Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
On Mondays and Fridays in Marlinton, you’re likely to see a sharply dressed young man sitting at a desk in The Hub on Main Street, waiting to share his business knowledge with new entrepreneurs who want to enter the business world.
That young man is Dr. Deshaun Williams, a South Carolina transplant to Snowshoe, who has seen his fair share of success and downfall in owning a business.
Williams opened his first business in 2018 “on a whim” when he got his license to be a life coach. At the ripe old age of 20, Williams did have some clients who used his services but also got a lot of people who thought a 20-year-old couldn’t help them with their complex problems.
“You kind of run into a brick wall,” he said. “At that moment, I realized that I had to get structure. I had to really know what to do if I wanted to be successful in business.”
The business held on until 2023, when Williams closed it to start another business. He learned from his mistakes and had better success with his new goal – helping authors get their books published.
“It was a great business,” he said.
That business also closed, but not because it wasn’t successful, but because Williams moved to Pocahontas County to work at Snowshoe Mountain Resort. While at the resort, Williams has absorbed managerial skills and decided it was time to open another business.
Sticking to his main goal of helping others, Williams opened The Business Blueprint, where he helps new businesses or those who want to open a business make sure they have all they need to get that business up and running, and stay successful.
“When they say, ‘hey we’re ready to launch,’ they’re not just launching off on a whim,” he said. “If you don’t have that structure, that business plan, then what are you launching? I wanted to bring something that was going help people succeed.”
Williams sits down with you and goes over your business plan and answers the very important questions – What do you need to get started? Where do you want this business to be? What services do you need?
“When you’re the sole member of that business, you can ultimately work yourself to exhaustion,” he said. “If you need someone for finances, then we can get you connected with someone that does the finance part to get everything set up for you, so it runs smoothly.”
Williams’ motto for his business is – “Make it make sense, then make it work.”
Before you open your business, you need to make sure that you have a concise business plan and a sustainability plan for growth and success.
“Let us try to have something that makes sense and is also going to work for you rather than you always having to work for it,” he said.
Williams’ approach is centered on:
• Slowing down the process to establish clarity.
• Designing how the business is to function.
• Aligning decisions with long-term outcomes.
• Building a foundation that supports consistent execution.
“Strong businesses are not built on ideas alone, they are built on structure, clarity and disciplined execution,” he said.
Williams is at The Hub in Marlinton Mondays and Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. He also does virtual appointments Tuesdays through Thursdays.
For more information or to contact Williams, visit deshaunwilliams.com or email info@deshaunwilliams.com
