Our Customers October 7, 2013 Kristie

Increase the Education, Decrease the Debt

CelestHorton-LogoEnlargedAnyone raising teenagers knows that it’s tough enough. Never mind the cost of tuition lingering over your head as your child plans for their future and educational path. For Celest Horton, mother of four in Phoenix Arizona, this means four times the tuition. With Celest’s kids quickly approaching college she started researching into securing scholarships for her children. She found the information to be quite simple to find, but not widely shared. Celest’s desire to help other parents lead her to start her own business How To Pay For College HQ. She leads a podcast with other guests and exchanges tips and information on how to put your kids through college without breaking the bank. Celest was also one of the Daylite survey contest winners and won an iPad mini.

Marketcircle: What’s the story behind How To Pay For College HQ?

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Celest Horton: I’m a chemical engineer by trade, but have spend most of my professional career working in technical sales in the oil industry (where I still work full-time). I have four kids and as they’re quickly approaching college, I started to become fearful of how my husband and I were going to pay for it. After doing some research about securing scholarships, I realized that this information wasn’t getting out to parents and families so I saw it as an opportunity to help ease the pain and concern of other parents.

MC: Why do you think it’s so important that you share this information with parents?

CH: As a parent you want your children to have a higher education because it’s so important. A lot of parents have a hard time figuring out how to pay for their kids’ education so I want to give back and help in anyway I can. I know it would have been helpful to me if someone had passed along this information when I attended higher education. I enjoy sharing this information through my website and my podcast that officially launched September 4th, 2013.

MC: What type of people will you be interviewing on your podcast?

CH: I’m looking for industry leaders and experts in financial planning to help with the saving aspect of college. I’m looking to bring on college advisors that help kids get ready for college and financial aid experts. SAT prep experts and any expert within the college industry can also shed some light and provide insight for parents. I’m my ideal target market; parents with high school kids looking for information to make the process a little more smoother.

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MC: What’s your goal for this website and podcast?

CH: The ultimate goal is to truly help people by reaching out on a national level and building an audience that tunes in on a weekly basis. I’d like it to be an opportunity to provide coaching and reach out to sponsors to get involved and help out. It’s amazing how you can reach people through the internet. I first thought that this business would be more for helping parents locally within the community, but now I’m seeing how much can be accomplished through the power of the internet.

MC: How does Daylite help with your workflow?

CH: I have been an avid Daylite user for almost six years, using it previously for technical sales. Now I have two industries set up in Daylite and am able to keep them separate. It allows me to keep track all of my new business contacts and remember who I’ve spoken with. It also helps me to schedule interviews and allows me to tag notes to contacts. Daylite helps me everyday to stay organized. When you’re doing two things (working a full-time job and have another working hobby), organization is key.

MC: What’s your favourite feature in Daylite?

CH: I love how Daylite integrates with my mail through Daylite Mail Assistant. When I send an e-mail I can save it in Daylite to keep a full record of my contact. Without it I’d have to tie notes to my e-mail somehow but instead I can just click on the contact and see my history with a contact right beside it.

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MC: How did you find the experience getting used to Daylite?

CH: I watched a lot of the tutorial videos which were helpful. What I love about Daylite is that it’s so intuitive and flows seamlessly with a Mac as they both have an ease of use. I’ve been a Daylite user for six years and I love it. It helps me keep my work list of what I need to do in a day organized.

You can connect with Celest on Twitter and Google+ or visit the How To Pay For College HQ Facebook page.

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