Today my interviewee is Deanna Jones, CEO/founder of Jones Adventure Marketing LLC. She attended Stephens College, where she got her Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts. She’s a video producer and a marketing consultant.
Deanna helps businesses skyrocket brand awareness online through tailored, cross-platform video marketing strategy and top-notch content.
It was inspiring to hear Deanna’s journey from how she came up with her business idea to going global by serving clients around the world. She is an incredibly driven and inspiring female entrepreneur who has achieved a lot.
INTRODUCTION
PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND THE BUSINESS YOU STARTED?
I went to school at one of the best performing arts colleges in the country (Stephens College in Columbia MO) for acting, but then I found out that less than 10% of the Producers and Directors in the entertainment industry were women, so I decided to change the narrative and become a producer! I’m now an entertainment producer that has worked in online entertainment, short films and am currently trying to get a few large scale films made!
I started my company to help companies tackle the growing need for video in their online marketing presence. I can bring my expertise and connections to those that otherwise wouldn’t have the access to this level of content creation or expertise. I work with all sizes of businesses and help them grow their engagement and awareness by up to +500% or more in a matter of MONTHS. This helps build brand trust and converts to higher sales.
Related: How I Became A Video Content Creator
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH YOUR BUSINESS IDEA?
I knew I wanted to help people as much as possible. I saw the growing trend for video in marketing and saw many people making huge mistakes that hurt them far more than help them. I figured I’d bring my knowledge to keep them from continuing to waste thousands of dollars that were hurting them and help them turn it around and help them grow.
I came up with the name because my name is Deanna Jones, just like Indiana Jones just without the ‘In” part. I thought it would be clever to use it! I also know that life and business are both an adventure and one that no one should go through alone. Having someone to help guide you through your growth strategies can drastically improve your success.
PLEASE DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF LAUNCHING YOUR BUSINESS.
I don’t think I did it the “normal way.” I just got the idea, planned out my brand strategy, got a website, made all my social media profiles and a plan and just went for it! I did hire a business coach about 3 months in and he’s been instrumental in helping me streamline and get more organized so I didn’t feel stretched so thin. He helps me Work smarter not harder to achieve better results!
So far the feedback has been great! No negative reviews or feedback yet and all my clients have returned for more work! So I say we’re on the right track!
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT AND YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE ALONG THE WAY?
Biggest Achievement: I’m not sure there’s one “Big” achievement. The moments that I’m happiest or the proudest are when I get emails or messages from clients that are SO EXCITED by what I send them for the review! They are so happy and relieved that they have help in areas that they were struggling with before.
Biggest Challenge: Probably wanting to do so much at the beginning that I wasn’t being as effective with my time. I was working 12-14 hours a day, 7 days a week- exhausted and unable to make as much traction as I wanted. It also hurt my relationship with my family at first (I’m married and a mom of a toddler) and I hated that. So learning to set boundaries for me on a daily basis and really getting help from a coach to keep me accountable to those boundaries really helped.
HOW DO YOU PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS?
By Social Media, Referrals and Some Paid Ads.
WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS?
We’re on track for some great growth this year! So hopefully I’ll be able to hire a VA and a social media manager to take those tasks from me so I can be more available for my clients.
Right now I have clients in multiple countries and looking to grow more. Everything I do is remote based, so I can help pretty much anyone in the world!
RECOMMENDATIONS & FINAL THOUGHTS
PLEASE RECOMMEND ANY RESOURCES AND TOOLS THAT YOU USE TO RUN YOUR BUSINESS.
- Website hosting: Squarespace,
- Email Marketing: Constant Contact,
- Expense tracking on the go: Expensify,
- Design: Canva,
- Social Media: LinkedIn has been big & FB and IG.
I run most things through a Google account (Forms, Google Drive folders, etc)
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BUSINESS BOOKS, PODCASTS OR BLOGS?
My favorite books are Key Person of Influence and Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER WOMEN WHO WANT TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?
Don’t make the mistake of being too proud to do it all yourself. Yes, you probably can, but the stress and time you will waste trying to do it all yourself is SOOO not worth it.
Do research, figure out what you will need, take advantage of free consults as you can get them and save up the money to hire pros. You will spend less doing it right the first time than trying to get cheap and redoing it later.
Also, your mental health is worth more than what you’d spend to get the help you need.
Someone wise told me,
“Every hour you spend not hiring someone to take care of the tasks you don’t NEED to handle is money you’re LOSING.
By letting others handle the day to day, you can focus your energy on the tasks that you can do to MAKE MORE MONEY.”
Violeta Semenova
Founder
theBizLadies
Welcome to the Biz Ladies interview series!
If you’re new to these series, I interview women entrepreneurs on how they started their business, what was the idea behind it, how they got where they are, the struggles, the reality and more.
By sharing their stories, we want to inspire other women to get started.
If you are interested to share your own story on the Biz Ladies LET ME KNOW!