"So? How many came? Did you get a lot of sales?" Tisha scanned the cases eagerly, her eyebrows pulling together as she saw the full stock still sitting inside.

Ashley lifted her blond hair off her neck, her shop's small air-conditioning unit no match for south Florida's heat and humidity. "Sorry, Tisha. Nobody came to the store and no sales on the Web site."

Tisha's shoulders slumped as she plopped into the pale-peach plush customer's chair, her expensive white linen pantsuit taking a beating. Ashley wasn't sure who should console whom. It was Ashley Craig Jewelry, Inc. that was struggling, but Tisha was making a herculean effort to talk up her jewelry designs among her well-to-do acquaintances.

"Why isn't your stuff selling?" Tisha demanded, brandishing her arm, which bore a white-gold bangle shaped like a dolphin with sapphire eyes. "It's gorgeous. It's unique. It should be the hottest thing out there. What's the deal?"

Ashley shrugged. "I haven't hit the tipping point yet—the one magical marketing device that will take me over the top. When I do I'll move to a new shop on Worth Drive where all the rich Palm Beach matrons can buy my wonderful jewels."

Letitia looked around the small, stuffy shop but didn't say anything. Ashley appreciated that. They both knew Ashley's problem wasn't just marketing, it was money. She sighed. "I should have picked a cheaper career. Maybe I ought to have stuck with making hemp bracelets for the surfer guys on Palm Beach Island."

Tisha