Business name: Language Skills Abroad.

Owner: Lena Diamond.

Opened: Jan. 2.

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Type of business: Study-abroad agency.

Financial backing: Personally financed.

Motivation: Diamond always wanted to own her own business, and she likes education and the idea of people learning different languages and cultures, as her family is multicultural. She wanted to offer a flexible program that was also reasonably priced.

Planning: Diamond took inspiration from similar agencies and researched the business, but said she "really had no idea what I was getting into."

Experience: After graduating from ASU in May 2002 with a degree in business management, Diamond worked for another agency for about a year.

Biggest obstacle: As she is the only employee, Diamond said the time factor has been her biggest challenge; doing everything herself takes a lot of time.

Marketing: Diamond goes to study-abroad fairs at colleges, including one recently at San Diego State University and advertises online, mostly on Google.com. She also hopes to go to several Valley community college fairs this year.

What makes the business unique: The motivation behind the business. "It's not as money-driven; my prices are lower than any other agency. I really want people to study abroad and I try my best to help them."

Best part of the job: "Whenever I register someone and they go on trip and they call and tell me they love the program. I haven't had any bad experiences with students yet, but I'm able to pay a lot of attention to each person."

Information: (480) 657-8464 and www.languageskillsabroad.com, 9550 E. Thunderbird Road, Scottsdale.

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Annemarie Moody