Today we’d like to introduce you to De’ Vonte Hughes.
De’ Vonte, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
How did I start? Man, I would have to stay it began when I was a kid. I grew up in a single parent household with my two older brothers, so money was always a little tight for us. I was still curious about money because I knew if you had money, you could get the stuff you wanted. I’d save my change and roll them up into the coin wrappers. I even had an agreement with my mom that she would give me all of her pennies. That continued well into my college years. I was and still am SUPER cheap. I never spend unnecessary amounts of money, and I’m always looking to save money. I always knew I wanted to own my own business, but I never actually knew what I wanted to do, so I kind of put that in my back pocket and ran with my love for money and decided to major in Accounting and Finance. As I learned more about the financial world and applied my own life experiences to it, I learned to handle my money pretty well, though most of my friends thought I was cheap. After graduation, I realized a lot of my old friends would reach out to me, asking about financial advice and guidance. It was at that moment I reached back into my back pocket and pulled out my idea of owning my own business.
To get to where I am today, it took a LOT of work—coming up with the right logo, colors, services, platform to develop the services, some uniformity with the job, and much more. The biggest thing is the social media platform and doing successful posts to gain viewers and new clients. I was blessed to have a lot of friends who supported and trusted me, and they gave me my first start. Now that served as the springboard for me. My business is not even a year old, and I’ve been able to see a lot of success, and for that, I am thankful.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would have to say it has been 50/50. It’s always hard to try and get an idea off the ground and for it to gain traction. One of the major struggles I was met with was actually getting people to believe in the dream and trust me enough to help them with their finances. After that, it is pretty smooth. So far, I have received nothing but positive feedback from those I worked with.
Tell us about your company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
A summary of what I do financial management but with a slight twist. Instead of taking someone’s money and just managing it for me, I help them budget their money, keeping track of expenses, helping them see where they can trim some of their expenses/bills, and helping them start saving their money and paying off debt. In a nutshell, I’m helping people lay a necessary financial foundation to help set them up better. These are simple things that go untaught, and most people suffer from a lack of knowledge, not necessarily from bad choices.
I’m most proud of my company because I am making a difference. Whether its helping one finally can save money, paying off a credit card, or even helping someone credit score rise, I am helping them better their lives, and that makes me happy. We help people budget better, apply that left over money in positive ways, and financially coach them.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory would be just growing up with my two brothers and my mom. Every holiday, birthday, etc. was special to me. These are things I cherish because growing up and becoming an adult, my mother has passed away. She’s the driving force for everything I do. Love you, mom!
Pricing:
- – Personalized Budget: $50 (can include savings plan and debt repayment plan)
- – Budget Edits: $20 (if a new factor needs to be added)
- – Consultations: $20-$45 (coaching, advice, guidance)
Contact Info:
- Address: 8222 Kingsbrook Rd Apt 392
Houston, TX 77024 - Phone: 574-606-0016
- Email: 1stStepFinances@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1ststepfinances/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1stStepFinances/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/1stStepFinances
Image Credit:
Photographer: Kayla Terry
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