it’s great to meet you!
HI, IāM DEANNA HINSZ.
ām the founder of CarbonSilk, a digital marketing strategist with more than 15 years of experience and a business owner who understands how much work happens behind the scenes. Iām also a speaker, trainer, and licensed Tennessee REALTORĀ®.
If youāre great at what you do but your online presence does not fully reflect it, I understand. You have experience, ideas, and plenty to say. Finding the time to turn all of that into clear, consistent marketing is usually the harder part.
Thatās the work I love. Through CarbonSilk, I turn what you know into messaging, content and marketing that sounds like you, builds trust and gives the right people a reason to choose your business.
“Branding is the process of connecting good strategy with good creativity.” –
Marty Neumeier, “The Brand Gap”
From Almost Losing Everything to Conference Stages
My entrepreneurial journey didn’t start from a place of confidence. It started from almost nothing.
In 2007 and 2008, I was a divorced Ā mom with two young sons when the market crashed and took my real estate business, and nearly my home, with it. I took a job at a celluar company just to keep us afloat. It paid the bills, but it also meant missing time with my boys I couldn’t get back.
The week before Christmas in 2010, my youngest told me the only thing he wanted was one day home with me. Not a gift, just a couch, a movie, and hot cocoa, the way we used to do it. That one sentence changed everything. I quit my job and made myself a promise I have kept ever since: I would not miss another school event or game.
I didn’t have a plan, so I started making cake pops in my kitchen and selling them under the name Sweet D Bites, before most small businesses even knew what to do with social media. It grew into shipping nationwide, and a year later I was named Top Mom in Business by StartUp Nation and Discover Card. The media attention opened doors, but what actually lit me up were the other women reaching out and asking, “How did you do it?”
That question became a business of its own. I built CarbonSilk, coached hundreds of entrepreneurs, spoke at conferences across the country, and helped business owners turn their ideas into something real. Life eventually brought me to Knoxville, where I also returned to real estate and became a licensed Tennessee REALTORĀ®.
Every part of that journey shapes how I work today. I know marketing is not just about looking polished online. Done well, it builds trust, creates opportunities and gives a good business room to grow.
What I Notice Working With Business Owners
Over the years, Iāve worked with solo business owners, growing teams, and established companies. The industries and business models may be different, but I keep seeing the same three struggles.
No strategy. There is a social post here, an email there, and a website that has not been updated in months, but nothing works together as one clear plan.
Overwhelm. Between serving customers, managing projects and running the business, marketing becomes the task that keeps getting pushed to tomorrow.
Invisibility. They are genuinely good at what they do, but their online presence does not reflect it. The right people may never see the experience, value or quality behind the business.
Thatās Why I Built CarbonSilk
I combine more than fifteen years of digital marketing experience with firsthand business ownership to create marketing that is clear, connected and true to the business behind it.
This is not about filling a feed with random posts or building a website that simply looks nice. CarbonSilk brings your messaging, content, social media, email and website together so people understand what you do, trust your expertise and know what to do next.
CarbonSilk is for business owners who have something valuable to offer but do not have the time or internal team to turn that value into consistent marketing. I provide the strategy, create the content and help keep it moving.
A Few Fun Facts
I left my 9 to 5 to be an entrepreneur
I’ve walked in your shoes. I know what it’s like to take a chance on something more. I made the leap from employee to a small business owner when I was a single mom with young boys.
I Grew up in Ohio
I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, a small town right between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. I moved to beautiful Montana until life led us to DeLand, Florida. Guess you can say that I’ve always been a small-town girl!
My biggest Fear was Public Speaking
It’s true! I was terrified of it. When I went to college, I was torn between Psychology and Business- I chose my degree because it didn’t require public speaking. Today, I speak at conferences across the US!
Advice from Sharon Osbourne
I had to the opportunity to ask Sharon Osbourne, “What is one piece of advice you would give to a small business owner?” Her answer- “Know your brand.”
Bad Advice I Received
When I first started out-, when social media wasn’t as common for small business owners- I had a well-established marketing company tell me that no one would take me seriously if I continued to market on social media.
Whew! Glad I didn’t listen to that!
I love what I do
I feel honored to get to do what I love. My clients aren’t just clients- I care about them and their businesses. When they experience success, I celebrate with them like it’s my own.
