The Spot-light is on: Free Birthday Treats

Meet the Mom Behind Free Birthday Treats!

Who is Free Birthday Treats and what is so unique about the service you provide?
I originally hale from Anchorage, Alaska and have now been a resident of Phoenix, Arizona since 1993. My career path has included a variety of industries from telecommunications to finance in a variety of positions such as a Customer Service Rep, an Executive Assistant and a Stockbroker.

After the birth of my two wonderful children: one in 1994 and another in 1998, I knew that it was time to focus on raising them and I began to look for alternatives to the corporate world. I've been an independent rep for Creative Memories, and then created my first business which was selling hand stamped note cards which developed into photography note cards using my own photographs.

In 2003, my son was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and I focused my efforts on caring for him and his needs. I am very proud to announce that five years later, he is in remission and is no longer on any medications. :)

In January of this year, I launched FreeBirthdayTreats.com which is a free and easy to use online resource to search for local free and discounted birthday treats for people of all ages, including pets. The site also provides other birthday related resources such as gift ideas, birthday services and birthday supplies.

Free Birthday Treats is unique because there is no registration required to browse through the local listings and businesses that offer a free or discounted birthday treat. Businesses receive a free basic listing. I do offer affordable advertising however for those that want to stand out from the growing list of treats.

How did you come up with your business/website name?
When I was still in the "idea" stage, I found a few free birthday websites so I knew what I couldn't use. I also used Google to find out how many sites came up when I searched for certain keywords related to my idea. I choose Free Birthday Treats because it only brings up approximately 294,000 websites...much better than millions of sites.


When and why did you decide to start Free Birthday Treats?
I had no immediate plans to start another business, but in 2007, I was sharing with friends what she did for her birthday and how I had saved money by using birthday coupons. They started asking where they could sign up so I offered to send them emails with the links to join. I really wanted to share these wonderful deals with more than just friends and families. I wanted something that would benefit millions across the nation. From there spawned FreeBirthdayTreats.com.


How did you get started?
I started a business and marketing plan to help keep me focused and determine next steps. The first step was getting the right domain name and reserving it. From there I created a website layout...what I wanted included in the website, how I wanted it laid out and what was needed to complete it. When I look back I have to laugh because I thought I could just use tables to list all the free birthday treats, but it wasn't long before I found out I needed a database. I purchased Expression Web and Access 2007 to create Free Birthday Treats. I was not familiar with either so I then purchased training DVD's and found a local web progammer on Craigslist to help me when I got in over my head. It is a continual learning process, but worth every minute!


What motivates you to keep your business/website going?
My family and my passion to help others. Free Birthday Treats gives me the opportunity to not only help people save when celebrating birthdays, but also help businesses promote their loyalty programs...especially in today's economy when so many people and businesses are struggling to make it through. I feel I'm making a difference in people's lives and that's priceless to me.


Are you promoting anything specific on your site?
Free Birthday Treats for people of all ages, including pets.


How do you advertise your website?
I use several different methods to promote Free Birthday Treats: press releases, blog reviews, tv segments, newspaper articles, magazine articles, forums, and local networking meetings are most of them. I'm also looking into social media.


Which advertising methods proved successful/effective?
The blogs and tv station segment have really worked the best for me so far, but it really depends on if you're hitting the right target market. I find that it takes time to develop the right strategy.


How do you juggle family and work at home?
It isn't easy! LOL! Especially with summer now here. During the school year, I work while my kids are at school and generally try not to work until after they go to bed. I try not to work in the evenings too much though so I can spend time with my husband as well. Weekends are reserved for family unless I absolutely have something that needs to get done.

During the summer, I set up a schedule with the kids so they'll know what my schedule is and we can make plan around it. I've actually enlisted my daughter's help and she is now going through the training DVD's so she can work with me. :)


What advice would you give to moms seeking to become a WAHM?
This is said so often, but it's so true: what are you truly passionate about? Make a list and see if something pops out at you. What do you really enjoy? Find something that lights the passion within and build a business around it. It makes a world of difference doing something that you love and the money after and doing something you hate for the money.


Anything else you'd like to add about Free Birthday Treats or about being a WAHM in general?
Yes! Start a Success Journal...we can all think of things we might not have done just right in the last week, but what about the things we did right??? Start jotting down all the success - little and big. For instance, you got the kids up and to school on time, you have the outline of your business plan done, you got a load of laundry done and put away, you were featured on tv, etc! It builds our self-confidence to see these successes and helps keep us motivated!

Visit Free Birthday Treats at: http://www.freebirthdaytreats.com/



(Note: All images courtesy of Free Birthday Treats. Please respect their work and do not copy and/or alter their images. Thank you! )