Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dianne DeNecochea, Founder of ProActive Volley LLC, located in San Diego, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am a college volleyball recruiting advisor and founder of ProActive Volley. I help high school-age volleyball players and their families navigate the college volleyball recruiting process. I provide guidance, expertise, and calm advice, helping players gain confidence as they start the recruiting process, understand it, and begin to communicate with college coaches. I help them to learn what they are looking for in a student-athlete experience. I provide a systematic, step-by-step, detailed approach, teaching and guiding the volleyball athlete on the next steps through their recruiting process. I work with players and their families 1-on-1. I also have a short online course created by me that walks them through how to email college volleyball coaches, with do's and don'ts and templates as a guide.

Tell us about yourself

I have been a volleyball player most of my life since I was 12 years old. The sport of volleyball is a huge part of all aspects of my life. I was a collegiate student-athlete and played volleyball at the University of Tennessee. I went on to play professional indoor volleyball in Europe for 5 seasons in Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy. I played beach volleyball professionally on the AVP and FIVB. I had my oldest daughter in 2000 when I started playing beach volleyball professionally. I won my first AVP tournament when she was 18 months old! My best friends have come through playing or coaching volleyball. My younger daughter was born in 2004, and I took part in one AVP season off when I had her and then came back the next season.

I had my most successful winning season on the AVP in 2009 and retired in 2012. I coached club volleyball when my daughters were 5th - 7th graders. When my oldest daughter began the recruiting process during her freshman year in high school, I learned so much! She was recruited by several schools and ended up taking 8 visits and verbally committed to play volleyball at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she is now a 5th year senior in graduate school. After she verbally committed to play in college, the other parents on her club volleyball team, who are my friends, asked me how we did it and if I could help them. Eventually, I helped and guided a few other players on her team in the recruiting process to play in college, and I found it very rewarding. It was life-changing for these young ladies! My younger daughter verbally committed to playing volleyball in college at Portland State this year. So I went through the recruiting process again with her and learned even more! I am right there with the clients I serve, which I think makes my business more valuable to them. Since I created my business, I have known this is what I love to do. I could talk about college volleyball recruiting all day and really enjoying helping families.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I have to say my biggest accomplishment is helping volleyball players and families through the crazy and difficult recruiting process. When they verbally commit to play the sport they love in college; it's a huge accomplishment for them. I feel it is for me, too, because I helped them get there. Teaching these young athletes and watching them learn and grow as they work through the process is also very rewarding. I have learned so much about being a business owner from a business model and marketing perspective also. I'm working on building an email list and creating content that is detailed and actionable. I really cut to the nitty gritty of what players and families can do in the process, and I try to communicate that in a detailed way. I have learned that "my people" really like this and appreciate it! I have learned how to create a website, work with an email service provider, create lead magnet freebies, and I'm learning to create an online course now. I realize that I can't work with as many athletes as I would like to at once, so I'm learning how to scale my business to help more players and families. I do this through an online course and through offering recruiting workshops too. I'm still building my business and working to stay consistent behind the scenes with content. I started a Facebook group that is growing, and my email list also, which will allow me to build my business, scale, and help more people. I have been where clients I work with are; I know what they are going through. I was a player at a high level, a volleyball parent, and I have two daughters that went through the recruiting process. This allows me to serve my clients well. I'm invested in their success because I really know the landscape and understand where they are and how they feel.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing for me, being a business owner, is having enough time to do everything I need and want to do to grow my business. I have a business model I like working with families 1-on-1, but I want to scale. The hardest part for me is to let go. I just hired a VA for a project, and that's a great start for me! I think it's a control and perfectionism thing that I need to work through. I think, as a former professional athlete, I was very driven and disciplined. This carries over into my business, BUT on the court, I could get kills and blocks, and that was me. Now, I need to let go and keep learning and growing with some help. I know I will go little by little. I am a lifelong learner, so I believe it will happen!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Be a learner. Take the time to learn from articles, podcasts, YouTube tech videos, online courses, and mentors....work hard to keep learning.
  2. Go easy on yourself and give yourself grace when things take longer than you planned or you hit a bump in the road. Take care of yourself with sleep, exercise, and healthy eating.
  3. Scale your business if at all possible. Ask yourself, how can I serve more people in my niche or target market? How can I be of service to more people because what I do or sell brings great value to them?

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://proactivevolley.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proactivevolley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proactivevolley/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannedenecochea/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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