products sold in 75 stores nationwide, including Nordstrom and Macy's. We share the stories of other dynamos and, along the way, give you 10 keys to creating and nurturing successful business partnerships.

For those still seeking an area in which to build wealth, we reveal five lucrative sectors in "The Best Businesses for 2007." Better yet, we show you how you can exploit the sweet spots in those industries for growth and profit.

But it all starts with you. Like a competitive athlete, you must make a commitment to achieve your objective, despite naysayers or obstacles. It will not be easy. It will require hard work and long hours of training, it will demand that you play the game with unbridled passion and excellence. You're not alone, though. BLACK ENTERPRISE will serve as your coach. Through all our platforms--this magazine, our Website, television and radio programs, and events--we will provide you with the tools you need to achieve your personal best. Together, we will make this year your championship season.--The Editors