This month I’m highlighting DeAnne Pearson, a life and career coach and the idea of the unique value proposition. While I didn’t interview DeAnne for the Mompowerment books, I did get the benefit of meeting several moms who shared their story with me through DeAnne. And, given that August is all about focusing on steps to get working moms ready to make some career moves as your kids head back to school, I thought of DeAnne. Through the years, I’ve noticed that DeAnne has a great perspective and gives stellar advice.
Professional Path
DeAnne originally thought her professional options were teaching or nursing because these are the roles women had in her small Texas town. She took the teaching route. After years in teaching, she went back to graduate school to study counseling and educational psychology so that she could go into career counseling and consulting.
She created an internship at Texas State University in San Marcus so she could get some experience and learn the ropes. That role led to a job with the Texas Workforce Commission, the state agency in Texas that provides services to those looking for jobs and to employers. And she eventually transitioned to working in a consulting role with an international outplacement and talent management firm, Lee Hecht Harrison.
In 2009, DeAnne started her first career coaching business, which became Deliberate Careers, her current business, in 2012. And as an entrepreneur, she has found her groove and truly enjoys it.
Work time
So that DeAnne can be most productive with her time, she has a theme for each workday:
Monday is for mom-stuff, errands, doctors’ appointments, and paperwork. She also sets aside time for marketing and working on her business. “I make sure everything is aligned with my financial goals for the week and that my clients have confirmed their appointments,” DeAnne shares.
Tuesday and Thursday are focused on phone calls with clients throughout the US and abroad.
Wednesday is when she sees clients in-person, usually in her office. She also sets aside time on Wednesdays to have lunch or tea with a friend.
On Fridays she has calls with clients in the morning and then does writing, marketing, and other business-building activities in the afternoon. This is also her time to wrap up any loose ends related to financial goals and set things up for Sunday night brainstorm.
Benefits of Entrepreneurship
Other than the themes that DeAnne has created for her daily activities, she’s pretty flexible. She’s able to move around hours or even the days she does activities according to her needs. And since DeAnne doesn’t travel for work and has set up her time based on her needs, she’s been able to attend every award ceremony and game that her children have participated in over the last 12 years.
Challenges of Flexibility or Entrepreneurship
The big struggle that DeAnne shares is sticking to her boundaries, which means she has to re-establish them from time to time. Since she usually works from home, her rule is: “if my door is closed then, [my family] must pretend that I am not here.” That means no interruptions, even if it doesn’t look like she’s on the phone. Even if the dog has just done the cutest thing ever! She shares that it’s more often her husband that needs the reminder and not her kids.
Another way she has dealt with the challenge of boundaries is to take advantage of coworking near her home. That way she can sometimes see clients there or have an opportunity to network.
On a personal side, she also shares that she doesn’t answer the door when she’s working from home. Her family and neighbors know that this is one of her boundaries and has been for more than 20 years.
Advice
- Start making moves early. Start gathering information, renewing contacts, doing informational interviews, and warming up your network. In your conversations be as clear as you can about what you want to do next. If you aren’t clear on what is next, ask questions, research, or consider hiring a coach.
- Set SMARTER goals. The “E” stands for evaluating and “R” stands for repeat or rinse depending on what the numbers tell you. That means you must be measuring and analyzing what you’re seeing on a regular basis.
- If you’re interested in starting a business, do your research. Take advantage of the free resources that are out there when you can through your city, local incubators, mentors, local SCORE offices, or informal classes with colleges and junior colleges.
- Create win–win scenarios. Don’t re-invent the wheel, all successful businesses make the same thing- MONEY. So, you must find a niche where your target market benefits from the solution and you benefit from the profitability. And there is your win-win.
- Create your Unique Value Proposition (UVP). If you’re interested in starting a business, do the inner work first. Your answers to these questions will form your UVP, which is a few sentences that sum up the key elements of you, your product/service or what you do, the problem it solves, and who needs it. Start including that overview wherever it makes sense (e.g., your resume, LinkedIn profile, social media, etc.). DeAnne suggests answering the following questions:
- Who are you and what do you do?
- Who needs the solution, service, or product you offer?
- What is unique/better about you, your service/product, and your approach?
- Do people know that they need this service/product?
- Are they willing to pay for the service/product?
- How and where will you find each other?
- As an entrepreneur, gather information early on. DeAnne shares one of the best moves she did early on, “When I started, [I gathered] information in the form of a before and after testimonial fill-in-the-blank form for each client. By gathering information early on, I was able to have fodder for sales, marketing, and website content in the language my clients used right away.” This helped DeAnne shift to a more common language with her ideal client. And it made finding her as a solution that much easier. And it helped her understand where potential clients were struggling.
If you’re wanting to read more from moms similar to DeAnne, grab your copy of either of the Mompowerment books today.
