Today we’d like to introduce you to DeAnna Hinson Hornback.
Hi DeAnna Hinson, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always had a winding road of a story. ADHD in live-action, I suppose. My first job was as a carhop, but I quickly found myself drawn to service and responsibility. Over the years I have worked in administration, became a 9-11 dispatcher, and eventually served as a deputy, firefighter/EMT, fire investigator, and assistant fire chief. During that season, I was honored with awards like Rookie of the Year, Firefighter of the Year, Officer of the Year, and First Responder of the Year. Service and leadership were in my bones. While firefighting was my blood.
When family needed me, I stepped away for twenty years to raise a grandchild, and in that time I built experience in entrepreneurship through multi-level marketing and, later, my own mobile notary business, known as NotaryAnna in my area of service. These years taught me how to balance people’s needs with the realities of running something of my own.
In 2025, I joined Patriot Underground Utility Construction as HR Manager. The company was growing fast and needed structure, policies, and someone to bring both discipline and heart to its culture. I got to step into that role and build the HR division from the ground up; creating policies, onboarding, safety programs, and an employee handbook that reflects not just compliance, but care for the crews who put their boots on the ground every day.
Alongside that, I have expanded into creative work: building brand voices, managing social media, creating training programs, and helping small businesses find their footing online. I call that branch of my work Small Biz, Big Voice™, because I believe every business, no matter its size, deserves a presence that reflects its personality.
So really, my story is one of resilience, service, and reinvention. Every chapter, whether firefighting, raising family, or corporate HR has and is teaching me something new. And all of it brought me here, to a place where I can combine structure with creativity, people with processes, and turn both into growth stories worth telling.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. Honestly, grief has been one of my biggest teachers. Losing people and animals who felt like family has shaped how I see the world. It taught me empathy and made me a lot tougher than I thought I could be. I have had to start over more than once; walking away from a fire service career that I loved to raise a grandchild, later reinventing myself after 20 years away from the workforce, and figuring out entrepreneurship with no real roadmap. And now in HR, I have been building a whole division from scratch in the middle of a fast-growing company. None of it’s been easy, but every hard season gave me resilience and perspective. And honestly? I lean in on grit, faith, and humor to keep moving forward. Life is so much harder without laughter.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
By day I serve as HR Manager at Patriot Underground HDD. This role has given me the structure, leadership, and systems expertise that I now pour into my own ventures.
The one I’m most excited about today, is Small Biz, Big Voice™. Where I help rural and blue-collar businesses find their authentic voice online through personality-driven content and brand coaching.
On the side, I run NotaryAnna, focusing on weekend loan signings because life doesn’t happen only Monday – Friday.
What ties it all together is storytelling; whether through policies, brand voices, or helping families close on a home, I believe every piece of work contains a story worth telling.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I’m by no means self-made. My dad and my daughter, Molly, are the two I give the most credit to, making them proud has always been the ultimate life goal. My husband Don has been a steady safety-net through 36 years of marriage, and my grandkids are the sweetest icing on any cake. I’ve also been blessed with very diverse girlfriends who, after all these years, are true sisters to me. Last though not least, I’ll always carry lessons from my fire chief, Paul Gregory, who taught me how to “put the wet stuff on the red stuff” and modeled what leadership under pressure really looks like.
Pricing:
- Notary~Anna • Loan Signings (weekends only): $125+ • General Notarizations: $10 per seal + travel fee
- Small Biz, Big Voice™ • Social Media Management Packages: Starting at $300/month • DIY Content Kits: $150+ • Brand Voice Coaching (1:1 sessions): $75/hour
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17CkWQVxev/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannahinson?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/notary-anna-burnet
Image Credits
Anna H.
Don Hornback
Molly Middleton
