Brad Congress has three words to sum up how topsy-turvy and challenging a first year of business can be-Charley, Frances and Ivan. Little did he know when he opened Bradley's Fine Jewelers on Summerlin Road in Fort Myers in summer 2003 that three major hurricanes would thrash Southwest Florida. "They have absolutely slowed business down," says Congress, of well-known family business Congress Jewelers. There, he designed their pieces, before deciding to go out on his own. "I'm very scared for many businesses. I'm scared for our own, although I feel we are going to be OK," he says.

Congress says he has learned a lot in his first year in business, and he has made many positive moves, particularly by limiting his hiring. He, his wife and a jeweler are the only employees. "We don't have a large staff, and that has been my saving grace," he says.

"You have to stay more conservative [in your first year of business] than you'd like to be," says Congress, a certified gemologist who sold his first diamond when he was 14. "You don't want to spend too much in your first year, or even your second year. Establishing your [customer] base is really important, and it's been great for us. We've been very, very lucky. We picked a good location."

Congress says he anticipated that the shopping center he moved into would improve, and it did, but not as quickly as he had hoped. It has also been a challenge getting the word out that he has his own store there. "The jewelry business is very word-of-mouth, more than almost any other business. It is based on reputation," he says. "My clients, once they have found me, are coming back." Advertising has helped draw clients as well.

Congress does have a following from his Congress Jewelers connection; his business is not necessarily a direct competitor. Like Congress Jewelers, he says, his shop caters to a higher-end clientele. But there are differences in the product line. "I don't sell watches-that is a main difference," he says. Besides higher-end jewelry, Bradley's sells gifts such as art glass and original paintings.

During these trying times, Congress advises businesses to focus on pleasing customers. "Respect the difficulties that everyone is having. Don't push jewelry on someone you know can't afford it right now," he says.