Can you say BUSY? This month SCWD hit the ground running and our pace hasn’t slowed down yet. We are so thankful for all of your business! Keeping it local is working out just fine for us. I love San Clemente. So, on that note, here’s a taste of what we’ve been up to since I last checked-in.

Did you know we aren’t just about building websites? We also dig doing website redesigns. This month we revamped the homepage for www.drewbrophy.com. It’s crisp clean new look, now more clearly outlines the broad spectrum of products and cool inspirational services they offer. Plus, Drew’s unique style of surf-art is splashed all over it!

I’m also proud to announce the successful launches of two new websites, EFS Environmental Services and  Isaura, a San Clemente based fashion designer.

In this month’s Community Spotlight section we offer all of you night owls with the late-night munchies a head’s-up on a new spot, Pete’s Taco Shack. Forget fast food, you now have a choice when killing those late-night cravings. How do fresh Cuban-style tacos and street-dogs sound? Check out our Community Spotlight section to find out more!

This month in my Tech Review I give you my take on Square. How does the ability to charge customers’ credit cards in person even if you don’t have a merchant account sound to you? I’ll break it down for you.

I would like to give a shout out to Cindy Rutland, our WordPress Developer Extraordinaire! Cindy is an indispensable part of our team. Her fresh creative perspective continues to be a significant addition to any project she’s a part of. Thanks Cindy!

“It all started on a challenge,” says Pete Ortiz, founder of the Taco Shack, San Clemente’s new late-night taco stand. “What started out as a dare has turned out to be quite a successful business.”

Street food is the current trend in food and it’s all about location. The Taco Shack sits in front of Del Agave, dead center in the area known as The Triangle in San Clemente because of its three famous dive bars, Ole’s Tavern, The Red Fox and Goody’s.

The Taco Shack opens up on Friday and Saturday nights at 10:30 and goes until they sell out, and they do almost every night.

“I feel like I’m performing on a stage with the crowd that shows up. There is  non-stop action with the normal bar crazies and believe it or not, the moms,” says Pete, co-owner of Café 207 and Del Agave. “It’s almost like Taco Cart confessions. When the housewives and moms finally get out of the house they go crazy and for some reason they like to tell me all about it.”

He doesn’t worry about things getting too out of hand with the drinkers, he says there’s a lot of San Clemente’s finest hanging around the area at that time keeping things under control. “It stays pretty mellow except for the girls “flashing” me hoping for a free taco!”

Pete says the police tell him he’s actually doing the city a service because instead of hopping in their cars and driving to get fast food after a night of drinking the partiers can just stumble over to the taco cart for refreshingly different munchies, not just the same old burger. He also says there’s been quite a rise in the number of taxis in the area, usually waiting in Antoine’s parking lot for those in need of a safe ride home.

“It’s funny, it seems like everyone ends up in that area around closing time. It’s not uncommon to see many of the local waitresses and bartenders stopping by after finishing their shifts for a bite. I even have one guy who sets his alarm to wake-up and come get a taco. It’s just nuts! We’ve even had a few people pull up to the curb, turn on their hazards, jump out to grab a taco or dog and off they go.”

Prices are $5.00 for 3 Cuban-style chicken mojo tacos made from breast meat and marinated for days in Pete’s special mix of citrus juices, garlic and spices. $4.00 gets you a ¼ pound 100% all-beef hot dog served up your choice of either chili-dog style or traditional street-dog style with grilled onions and peppers, both served on fresh potato buns with a secret sauce.

Most people dread the mere thought of studying for and taking tests, especially the SAT’s. Cecily Jones, owner of Cecily Jones Tutoring is just the opposite. She actually loves it. Cecily says she’s just an over-achieving high school kid at heart.

SC Website Design: How did Cecily Jones Tutoring come to be?
Well, I worked at a corporate test-prep company for 5 years before I started to think about going freelance. I was paid 20% of what I was billed out at, and all of my clients were referrals. So I was practically giving someone else 80% of my business! I knew the business, I knew I was good and I knew I could be more successful financially by going out on my own.

Taking the SAT’s and taking tests in general is usually not something people enjoy. Some might actually think you’re crazy! Where does your passion come from?
It’s actually a great outlet for my nerdiness! Or, maybe I’m just an over-achieving high school kid at heart. I certainly can’t keep correcting my family’s grammar without annoying them, and who doesn’t love a good SAT word? Truthfully, it’s very rewarding to help my students excel at these high-stakes tests. I’m not afraid of the bottom line nature of them and I don’t want my students to be either.

About how many students do you work with at a time? What is the success rate of your students?
I see anywhere from 6-10 students a week, probably about 30-40 a year. I am very proud of my success rate: my 2011 SAT students went up an average of 250 points.

Here’s your chance to brag………
My proudest achievement yet has to be having a parent tell me her son tested around the 50th percentile for Math his entire school career. After tutoring with me for the ACT, he tested 76th!

What is your favorite part of owning this business?
I love the students and I love the tests. Ye, really! There’s a lot of interesting literature in the passages and the math is mostly practical applications. And, don’t get me started about the importance of using grammar correctly. So to work on this material with super-motivated students is a real treat. Plus, everybody loves the results, higher scores!

How has working with Debbie at SC website design impacted your business?
After working at the corporate test company and realizing my worth I knew it was time to branch on my own. But to do so I knew I had to be “legit.” I couldn’t just be the neighborhood “SAT lady.” To me that meant having a high-quality website that reflected what I do and was on par with industry standards.

Debbie and I discussed how my site would compare to those of my competitors, things like: what kind of image I wanted to project, what resources to include, what stock photos to use and how much or how little copy to use. She was always available to listen to my ideas and came to the table with great ideas of her own.
Basically, I told her what I wanted and she just “got it” pretty quickly. There were no
endless meetings, yet I got the impression she would have done whatever she needed to do to give me a website I would love. I couldn’t’ have asked for a better website. I get so many more referrals now and I have a place for people to get detailed information about my tutoring.

For more information check-out www.cecilyjonestutoring.com

Are you ready to take credit card payments but still a little apprehensive about opening a merchant account? The new Square is the answer. It let’s you accept your customer’s credit and debit cards with ease by swiping them right on your smart phone. And, I’ve found a place you can go to get yours FREE. Just visit https://squareup.com. Once you’ve linked it to your bank account you’re ready to start accepting those cards. And, with the low fee of 2.75%, it’s an affordable way for you to get in the game.

I have both the Kindle Keyboard and the Kindle Fire, and if reading is your goal, go with the regular Kindle. It is amazing. With their E Ink technology, it is as close to reading from ink and paper as you’re going to get from an electronic device.  It isn’t color, though, so save reading your magazines for the Fire.

If you have kids, like me, the Kindle Fire is the choice. Mine is still going strong after four months in our home and we have a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, playing games on it! It streams movies and TV shows and the picture quality is great. I think it’s a cool little gadget that the whole family can enjoy!

Also new, we’re now offering Press Releases as an add-on after your site goes live and Facebook landing pages that we will co-brand to match the look and feel of your existing website.

Check out what what we’ve been up to in 2012 so far.

I hope you enjoy the new additions to the SCWD e-letter. This edition’s Customer Spotlight features Son of the Sea, the brand agency representing San Clemente’s own famous surf artist Drew Brophy. And, I hope that you or someone you know can benefit from this edition’s Community Spotlight showcasing San Clemente’s Fighters for the World.

Great things are happening in our hometown. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for those new sections!

I am very excited for what this year is going to bring! Make sure you stay tuned in to see how our story unfolds!

Deb Foley

“A while back we decided to use our depth of experience and our location to help out some local low-income and at-risk kids,” said Watts, Brown Belt and North American National No-Gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Champion. “We have children training with us now from Mission Hospital’s Obesity Awareness Program, a local group dedicated to providing easy access to social services in town called the San Clemente Collaborative and even a few kids sent to us by local law enforcement.”

Seeing those amazing transformations got Watts and his partners thinking they were really on to something here and so decided to open the non-profit, Fighters for the World, and plan to grow it with affiliate gyms all across the country. Through this program they are providing full scholarships to local kids in need to the tune of $150 a month. Each.

“Today we’ve got 33 kids participating and with our expansion we’ll have room for more,” added Watts. “We’re opening up a computer lab and we’ll have tutors available twice a week after school to help get their homework finished before they can train.”

The new space is set to open March 1^st and will have five computers provided through the Edison Grant. Camp Pendleton is also on board with soldiers donating their time at the gym helping out with the large number of kids.

For more information visit either of their websites at www.finishstrongmma.com or www.fightersfortheworld.org or call 949-218-5222. You can also stop by the studio in the Los Molinos district at 152 Calle De Los Molinos. They welcome visitors and are there all day, almost every day.

Local San Clemente Artist Drew Brophy has been a professional artist for over 25 years.  He says that it’s his job to “make things look cool.”   With the help of his wife and business manager,  Maria, they have developed Drew’s surf art into a powerful brand and they currently have over thirty companies that license Drew’s art for their products.

Over a decade ago, Drew and Maria formed Son of the Sea, Inc., an agency that was intended to represent ocean inspired artists.

Son of the Sea has been adding licensed art and design to hundreds of well-known brands such as Converse, Ugg Australia and even the Hard Rock Casino, Las Vegas, since 2002.  And, on top of that, they’ve also done special projects for many famous musicians and surfing icons.

Maria has over 20 years of business experience and a passion and true talent for marketing. Put them together and what have you got? The very successful and totally cool art licensing agency, Son of the Sea.

How and when did Son of the Sea come to be?
In 2002 we formed Son of the Sea, Inc. to handle both the art of Drew Brophy and other artists. Drew had already been a professional artist his entire adult life when we formed the company. Son of the Sea is an agency that we originally formed so that we could represent several brands of artists, not just Drew.

After a few years of representing other artists we decided to focus entirely on Drew. 

Maria, you obviously have a business background. Please tell us a little about YOU and how you and Drew meshed the business into what it is today?
I worked in the insurance industry for over 15 years. That was where I learned my negotiation and contract skills. But my real talent is marketing – and I think I was born with that. I love coming up with new ideas for marketing Drew’s art and his brand. It’s a passion for me.

You and Drew offer inspirational workshops, lectures and seminars, tell us more.
Over the years many artists have come to Drew for advice. They see his success and want to understand how he’s done it. So we started giving lectures to artists to share our business tips and techniques. We want to see other artists succeed, too.

You two have alos dabbled in film production. How did you get started with that?
We decided years ago that it would be fun to have a reality TV show that shares with the world what a lifestyle artist does behind the scenes. We wanted to use it to inspire large numbers of people to do what they love for a living, too.

It took three years to bring that to reality. Now, The Paint Shop with Drew Brophy TV show airs to almost 4 million homes in Southern California.

What’s coming up in 2012 for Son of the Sea?
In 2012 we are focusing entirely on art licensing. We have a booth at this June’s License Expo in Las Vegas and we plan to add 6-10 new licenses before the end of the year. We are currently signing on with a large agency in Brazil, which will probably help us exceed that goal.   

SC Website Design is behind the build of the Son of the Sea website, how was your experience?
Working with Debbie at SC Website Design is a dream. She’s been able to solve so many problems for me that quite frankly no one else could.

Our website is a constant work in progress, and Debbie instinctively knows what we need to do to raise it to the next level. She’s a natural at this.

I’m so glad to have found her. She makes us look good!

For more information about the art of Drew Brophy, please visit www.drewbrophy.com