Contest: Share Your Career Change and Win Marketing+PR for Your Business!

Hopefully you've been inspired by some of our stories so far of small business owners who took the plunge and changed careers. Stories about attorneys who quit well-paying positions at big law firms to start businesses like clothing boutiques, cupcake shops, gift wrapping services, and flower arranging. Stories like MBAs who left top management posts to sell gourmet foods, and accountants who started dog-walking businesses. There's even an OB-GYN who's striking it big baking desserts for Whole Foods.

Do you have an interesting story you'd like to share about you or someone you know who made a noteworthy jump from ho-hum day job to dream job? Tell us about it! You never know whom you'll inspire to follow their dream.

And, the winner will receive a FREE marketing analysis from Intuitive Fare Branding and Marketing, plus a media pitch which could lead to press for your business! We'll also

Email us your story and be featured on our blog plus in theh February edition of "Anne's Beat." We look forward to hearing your inspiring tales!

Featured Small Business: The Eco Luxe Life

Speaking of making big career changes, what do you get when you mix a former attorney, electrical engineer, and commercial real estate financier? How about "greener" pastures? Arlington-based The Eco Luxe Life is a recently launched small business dedicated to tackling the huge plethora of all things "Eco." I know what you're thinking... it's not easy being green. At least not cheaply, glamorously, or with predictable outcomes (how well does that organic deodorant or floor cleaner work?).

But now, turning over a new leaf for you, your home, your workplace, and your pets just got a whole lot easier. The Eco Luxe Life (T.E.L.L. for short) will help you navigate the green marketplace without having to decipher labels, spend oodles or cash, or amass a copious collection of unwanted bottles in your cabinets. They have made it their mission to test, review, and recommend everything from organic lipstick that lasts, shaving cream with less chemicals, baby and pet-safe products that actually work, and environmentally-friendly housewares that are also wallet-friendly. They also offer product videos, discussions, and even samples.

You don't have to wonder anymore which products are effective, which are chock full of bad stuff, and which are a worthwhile buy. And yes, is it possible to dress and accessorize more greenly without resorting to Woodstock-inspired garb (unless you dig that look). T.E.L.L. will even help you sort out those eco-friendly pens, ink cartridges, and light bulbs for your office. So before you buy, check out TheEcoLuxeLife.com. And, visit their Facebook page for breaking news, coupons, and freebies.

Featured Small Business: Becky Boyd, Career and Life Coach

Happy new year! As you resolve to make big (or small) changes in your life, why not resolve to do what you love? I mean for a living. Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you had your dream job? Maybe you already have a side business that you do after hours or on weekends, whenever you find free time. But what if you could do what you love all the time? Or, what if you've summoned the courage to make the leap from day job to dream job but need more direction or help making big decisions?

Enter Becky Boyd, Life and Career Coach, conveniently located right here in Arlington. Becky's mission? To inspire people to make conscious choices in their personal and professional lives.

"Life coaching is a creative process that allows people to get in touch with their authentic selves and live their best lives," she tells us. Here's how it works. She meets with my clients typically 3 times per month via phone for 45 minute sessions to discuss the issues the client wants to focus on. Using the co-active coaching framework as well as guided visualizations and other tools, she helps clients clear and set the path to reach their goals. Not only that, but she holds them accountable to those goals. Because what good are goals if you don't set a path to attain them?

The result? "Coaching helps my clients to take immediate action towards their goals, have a greater sense of peace and purpose, and ultimately live more fulfilling lives," she says. "My purpose is to help people move out of the mundane and create the extraordinary lives they were meant to live."

Becky should know. Before she was a coach, her career took many paths that didn't always help her fulfill her purpose. After obtaining her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and an MBA in Marketing, both from the University at Albany in Albany, NY, she worked in various corporate environments and small businesses doing marketing and consulting work. She even sold residential real estate in the Washington area for several years.

"My journey into life coaching evolved out of an intense interest in personal development and my yearning to find and follow my own passion," she reflects. "Prior to coaching, my career has been largely based in business, but I have always found that the most important part of any job I have had is the connection to the people I am working for, with, and around." After deciding to become a life coach, Becky trained with the prestigious Coaches Training Institute, the industry leader in training and certifying professional life coaches.

So as you look forward to the promises of a new year, check out Becky's post, What would make 2010 as good as it could get for you? And resolve to make this the year to fulfill your dream! Need extra motivation? Becky is also offering a FREE half-hour sample session by phone plus - for our readers only - 15% off of a coaching package with at least a one-month commitment.

What about other changes like marriage, parenthood, or illness? Becky can help with those too - whether you're looking for more time, more joy, or just more balance. Visit her blog, AHiddenPearl.com, to find out more and to read some of her inspiring stories.