Deedra Determan has 20+ years of marketing experience starting on the agency side at Ackerman McQueen Advertising Agency to 10 years in the television industry. Deedra went on to launch niche websites for moms including 918moms.com, 405moms.com, and MoneySavingQueen.com with over 100,000 moms visiting the websites each month. Deedra then followed her true passion in launching D2 Branding, an innovative marketing firm igniting brands to be the market leader in their industry through marketing, public relations, social media, advertising, strategic partnerships, sales, website creation, search engine optimization, content creation, video production, graphic design, and more! Playing Small Moment Deedra’s playing small moment was her first job offer right out of college with Ackerman McQueen Advertising. She showed up for her first day of work and was lead to the front desk, but Deedra didn’t end up being the receptionist for long. The experience turned out to be a valuable lesson. The Wake Up Call Deedra’s wake up call occurred during her son’s premature birth, which is when she realized what was truly important in life. This event catapulted her decision to leave her corporate job and go into business for herself. Style of Leadership Although her leadership style has evolved over the years, Deedra is more lenient now and chooses to lead by example. Current Leadership Challenge The business challenge Deedra is facing with D2 Branding has to do with scaling her business beyond herself. She is the face of the company and she needs to find more consultants with a similar approach to her style, in order to safeguard the authenticity of her brand. What Are You Excited About? Deedra is excited about being a mentor for thrive15.com, which is an online education company for entrepreneurs. Leadership Practice Deedra leads by example, she is an incredibly hard worker and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Book to Develop Leadership Scale: Seven Proven Principles to Grow Your Business and Get Your Life Back by Jeff Hoffman and David Finkel Advice For Younger Self Deedra would tell her younger self to GO FOR IT! Inspirational Quote “Everybody has a calling. And your real job in life is to figure out as soon as possible what that is, who you were meant to be, and to begin to honor that in the best way possible for yourself.” ~Oprah Winfrey Interview Links www.D2Branding.com www.thrive15.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/deedradeterman https://www.facebook.com/deedra.determan   Find more resources at https://WomenTakingTheLead.com