Deidra Deandra – Deidra Deandra

5 Stars for The Aguada Hotel, Belize

Need a venue? Place to stay? A nice place to grab a bite?

The Aguada Hotel is a Family-owned Hotel in the Cayo District

Venue shopping can prove to be a tiring process in the Cayo District. I have found one I absolutely love and want to give a shout out to the team at The Aguada Hotel. Here are 5 reasons why I love this venue!

Triple P Roofing voted #1 Roofing Contractor! We are so appreciative of customers who choose to trust us with their homes and businesses.
1. LOCATION The Aguada Hotel is located in Santa Elena, Cayo District; outside the hustle and bustle of town, yet close enough to town that if you forgot something, many stores are nearby. If you have friends and family visiting from out of town, it is nearby many fun activities and popular tourism sites if they want to do a few activities while in town. What I love most though is that It is very easily accessible for family and friends attending your event.

2. BUDGET The Aguada is affordable and I’m pretty sure it will fall within your budget. The team will work with you to ensure you get a fabulous event at a great price.

3. AMBIANCE Oh my goodness, you will fall in love with the setting at The Aguada. Especially at night time; it’s such a warm and cozy setting and if you book their ShaBla team for decor, you can rest assured that they will match the feel you want for your event.
The Aguada Hotel & Restaurant Belize

4. STAFF Where do I even start! The Aguada’s team is AMAZING! Friendly from the first phone call to your final photo! Ms. Shalue has done a great job at leading her team and her excellence and fun personality translates into everything her staff does.

5. IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT MONEY Sure every business exists to make some money but the spirit at The Aguada is not the bottom line. They’re all about going way above and beyond to make your memories the best.

So check out The Aguada next time you’re in Cayo; let me know how you like it!

The Aguada Hotel & Restaurant Belize

Get your 2016 Belize Tee!

Simone Biles would look fab in our Belize Tee!

Take up the Belize Tourism Board’s offer!

You betta come to Belize Simone Biles!

After claiming the top two Olympic all-around spots, Aly Raisman joked she would crash Simone Biles’ vacation to Belize. Well it seems like Simone Biles is coming and she gets to bring her friends too! The Belize Tourism Board invited Simone and the Final Five for a visit after Rio: “Congrats @simone_biles! Belize is so proud of you. We’d love to host you and the entire #FinalFive on a vacation once you’re ready to relax.” What an offer?! An all-expense-paid vacation to Belize? I think yes!

Simone has been named the “greatest gymnast ever” and in Belize we are celebrating her victory! Achieving so much at 19 is quite an inspiration, especially to our youth. We’ll sure be referencing her a lot in our youth camps and conferences.

Simone, congrats again! We’ll find a way to get one of our 2016 Belize Tees to you; just let us know your size! It would be great for one of your fishing trips and we’ve got one for mom and dad too!

Simone Biles in Belize

MORE: Read USA Today’s Coverage on Simone’s Belize invite.
Featured image by Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports

We’re in VOGUE Magazine!

Thanks to David Beckham!

Yes The David Beckham!

Our Creative Director, Deidra Deandra, was this year’s Queen’s Young Leaders Award Winner for Belize! David Beckham highly supports the program and was featured in Vogue Magazine along with all the 2016 Queen’s Young Leaders Award Winners, Prince Harry and Her Majesty The Queen. Thank you David Beckham for your support of leaders in service across the Commonwealth!

David Beckham Vogue Magazine

Belize Barrier Reef from Space!

2nd Longest Barrier Reef in the World – Belize Barrier Reef!

NASA Astronaut Jeff Williams posted a video this weekend (May 7, 2016) showing a spectacular view of the Belize Barrier Reef from space! I love my little country and it’s so cool have this view captured of such a beautiful part of our country. Thank you for sharing Jeff!

Want some cool backgrounds of Belize? Check out our photos!

The House, The Journey

Steven Sexton & Family Launch THE HOUSE in Rogers, Arkansas

steven-sexton-in-belize I met Steven Sexton in September 2012. He came to Belize with his Be The One Ministries Team to host a Be The One Youth Conference. My friend and I had been preparing for his arrival for months, making sure every detail of the conference was “perfect.” She would warn me about Steven and I kept thinking, “He can’t be that bad.” Well boy was I in for a surprise. If you know Steven, CAN I GET AN AMEN?! Steven invited me to attend Leaders Academy, but after getting to work with him you could imagine my gut response was “Nope!” Turns out, I did attend Leaders Academy the following year (and loved every minute of it!) and got to work with Steven in many occasions; and well, you can’t help but love the guy. 😀

Steven and his family recently moved to Rogers, Arkansas to launch “The House,” a church built on the foundation of Psalm 92:13. I, along with many others, will travel to Rogers to support Steven and his family in this new stage. As I thought about this new stage, I looked back at the photos from the conference in Belize. While browsing, I came across the first design I had created for him. Then I looked at some of the more recent designs; it was great to see how my talent had developed.

Steven was one of the toughest people to design for and our conversations often went like this:

Steven: “Hey D, I need this done.”
Deidra: “Sure! Do you have an idea in mind?”
Steven: “No, just come up with something.”
Deidra: “Ok great!”

Then I would spend hours thinking of a design and when I thought it was great, I would send to Steven and he would say: “I don’t like it, what I was thinking was more like…” I would breathe and move on to start on that idea he never had. While Steven was hard to work with at times, those many “Nos” have helped to improve my talent; it could always be better. Below are a few pieces I’ve designed for Steven, Be The One Ministries and The House. I’m so excited to see all the Sexton’s will do in Rogers as they continue to submit to the will of God.

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Left – 2012: First Flyer Design for Steven / Right – 2015: Last Flyer Design for Steven

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Be The One Conference 2014 Texarkana, 2014 Fayetteville, 2016 Texarkana

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Be The One Men’s Missions to Belize 2014 & 2015

Be The One Ministries DVDs

Bring Steven to your Church (you really should!)

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Be The One Ministries The 31 Campaign

Be The One Ministries Outreach

First Design for The House – Did you get one of these magnets?

Social Media Graphics for The House

The House Business Cards

It’s always cool to see my designs come to life – Standing Banners

The House Countdown to The Launch on February 14, 2016

The House Banner Sign

See you in The House on Sunday, February 14, 2016

Belize Receives Queen’s Young Leaders Award

We are happy to announce that our Creative Director, Deidra Smith, has received The Queen’s Young Leaders Award for Belize. She has received this award for her work with youth and education in Belize. Below is a piece by Cayo Christian Academy where she has the scholarship program for which she received the award.

The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme is celebrating the announcement of 60 Queen’s Young Leaders from across the Commonwealth!

DEIDRA SMITH RECEIVES THE QUEEN’S YOUNG LEADERS AWARD

Tuesday, December 8, 2015 – We celebrate in Belize as Entrepreneur and Youth Advocate, Deidra Smith is set to receive the Queen’s Young Leaders Award. This honorable award exists to discover, celebrate and support exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth, leaving a lasting legacy for Her Majesty The Queen. Deidra will spend a week in the United Kingdom where she will receive her award at Buckingham Palace from Her Majesty The Queen. Deidra will also receive a tailored package of training, mentoring and networking from Cambridge University.

“I am honored to represent my country as the recipient of The Queen’s Young Leaders Award,” says Deidra, “I am hoping that this would inspire others to actively give of their time and resources to support the youth of our nation. The access to these resources will only elevate the work I do in Belize and I’m thankful for this recognition.”

cca-school-song-launch-2 In 2012, Deidra founded a scholarship program in the community that is home to Cayo Christian Academy to support young people to pursue higher education. Two students received scholarships for their high school education. Both received scholarships for their Academic Excellence and one recipient would not have been financially able to pursue higher education without this opportunity. Deidra took the commitment beyond financial provision and was very active with the student body. She started several clubs on campus and spearheaded the production of our school song. Her love for the students resulted in an invitation from us to join our Board of Directors and since she’s been on our team, she has impacted our institution greatly. We are proud of Deidra and her accomplishments. Her support for youth goes far beyond our school this award is well deserved! Congrats Deidra!

Queen's Young Leaders - Deidra Deandra Deidra lives a life of purpose and chooses daily to be intentional in how she spends her time, wanting to leave a legacy that will inspire others to dream beyond their wildest imagination. Her passion is working with the youth and seeing them mature to be individuals who live a life of positive impact. She serves on over 10 teams in Belize and the United States and is often called on to speak encouraging messages to youth. She is a visionary and has founded her own company, Deidra Deandra, where she is the Manager and Creative Director. Deidra co-founded ID SEVEN in 2011, an organization dedicated to supporting the youth of Belize. Her word of advice, “The world is watching. That shouldn’t be a scary thought! It’s our chance to be examples that people will want to follow (Debbie Tillett).”

When asked if she had any final words, Deidra excitedly responded, “Go intentionally spend a few hours with a young person. Impart a little and watch how they inspire you.”

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For More Information Contact Deidra Here

Notes to Editors
Deidra Smith on Social Media
Twitter: @deidradeandra
Facebook: www.facebook.com/deidradeandra

The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme
www.queensyoungleaders.com

TEDxBelmopan – Tony Rath’s TEDx Talk

Tony Rath’s TEDx Talk: Photography and the Light of Respect!

Today (December 9, 2015) the first TEDxBelmopan Talk was released. Belizeans especially have been patiently waiting for this release. Tony Rath’s TEDx Talk was titled “Photography and the Light of Respect.” Using photography as a tool to explore the world, acclaimed nature photographer Tony Rath takes us on four journeys where photography helped him learn life lessons about respect. From bird hunting and whale kills in the Faroe Islands, to kayaking unexplored canyons and being mesmerized by a small grey rainforest bird in Belize, Tony Rath uses his spectacular imagery to shed light on the meaning of respect.

Deidra Deandra with Tony Rath

Tony Rath is a well published editorial and commercial photographer based along the shore of the Caribbean Sea in the picturesque village of Dangriga, Belize.

He was born somewhere, and then grew up. Along the way he canoed the Quetico, flew gliders in the USAF, became a marine biologist; worked as a technician, diver and underwater photographer for the Smithsonian Institution; worked underwater on oil rigs, missile launch sites and submersibles off the California Coast; captained a sailboat across the Atlantic Ocean (twice) and through the Mediterranean and North Seas, commercial fished north of the Arctic Circle, lived in different cities and worked with different famous and important people.

To keep up with the latest from TEDxBelmopan visit their website www.tedxbelmopan.com or connect with them on Facebook.

Deidra Deandra is proud to be a Gold Sponsor for this event.

5 Small Business Tips!

5 Small Business Tips from Business Plan Presentations at The University of Belize

The University of Belize’s Bachelors students presented their Business Plans today. Six groups had worked with existing businesses in the community to assess their current status and make recommendations to help the businesses grow in the market through marketing plans and financial advice.

I was invited to be a guest judge for the areas of brand development, promotions and marketing. It was a fun experience for my company getting to help these students learn from an existing small business. It was also a learning experience for me as some of the businesses the students assessed have been in the industry for 15+ years. I especially loved all the treats they shared. (:

I was particularly impressed with a group who chose to develop a start-up. They introduced to the Belizean Market, Clover Dressings. Clover Dressings produces Caesar and Sweet Mustard Dressings. Both have no preservatives and through their current research will last about 10 months when refrigerated. Though I guarantee you won’t keep them that long; they are very tasty. I especially like the Caesar as it has extra cheese! If you’re wanting to see this product on the grocery store shelves, start supporting the business by ordering on their Facebook.

Here are 5 Small Business Tips I put together based on the presentations:

1. Facebook is the top marketing method in Belize to reach customers especially in the food industry (based on surveys by the students)
2. Fast food delivery is a rapidly growing niche in Belmopan.
3. Keep good track of your accounts. It is necessary especially as your business grows and wishes to seek funding. Get training if needed.
4. Develop a good brand from the start. You want to look good to the public. Deidra Deandra would be happy to help you develop your brand.
5. Be careful not to intermingle personal expenses with that of the business. A great way to avoid this is to pay yourself a salary.

More Photos on Facebook.
Testimonials of Deidra Deandra, a Belize Graphic Design Company.

10 New Belizean Businesses from Belize’s National University

New Belizean Businesses from the University of Belize

November 16, 2015–Today was such a fun and exciting day as I got to be a judge for the University of Belize’s Marketing Expo. Ten groups had worked to develop products to introduce to the Belizean market. They created the products, developed branding and packaging, and financed and marketed them.

Among the products were glow in the dark, eco-friendly lava lamps; yellow tomato ketchup, fruit juices, jams (including a delicious tomato jam, who would have thought?), wooden bottle holders, coconut oil, face scrubs and barbecue sauce. The response from the public was great and one of the businesses even sold out! Professor Audrey Pascasio said she was very proud of the effort her students put into their businesses and the feedback from the public.

It was so great seeing the next people the enter the workforce creating new Belizean businesses. I encouraged them to not let it be just another project but to actually follow through with their businesses. If they do, you should be seeing a whole new variety of “Made in Belize” products on grocery store shelves. Be sure to buy them!

University of Belize’s Mission Statement
The University of Belize is a national, autonomous and multi-location institution committed to excellence in higher education, research and service for national development. As a catalyst of change it provides relevant, affordable and accessible educational and training programs that address national needs based on principles of academic freedom, equity, transparency, merit and accountability.

See Photos of these New Belizean Businesses on Facebook.

TV: Let’s Talk About “The M Word”

“The M Word” with Andrea & Alida

It was such a pleasure to join the hosts of Divaz Next Door along with Shamah Smith to talk about “The M Word” – Modesty. It’s one of those “iffy” topics to talk about as every one has their own standards for what’s modest wear. We focused on what we, as Christian young women, do to set a good example. It was fun sharing some creative ideas with viewers and below are a few tips. Enjoy!

1. All the cute dresses too short? Wear them with leggings!

deidradeandra-modesty-dress-leggings
2. The top or dress you like will show cleavage? Add a cami under it or a light scarf over!

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3. Having to ask a few friends if something is ok to wear? Don’t wear it!

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4. Can’t find any shorts at a decent length? Cut your old jeans and roll the ends a bit!

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5. All the likes on Facebook and Instagram really aren’t worth showing off your body for. Don’t show it off to get guys. You will attract guys who only want you for your body if you show them your body. Really, you get what you give. A friend of mine shared a really cool quote the day before I appeared on the show. It read, “Modesty isn’t about hiding your body, it’s about revealing your dignity.” Respect yourself ladies. You are worth so much more, Proverbs 31:10 – You are more precious than rubies.

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Divaz Next Door airs every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. on Plus Television (based in the Capital City – Belmopan).

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Related Topics: TV: Divaz Next Door – Be Intentional

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