If there is one thing Debbi Shapiro has learned in the years she has been building her Roswell-based company, Henderson Shapiro, into a powerhouse marketing firm, it’s that hard knocks don’t have to put a business down for the count.

“Don’t be afraid of adversity, like sudden lifestyle changes, client losses, or illness,” she said. “Adversity is what was really catapulted Henderson Shapiro.”

The company might never have even existed were it not for what, at the time, seemed to be a catastrophic turn of events.

“One of the reasons I started the company is my husband and I worked in regional offices of national corporations that both closed shop in Atlanta on the same day,” Shapiro said. “And I was pregnant.”

Figuring out how to have a job while having a baby led Ms. Shapiro to John Henderson, a professional acquaintance who worked at a local TV station. He and Ms. Shapiro, who had a background in marketing and broadcast programming, founded Henderson Shapiro in 1994 to provide marketing and related business services in a non-traditional agency setting.

By handling specific projects for clients rather than being on annual contract, “we enhance in-house marketing departments,” Ms. Shapiro said. “Our scope of services is a lot more expanded than most marketing firms. For example, we do concept launches for start-ups, which is a little unusual.”

It also does packaging design, rolls out new products for clients and gets them ready for trade shows, she said.

Within two years Henderson Shapiro was solidly in the black. Today it has 22 employees and grosses more than $1 million annually.

Henderson, who withdrew from active participation after suffering health problems in 1999, died two years ago. Ms. Shapiro has been the guiding force behind the firm for the last decade.

Henderson Shapiro accomplishments include being awarded the 1996 Coca-Cola Olympic City marketing roll-out initiative; being recognized in 2007 by Working Mother Magazine as one of the Top 50 Small Businesses for working moms; and 18 awards for outstanding creative work for clients including Intelliverse, GreenGuard, Georgia-Pacific, Litchfield Research, Prevent Child Abuse Georgia, Hadassah and The Council on Alcohol and Drugs.

Earlier this year, Ms. Shapiro was named the 2010 Small Business Person of the Year by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

“Debbi had such a clear vision for the direction of her business, which makes her stand out,” said selection committee chair Jeff Albert in a press release. “She is a shining example of how intention and focus will lead to success for small businesses.”

Part of her vision is to make the firm family friendly. Women comprise 18 of the staff members, and the company is structured to allow flexibility in juggling personal lives with job responsibilities. Teamwork is key, and trust and integrity are paramount, she said.

“I felt really inspired and lucky that I had this opportunity, when I realized how dramatic the changes were in my life, that I didn’t have to go back to the corporate world,” she said. “I wanted to emulate that for other women going through the same thing.”