DeAnna Troupe (32), President of DeAnna Troupe, Video Marketing Coach

Tell us about yourself, your business. For five years I worked as a virtual assistant.  I helped entrepreneurs with a wide range of administrative tasks.  Invariably they would all wind up asking me for advice on their social media and video campaigns since that was usually the way they found me.  I realized that I had more fun coaching and consulting than I did doing the administrative work so I decided to make coaching my focus instead of doing the virtual assistant work.

Since I’m in start up mode, my responsibilities include everything from marketing to doing the basic day to day business stuff.  I plan to outsource a lot of my administrative work allowing me to focus on coaching and marketing.

Tell us about the company you work for or own? I focus on coaching women in the areas of social media and video marketing.  I offer a two pronged approach.  First I make an assessment of where a female entrepreneur is in her social media marketing and then I teach her the ins and outs of video markeitng.

What are some of the most fulfilling projects you have been involved with so far ? I had the pleasure of helping Heidi with one of her video presentations one day.  I also am using a portion of my proceeds to raise money for two charities: WaterAidAmerica and the William J Clinton Foundation (to help with the efforts in Haiti).  I sell ebooks and other infoproducts to help with my fundraising efforts.

Are there any people in your field you would like to meet and/or work with and have not yet had the opportunity? I would love to meet Leesa Barnes and Wendyy Bailey in person one day.  They are phenomenal coaches that I really look up to.  I just keep missing opportunities to meet them.

What are some of your favorite ways to network? My favorite way to network is through twitter.  I do use Facebook, but I like twitter the best because they keep the interface simple and there’s not as much on twitter to distract me.

Do you have a mentor – if so how did you choose one another? If not, is this something you think would benefit your career and is there anyone you would like to have as a mentor?

I don’t have a mentor right now.  I do think my career would benefit from having a mentor.  I haven’t really thought much about who I’d like to have as a mentor.

What have you learned from your mentor? What do you hope to learn? I would like to learn how to stay positive during tough times.  Sometimes I don’t take my own advice and it would be nice to have someone around to remind me that things will improve when I have tough times.

What’s been the most surprising thing that has happened to you so far in your career? The most surprising thing so far has been the reaction that I got from helping Heidi with her video.

What do you do for fun/relaxation? I like to crochet, read, listen to music, watch football and basketball, and take walks.

Any parting advice for someone who would like to follow in your footsteps? Just do it! Don’t wait for circumstances to be perfect before you start your business.  You may have to work a day job for a few years while you build your business.  That is perfectly okay.  You should save up some money while you’re working so that when you do decide to go at it full time you’ll have enough money for living expenses.  I’d say you should save up enough for at least six months to a year before you totally quit your day job.  Also before quitting your day job altogether consider working part time or temp while you build up your client base.

How can our readers connect with you?

WEBSITE URL http://www.deannatroupe.com
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/deannatroupe
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/deannatroupe
Facebook Fan Page – http://www.facebook.com/deannatroupecoach
LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/in/deannatroupe