We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful DeShawna Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with DeShawna below.

DeShawna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

College was my first taste of adulthood and where my entrepreneurial mentality emerged. I found myself in difficult positions, posing questions like, ‘How can I stretch this month’s allowance for my meals, books, supplies, etc.?’ or ‘What skills do I have that I can monetize to make some extra cash on the side?’ I utilized my creativity and organization skills to create an ecommerce business that sold handmade jewelry. However, I saw the need to increase my brand’s awareness in order to see growth in my business. As a result, I curated an event to host local entrepreneurs, including myself to showcase their brand, sell their products and build in person relationships with their customers. Within the process of planning the event, I found a passion of curating memorable experiences for other entrepreneurs like me. I realized that the need to curate spaces for brand awareness and opportunities for small business owners to connect with their community was more meaningful to me than my jewelry making hobby.

From jewelry maker to event planner, I became the organizer and planner for entrepreneurs. My focus was and is today to curate brand launches, workshops and community events in order to dramatically increase brand awareness.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

In my experience working as a Project Accountant in Corporate America, I have worked alongside Design Managers on various projects within the architectural and design industry. Managing fees, analyzing financial metrics and organizing loads of information has catapulted my confidence to become an entrepreneur. I also knew that my niche was to serve other entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations as an event planner. I knew I didn’t want to work with bridezillas and help plan sweet sixteen birthday parties because it didn’t align with my passion of generating awareness and support of local business owners.

What also sets me apart from other event planners is that I help entrepreneurs at every stage of their process. From ideation, to grant applications, to vendor management, I build systems and tools to help navigate and simplify every process.

The main thing I want my potential clients/followers and fans to know about me is that I am a visionary. I can help make sense of the chaotic ideas that most creative entrepreneurs have and convert them into a well-developed project or event.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

As a recipient of the COMCAST RISE grant, I was able to hire a freelance Social Media Manager who helped me grow my presence, engagement and content on social media. We curated organic content that answered questions about who I am, who my business serves, the services I offer, my brand story and more. With research and consistency, we were able to grow my following and build a system that increased engagement and traffic.

My advice for those starting to build social media is to define your target audience by building a persona. What does your ideal customer look like? What do they talk like and how can you communicate your ideas and services in a way that they understand? What platforms do they use the most. The more time you spend understanding the content, resources and tools your target audience utilizes the most, the more you will build your following.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Enrolling in community programs such as accelerators, cohorts and mentorships have significantly improved the way I operate my business. I’ve learned so much about my business through those programs and have built long lasting relationships with other entrepreneurs and mentors. Having those connections as a resource can strengthen your business network and help you in the long run.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.djseventplanning.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djsepllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djsepllccommunity
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djs-ep-llc-818770235/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/djsevntplanning

Image Credits
Photographer: Taylor Crawford