Some people plan things out carefully and others jump into the deep end before they even learn how to swim. Cute As A Bug owner, Ashley Porta is one of the latter; in less than a year, Ashley left the New School in Manhattan, got married to Hans from the South American country of Colombia, honeymooned in the southern hemisphere, discovered Encinitas on a short trip to San Diego, decided to open a business here and only a couple of days later signed a lease on a retail space and within another 90 days opened the resale shop for children’s clothes and mother’s maternity clothing.

And, it’s working.

Ashley assures one she is older than she looks, but the perky freckled “Roja” red head exudes “good vibes” and if sheer optimism alone is enough to succeed in business, then Ashley is on her way to millions, if not, billions of dollars.

Not that her studies in “Dance” and “Psychology” weren’t good training for running a retail business, certainly small business people have to be...