Dressed for success

Beth Robertson didn't know how to sew when she started Shades Kids, her Sarasota-based children's clothing company.

In fact, she wasn't even planning to start a business.

But in less than four years, Robertson has created a company that shows no signs of slowing down. In the past eight months, Robertson says, sales have increased 200%. Shades Kids ships 75 to 150 orders a day and recently moved into bigger office space in Sarasota to accommodate its growth. (Robertson declines to provide specific annual revenues.)