Meet Expert in Residence Terry Rice

How did you get started in entrepreneurship?

After ten years in the corporate world, which included roles at Adobe and Meta, I became an entrepreneur in 2015. I leveraged my background in digital marketing to help companies with their overall digital strategy and paid marketing campaigns. As time went on I decided I wanted to have a deeper impact with other business owners, so I shifted my focus to business development consulting for solopreneurs and entrepreneurs. Along the way, I also began providing performance coaching for entrepreneurs who want to level up in their business and personal lives.

What makes you tick?

My personal philosophy is “Live your legacy.” This grounds and motivates me because instead of thinking — or worrying — about how I’ll be remembered, I intentionally align my daily actions with how I want people to speak about me when I’m gone. To that end, I’m extremely focused on helping people unlock their potential. I firmly believe that by doing so, they’ll be more fulfilled, successful — however they define it — and make positive contributions to their communities. Outside of that I just want to spend time with my family, hit the gym, and keep telling really, really good dad jokes.

What does an average day in your entrepreneurial life look like?

I believe that “discipline is destiny” so I’ve committed myself to routines that are aligned with the vision I have for my personal and professional life. I wake up around 5 am to read or do a bit of journaling. By 6 am at least 50 percent of my four kids are up so I’m in dad mode from then until around 8:30 am when I drop them off. I then head straight to the gym for about an hour and I’m at my desk ready to work by around 10:30 am. I don’t always know the specific work I’ll be doing, but I do know what type of work I’ll be focusing on. 

The first half of my workday is always dedicated to content creation or business development. This could include writing my latest article for Entrepreneur magazine or creating an outbound marketing campaign to land speaking gigs. After 1 pm I’ll shift to meetings, presentations, or recording content. By 4:30 pm it’s time to grab the kids from school and continue on with the rest of the day as a family.

What are your areas of expertise?

I help entrepreneurs grow their brand and revenue by sharing actionable ideas and strategies associated with personal branding and business development. This can include anything from determining what to post on social media to how you can land valuable partnerships. I also provide professional coaching to help entrepreneurs overcome setbacks and boost their performance.

What are you looking forward to most in your residence with the SPI Pro community? How specifically do you want to help entrepreneurs?

At the beginning of my career as an entrepreneur, I taught live, in-person workshops three times a week. It was extremely rewarding and exciting because I never knew who I was going to meet and was constantly challenged to help solve their business problems. I was immediately able to see the impact of my work and it was great getting to know members of the community while watching their businesses grow at the same time. Through SPI Pro, I’ll be able to enjoy the same experience with an even larger online community. 

I’m looking forward to helping entrepreneurs remove uncertainty and block out all the noise so they can focus on the actions, tools, and mindset needed to sustain and scale their businesses. This involves their business model, personal branding, business development, service delivery, and workflow optimization.

Why did you join the Expert in Residence program? What is it about Pro that makes it a special place/community for entrepreneurs?

I joined the EIR program because, as a current SPI Pro member, I’ve witnessed the impact SPI Pro can have on an entrepreneur’s business. And, as a father of four with an active personal life, being an EIR gives me the opportunity to help my fellow entrepreneurs at scale while still having plenty of time for my family. The community is incredible too. I was actually surprised at the high level of support and collaboration that takes place on the platform from the minute you join. And of course, the resources and programming are phenomenal. It’s basically a turnkey solution for any entrepreneur looking for guidance, community, and accountability.

What is your biggest professional challenge to date, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest professional challenge I’ve had to date is being the father of four young children. As you can imagine, my time is limited and I never know when my schedule will get interrupted for one reason or another. However, this forced me to implement routines, tools, and resources to help keep my business running without being involved in every aspect of it. This gives me more time with my family, but I’m also able to pass along the same guidance to other entrepreneurs who want to accomplish more in less time.

What is your biggest professional win to date and what did you do to make it happen?

My biggest professional win to date was speaking at ConvertKit’s Craft & Commerce event. Not just because it was an honor to speak at the conference, but because it was the first time I felt completely comfortable being myself on stage. I talked about many of the challenges I experienced as an entrepreneur, which included losing both my father and my son in a span of 18 months. After getting off the stage, and receiving lots of positive feedback, I knew I could never go back to just sharing the highlights of my journey. I realized that people give you opportunities because they feel connected to you, and they can’t feel connected if you don’t share some of the challenges you’ve encountered. This one experience opened up multiple opportunities for me to share content, courses, and experiences that will help my audience realize the dream that made them want to start their own business in the first place.