Today, we’d like to introduce you to DeAndrea Williams. DeAndrea was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Vanessa Cooper.
Hi DeAndrea, we’re so thrilled to have you sharing your story with us today. Maybe we can kick things off by having you introduce yourself to our readers? We’d love to have you go into your story and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in the State of Mississippi, Hattiesburg to be precise. My upbringing began in an area to which we know it as “The Goula”. During my younger years, it was such a fun place to be, though it was an extremely low poverty area- it was still so awesome, on each corner or down the street you would always run into your favorite candy lady who sold zips, kool-aid pickles, etc. You also would have friends from the neighborhood who would all meet in one area and just play, ride bikes, hide-n-seek, all type of things. In addition, we also had cousins, grandmothers, uncles, etc living in the area as well. I grew up with 3 other siblings, to which one has passed in 2016, along with my mom and my grandparents. My mom passed as well when I was about 4 or 5 but I cannot recall the exact date but take note that I was a very young child when it took place. When that occurred, I didn’t see much of my father at all, he pretty much completely abandoned us, and we had to proceed with our grandparents. Keep in mind they were already elderly at the time, but now they have children to account for. It was rough but they made a way and I’m extremely grateful for them. My brothers, Donovan and Darrion stepped up 100% and played that father figure in my life to myself and my younger brother Tyjuan. Now, let me say before I move forward that I had an awesome stepfather by the name of Henry and he took on that role for me and to this day, that’s still my daddy and I’m still daddy’s girl. My story is kind of somewhat the norm and so relatable, it’s like we all had the same exact situations to occur throughout our life, I wanted to change this narrative, I didn’t want to have a poor mindset, nor be poor and when my children came about, I didn’t want to have them experience what I experienced as a child. Children deserve to be children. I have been actively working since the age of 13 and my first job was indeed taco bell, my grandmother had to sign a document stating that I could work at that age. Ever since then, I’ve been busting my tail to figure out what works and how I can be a great provider and mother to my children. I’ve always had the self-employment or entrepreneurship bone in my body, I just didn’t like the point of getting permission or having permission to leave work or ask for permission for a day off- you’d get fired for something as simple as a doctor’s appointment if you’re not careful. That’s when I started to discover and ask God, what is truly my purpose in life, I prayed and prayed for Him to order my steps. I knew that it was to help and assist other people- I just didn’t know exactly how. Working for collection agencies and banks, I also knew it wasn’t to harass people consistently about making payments, you’re behind on this payment, why? And when are you going to pay, things like that. We all go through things in life and in my opinion the obvious answer is, if I had it right now, I would pay for it. I’ve encountered foreclosing on people’s homes during covid, turning peoples credit cards off because of a late or short payment, someone’s husband or wife died, and they can’t afford to pay and it’s not right. I completely understand the obligation they signed up for, but at what point do we allow ourselves to show some since of sympathy. I also grew tired of living paycheck to paycheck, lights are getting cut off every other month, things of this nature. I needed change, and this is where Vanessa came in and ever since she has been such an angel in my life, and I don’t think she’s fully grasped on to how much of an impact she had on me. Our community lacks so much information and knowledge about finances, credit, stocks, investments, bonds, things of that sort and they don’t teach these things in school, this is information that we are on the hook to find out on our own. I’m extremely grateful for working in the banking and mortgage industry because I gained so much knowledge, I took classes, watched videos, learned how to invest, etc. and ever since, I’ve been unstoppable.
Let’s talk about your work and career – what else should we know?
I am a Tax Professional with Cooper Tax Services, along with being a Notary Public, I am also building myself to create multiple streams of income to go along with these two occupations that way I am able to spend more time with my children, go on vacations and essentially creating structure and financial freedom. For starters, what I love most about my job is my boss. To be specific, she’s not your average boss that you are used to, she doesn’t overwhelm you, micromanages you or if you ask for her assistance, she’s always readily available and I love that because in your traditional job you don’t get that. You’ll always get attitude or frustration things of that sort because they figure if you went through training why are you asking me this? I think no one understands that even though training is over, questions will still arise. Next, I love what I do because instead of collecting money, I’m the person who assists you with getting money and getting every dime you worked for. I didn’t like being a collector, so now I am essentially the giver, in a small way, but still the giver. Overall, I enjoy the smiles and happiness from clients when you tell them how much money they’re getting and not being taken away. I essentially love it when they ask me questions about what they can invest in to bring in more money or ways to make more money, it’s just an enjoyable experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I once was that person who was being collected on, so I know firsthand how it feels and its horrible. The thing that sets me apart from most is, working a traditional job wasn’t for me and I didn’t want to sell my children short from their needs and wants, I also wanted to follow my dreams as well. These things couldn’t happen working 12-hour shifts and so, I decided enough is enough and I started my self-employment journey. The moral of the story is, don’t let history continuously repeat itself. Get up and do what you need to do to break the generational curse and create generational wealth.
Vanessa Cooper and Cooper Tax Services have been great to us and I know you’ve got a great relationship with them as well. Maybe you can tell our audience a bit about Vanessa Cooper and Cooper Tax Services and your experience with them.
I’ve established the fact that I love Vanessa already, however I want to add that again. I met Vanessa on social media, TikTok to be specific. It was tax time and I needed money, asap, so I reached out to her and as always, she was readily available. I started off with Vanessa as a client and over the years we grew into great friends during this time. She was sweet, kind, efficient, fast, I mean you name it, it was her. She communicated with me the entire time, she understood my need and she sympathized with me, and I love her most for that. My client experience was so awesome, I kept coming back and I have been a client ever since. I will say she is like a breath of fresh air both personally and professionally. She doesn’t judge your situation, you can talk to her about anything, she laughs with you, she cries with you, she is a true soldier, a strong one at that. Before I joined Vanessa and the Cooper Tax family, I have to be honest that I was afraid to do so. It was my own insecurities due to having tried the tax industry years prior with a company based in Waynesboro,Ms. I didn’t receive the training I needed, the encouragement, the confidence, literally nothing. I stayed with that company for all of 2 months and it felt like I was just another number in the office. So, I was scared that I would fail. I told Vanessa about my experience and that I would pray for it first and see if this was the right step to take and she completely understood and supported me 100%. Before I knew it, I received my answer from God and here I am today. From the time training started until it ended, she was so professional, so friendly, if I didn’t get something she would start all over and she stayed on the topic until I grasped it. If I didn’t know how to do something, she would show me repeatedly until it was planted in my head. The best part about it is that she didn’t have that annoyance or frustration with me about it. She did it happily. IRS training’s, videos, documents, she did it all with me step by step and I can confidently and proudly now say that I am a Tax Professional in addition to being her Office Manager. She has built me up so much to the point that if a client is not able to reach her, then I am fully able to assist without any questions being asked. I will be with Cooper Tax Services; I will be by her side until there is no breath in me. I am not just a part of a brand, but it feels like home, it is family now and I am here to stay. We are going to build this company to the very top and just as she built me, she can build others who also want it. She didn’t just give me knowledge; she gave me confidence in myself, and I am forever indebted to her. I would encourage others to reach out and apply. If you’re willing to learn and do the work, that’s all she needs.
Website: https://coopertaxservices.setmore.com/deandreawilliams
Instagram: the.deetate
Linkedin: De’Andrea Williams
Twitter: De’Andrea Tate
Facebook: De’Andrea Tate
Other: Email: dwilliams@coopertaxserv.com Main Site: WWW.Coopertaxserv.com
Image Credits:
Photos By: Shundrix Hinton [SDOT Photography] Makeup By: Looksbynuk
