Episode 146 · May 28, 2024
Deedra Determan discusses Outside-the-Box Thinking & Entrepreneurship
with Deedra Determan, Founder of D2 Branding
42 min
Deedra Determan discusses Outside-the-Box Thinking & Entrepreneurship
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In this episode
In this episode I sit down with Deedra Determan, founder of D2 Branding in Tulsa, and I loved every minute of this conversation. Deedra started her career in television, spending ten years with Clear Channel and traveling the country to consult Fox affiliates. But when her son arrived twelve weeks early, everything shifted. She asked her employer for a flexible, work-from-home arrangement — years before Zoom made that normal — and when they said no, she became an entrepreneur out of necessity.
What she built from there is remarkable. She launched a mom-focused website, 918moms.com, grew it to 100,000 moms a month using the early power of Facebook and a clever radio show, and sold it within a year. That experience became the foundation for D2 Branding, where her real passion is coaching CEOs and entrepreneurs to build a personal brand around their business.
We get into the honest side of entrepreneurship — the grind most people don't see — plus her five-a.m. workout habit, her thoughts on why personal branding matters (even for college students just starting out), and how she's growing this year by stepping out of her own comfort zone with a podcast and a book on the way. It's practical, it's real, and it's a great reminder to lean into your God-given gifts and talents. Keep going.
Key takeaways
- A personal brand makes entrepreneurship easier — people don't do business with the logo on the door, they do business with the person behind it.
- Anyone can build a personal brand: take your skills, knowledge, and expertise, package it, and share it with the world — through a podcast, social media, or simply being the go-to expert in your field.
- When you feel stuck, take a beat and ask what you actually love doing. Deedra carried a notebook for a week to figure out what conversations energized her before building her business around them.
- Entrepreneurship sounds rosy, but the grind is where people make it or break it. If you can push through the season with no team and no budget, you'll become a far better leader for having done every job yourself.
- Your personal brand starts in college. What you post is seen by future employers and partners, so be intentional about the perception you're putting out — start a LinkedIn account early.
- Free, earned attention can be your ad budget. Deedra pitched a weekly radio show at no cost to grow her site, and let media come to her because she showed up as a real, relatable expert.
- A consistent morning routine sets up your whole day. Deedra has worked out at 5 a.m. for 25 years, and pairs it with quiet time, reading, and an early bedtime — discipline that spills right into her work.
“One thing that makes entrepreneurship easier is if you develop a personal brand around your business.”
“People don't care about the logo on the door. They care about you. Who's the person behind it?”
“You take your skills, knowledge, and your expertise. You package it, and you sell it to the world.”
“It's not my plan, it's God's plan. How do I wake up and say, God, guide my steps rather than, Deidra, guide my steps?”
Resources mentioned
About Deedra
Founder of D2 Branding
Deedra Determan is a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of D2 Branding in Tulsa, a full-service digital marketing agency with a business coaching arm. She spent ten years in television with Clear Channel before launching and selling 918moms.com within a year, and now coaches CEOs and entrepreneurs on building a personal brand. She hosts the Do It My Way podcast, serves on the OSU Alumni Association Board of Directors, and has a book on personal branding on the way.
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