(MONEY Magazine) – CHALLENGE: Kelly Brown, 37, has built her solo career as an independent sales representative for a sportswear company, but with clients spread across seven states, she was spending nearly as much time on the road as Jack Kerouac.

SOLUTION: Instead of schlepping her wares from one retail store to another, Brown sets up a temporary showroom in a different city each week. Buyers like the stress-free atmosphere of the comfortable hotel rooms she uses and reward her efforts by giving the clothes their full attention. "I used to be a buyer, so I know how tough it is to focus on presentations made inside a store," she explains. But the real payoff for the working mom is in maximizing her time. "Operating this way, I can see 10 customers a day instead of three," she adds. "That leaves me with more time to spend with my son Koby." The financial results speak for themselves: During her decade in the business, Brown's sales record has improved each year, as her current six-figure income attests. "I don't know what the upper limit is," she says, "but I know I haven't found it yet."

--J.C.