Boss Stories

Boujee Boss Lady

Deanna LaRue

Deanna LaRue learned the value of hard work at home from an early age, watching her father teach himself new skills and build businesses that provided for their family’s needs. She had a front row seat to his sacrifice and entrepreneurial spirit, which formed a work ethic and drive that has served Deanna well throughout her life.

Boujee Boss Lady

Deanna LaRue

Deanna LaRue learned the value of hard work at home from an early age, watching her father teach himself new skills and build businesses that provided for their family’s needs. She had a front row seat to his sacrifice and entrepreneurial spirit, which formed a work ethic and drive that has served Deanna well throughout her life.

As a kid, Deanna spent weekends working at her dad’s bingo hall, earning money from janitorial tasks and working the concession stand. Her father taught her how to use QuickBooks, and by age 15, she was running payroll and doing bookkeeping for his business. At 16, Deanna had saved enough money for her first major purchase – a car, which she displayed proudly to her friends and classmates.

After relocating from Illinois to Georgia to attend college, Deanna began working as a bartender. This job taught her valuable people skills and enabled her to buy her first house at the age of 19. She found three roommates to help pay her mortgage while she continued to pursue a degree in Finance. After working as a financial planner’s assistant for six months, she decided finance was her calling and furthered her education and professional credentials to help clients manage their money.

Deanna founded TimeWise Financial at the age of 24, building her business primarily from a clientele from her bartending job. Over the past two decades, her desire to learn and love of solving challenges has earned her recognition among peers, enviable growth, and loyalty from clients. She built a skilled team, acquired practices, expanded into new markets, and cultivated the firm’s next generation of leaders.

Since founding TimeWise, Deanna has diversified her business ventures, investing in restaurants and real estate, and helping more women pursue financial confidence by creating Boujee Boss Lady. Most importantly, Deanna’s success has given her the freedom and flexibility to spend more time with her children and pass on the life lessons she learned from her own father.

A Chat with Deanna:

Question: To what do you attribute your success?

"There is no golden ticket to success. I built my practice by pounding the pavement and paying my dues. Hard work and consistency are the foundation for success, and I think a willingness to try new things but stick with them until they pay off has played a big role in where I am today."

Question: What lessons shaped the boss you’ve become?

"I’ve been blessed to have great mentors who took the time to invest in me early in my career. They taught me the importance of being authentic in my relationships with clients and that finance isn’t just about helping people build wealth but also helping them understand the role money does – and does not - play in their happiness. As people grow in success, a dollar won’t make them as happy as before, and because you can’t take it with you when you go, money can’t be the ultimate goal."

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