Business hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Katie Bradford of Custom Marine Canvas in Noank, Conn. Back in 1990, five years after starting her business, she lost out on a substantial sail-building order because the customer believed she’d be giving up her business to focus on her new marriage. 

In another instance, a male customer accused her of using the wrong measurements for his finished product—until it was revealed he had mistakenly cut 2 inches off the headstay and just didn’t […]