Helping Other Business Owners is Claudia Beck's Passion

Claudia Beck is a lifelong artist, graphic designer and business owner. Having worked for other companies her entire career, when she became a Mom just over 10 years ago, she decided to leave the work force. Claudia wanted to and felt she needed to stay home and work. This way she could have the time to be "Mom": the one to take care of and teach her son about life, be there when he needed a hug, a kiss and a playmate too.

While continually doing freelance graphic design during this "post employee" lifestyle she also dabbled with a variety of costly and unsuccessful direct sales companies, money-making programs and other financially draining systems, so she set on a quest to develop her own business, which turned out to be businesses. These could then be based on what she really wanted to do anyway therefore much more worthy of the time it took her to develop and run them.

Because of learning from her mistakes and taking a lot of time to make those mistakes too -- her 10 years as an online marketer and business owner has actually paid off. She has owned and run a variety of niche sites, headed up business networks, written countless articles on a variety of topics and is a huge participator and advocate of affiliate marketing.

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Claudia says, "Way back when -- in the middle of my career -- I pined away wishing I had chosen a different one because I felt that as a mere graphic designer working for someone else, I was not helping others to the extent that I wanted to nor felt that I could do. But now, with my current businesses I am able to comprehensively help other business owners and those who want to be, in a variety of personal, hands on ways. This is what I truly LOVE to do."

"I have been fortunate enough to take on this endeavor during an amazing technological time in history. With the advent of the internet and all of our other technological advances that we are experiencing over the last 15 or so years, it has enabled me to help folks all over the world from my simple little Studio based out of my home. I never would have imagined having a client base that circled the globe! Not only do I have clients world-wide, but many great new business partners and 'dear to me' friends from every corner of the earth as well. What a fantastic time it is to start a business -- own a business -- work to grow a business! I am blessed to be a part of it and even more so to be situated that I can help others do the same."

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Her current portfolio of businesses includes Sunflowers and Seagulls Promotional Services (http://make-me-seen.com) which provides its clients with creative and custom web and print design for all of their advertising, marketing and corporate identity needs. These services help others build a professional and memorable presence for their own businesses.

Claudia also owns WAHM-Trade Website Traffic Services (http://wahm-trade.com). An online advertising service for home-based and small business owners providing them with a variety of targeted and unique venues to drive traffic and potential sales to their websites.

In addition to the above businesses, Claudia also offers Private Coaching services for Ventrino® Traffic Exchange owners (http://www.make-me-seen.com/VNC_Splash1.html) helping them to set up their own online advertising services and get them running quickly, properly and professionally.

Claudia's ultimate goal with these companies is to consolidate them all into one comprehensive business promotions service under her Sunflowers and Seagulls Promotional Services umbrella. She is planning to add other much needed services for business owners such as website hosting and providing them access to 3rd party services such as commercial printing.

Claudia also very much enjoys writing as a way of transferring knowledge to others. She is a published author with Evan Carmichael for their Women Entrepreneurs department (http://www.evancarmichael.com/Women-Entrepreneurs/3329/summary.php). She also writes for article directories and has written numerous articles for her own websites and blog on a variety of topics.

Claudia concludes, "I try to, and LOVE to, meet all of my clients and potential clients personally however possible. So whether it's via an instant chat session, through a computer voice service such as Skype (http://www.jdoqocy.com/8o121kjspjr69EB9CAD687CED8FF) or face to face I try to be as accessible to my clients as possible."

You may take a peek at Claudia's design and illustration work here (http://make-me-seen.com/sunsea_galleryentry.html). She would also love for you to follow her on Twitter at (http://twitter.com/SunSeaPromos). Wanna' contact her directly? She'd love it! Feel free to by clicking here (http://make-me-seen.com/sunsea_contact.html).

Recently I was sent a package of wonderful personalized labels for my boys from Label Your Stuff. I got one of their amazing Savings Packs.

It is a time saver and a life saver...as well as saving shoes, coats, lunchboxes and other items not permanently attached to them from getting lost or accidentally taken home by someone else.

The Savings Pack includes labels that are waterproof, labels for shoes (yes, shoes!) and iron on labels. I was able to label everything they take to school.

The labels are super durable...they have to be if they can be in shoes too! I love that now labeling shoes is easy!

When you order labels from Label Your Stuff, you get to choose what color you want the labels to be, the color of text (if the label is white) and you even have the option of including a cool icon on the labels. For example, my boys love rockets and there is a great rocket icon that can be put on the labels.

Label Your Stuff goes beyond just ordinary labels, though. They have bag tags, which are great for back packs and luggage. They have allergy alert labels (what a great idea!), which is so important if your child has allergies. They have book labels so your child (or you) will never lose a book again. They have wonderful address labels and if you're not sure to get when shopping for someone else, you can order a gift certificate and let them choose exactly what they want!

Label Your Stuff has it all. In addition, I think they have great customer service. They stay in touch with their customers and are quick to respond to messages. The communication I had with them was always responded to quickly and in a very friendly, customer focused manner. Their web site even contains a great FAQ page with information from shipping to how to use the iron on labels.

When you need anything labeled, definitely head over to Label Your Stuff. They will take wonderful care of you, get your order to you quickly, and you will love the labels and love that you can always find your stuff!

Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.

The Handmade Toy Alliance (HTA) kicked off American Craft Week on October 1st with an open call to all to pledge to buy handmade and local products this coming quarter.

The HTA and Buy By Mom have a lot in common! We both promote parents, grandparents and consumers who are passionate about their businesses and who make the products themselves!

HTA will promote their members and artists in all mediums by utilizing social media outlets such as facebook and twitter to create a community of energy around the current thrust to buy hand crafted and local goods.

“We are excited to once again be working with an amazing community of bloggers and hand crafters to further spread the word of the importance of supporting our local communities and US based manufacturers,” stated Jill Chuckas (CT), owner of Crafty Baby® and Board member of the HTA. “Our HTA blog week in June of this year was a week long highlight of our member businesses. With American Craft Week, we felt the focus should be broader – looking to hand crafted goods in all aspects and the importance of supporting small, locally owned businesses.”

To follow along during American Craft Week, the HTA encourages people to join their facebook page at www.facebook.com/ToyAlliance and follow on twitter at www.twitter.com/toyalliance (twitter hashtag for the event is #HTApledge).

The HTA consists of 552 member businesses, including retail stores, toymakers and children's product manufacturers from across the country who want to preserve consumer access to unique handmade toys, clothes and all manner of small batch children's goods in the USA. Formed in November of 2008 in response to the CPSIA, HTA members are parents, grandparents and consumers who are passionate about their businesses as well as the safety of the children in their lives. While in support of the spirit of the law, the unintended consequences of the CPSIA have motivated members of the HTA to work to enact change at a federal level. For more information, visit www.handmadetoyalliance.org.

Please take a moment to like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and pledge to buy handmade and local this quarter!

Parents, grandparents, children and families thank you!

Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.