Ellen Macklin, Professional Shopper
Bedford, Massachusetts

Ellen Macklin says that in seven years of spending other people's money -- people too busy or too nervous to shop for themselves -- she has never had to return a single item. She has succeeded in a tough business because "I really spend a lot of time interviewing clients to understand their needs." Her most unusual client was a tall, handsome, well-dressed man who hired her to buy a set of women's underwear, including a lacy corset and black stockings -- for him. "He wanted to try it on in front of me, too," she recalled, "but I said absolutely not!"