Spectacular Smith

Spectacular Smith spent his childhood dreaming of bigger and better. His mother, a teenaged single parent, raised him and his three siblings in the Section 8 Projects of Miami, Florida, where the family struggled to dodge evictions and keep food on the table. Despite his own circumstances, Smith was keenly aware of the needs of others from an early age. Wanting to help alleviate his mother’s stress and his classmates’ hunger, he took it upon himself to find a solution. After a trip to the local grocery store, Smith began selling candy in between classes. By just 11-years-old, he was making $2,000 a week, and helping his mother to pay rent. This moment was but an early indication of the man that Smith would become – an entrepreneurial wizard with unmatched hustle, innovation and ability to pivot.

Smith first rose to notoriety as a performer. His love of dancing began in the third grade and continued into adulthood as he and his brothers formed the renowned rap group, Pretty Ricky. As a rapper and choreographer, Smith organized explosive stage routines and the group gained worldwide success. Their charisma earned them a deal with Atlantic Records, sold-out arenas for the Scream IV tour, millions of records sold and the chart-topping hits, “Grind With Me,” “On The Hotline” and “Your Body.” Unfortunately, the group’s good fortune was short-lived as their manager’s gross financial mismanagement left them with little to show for their success. At 28-years-old, Smith found himself suddenly homeless.

Once again, Smith demonstrated a masterful pivot with a surprising new endeavor. From his girlfriend’s childhood bedroom, Smith devoted 18 hours a day to learning the ins and outs of social media. Inspired by a tip from a friend, Matty J, he discovered untapped financial potential on Twitter, and began making parody accounts of popular celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Jay Z, Beyoncé, Kevin Hart, Katt Williams and Eddie Murphy. In just six months, he had amassed a cumulative following of 6 million followers on monetized pages, bringing in $100,000.

Using Pretty Ricky’s Facebook page as a beta test, Smith experimented and honed his theories behind social networks for a full year. Soon, he had a new and unbreakable system of gaining and monetizing followers on any platform. Years later, his social media savvy gave way to the creation of Grumpy Cat, the most viral pet-themed account on the internet and a brand worth over $100 million. In 2014, Smith used his newfound social media prowess to build his own company, Adwizar. Specializing in creating viral content, Adwizar helps musicians, celebrities and big brands share their stories with the world while boosting engagement and making money. Forever a student of his industry, Smith credits much of his expansion to mentors including Co-Founder of Priceline.com Jeff Hoffman, Master P. and Diddy.

Smith has since become an esteemed authority on social media management. He has been recognized by several industry giants, including Huffington Post (“Top Marketing Gurus to Watch,”) Black Enterprise (“Innovator of the Year”) and Inc. Magazine (“Greatest and Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs”). In 2017, Adwizar was awarded the number 262 spot on Inc.’s list of the 5,000 Fastest-Growing Companies in America. That same year, Smith published his first book, the best-selling Spectacular Love: How to Make Good Love Last. In 2018, Black Enterprise estimated his net worth at $65 million, making him one of the five most influential entrepreneurs at the intersection of music and tech. Finally, in both 2018 and 2019, Adwizar was named on the Entrepreneur 360 list of America’s Best Privately-Owned Companies.

Smith continues to push the limits both as an entertainer and an entrepreneur. In 2019, he rejoined his Pretty Ricky brothers on stage for the Millennium Tour, the number one hip-hop and RnB tour of the year. Today, in addition to Adwizar, he also runs the Spectacular Academy, a program educating aspiring entrepreneurs on how to build and scale thriving businesses. Students work closely with Smith’s carefully vetted millionaire mentors to build key relationships and expand their knowledge on a plethora of subjects. Programming is broken down into modules including wealth management, leadership, branding, mindset, business operations, marketing, social media, investment strategy and more. In just the two years since the academy’s inception, Smith’s students have collectively generated $36 million, and the program has yielded 17 millionaires.

Furthermore, Smith also leads the Power Circle, an elite mastermind network of high-achievers, entrepreneurs, founders and industry leaders. In his quest to pay it forward, he has committed himself to sharing his expertise. It is his hope that in making his own success secrets accessible to all, he can help to build wealth in the Black community, uplift the culture and create over one hundred Black millionaires. After conquering the worlds of music, social media, and publishing, the world is just waiting to see what he does next.