Once known for his role in the chart-topping R&B group Pretty Ricky, Spectacular Smith has transformed his fame into a multifaceted empire. From platinum records to boardrooms, Smith’s journey from musician to self-made multimillionaire speaks to grit, innovation, and a willingness to defy expectations. In this interview, Smith opens up about the lessons he’s learned, his evolution from entertainer to entrepreneur, and how he’s building generational wealth while inspiring a new wave of creators.
Your entrepreneurial journey began at the age of eleven when you started selling candy to help your family. What drove you to take action so early?
One of the first things I learned was that every successful business is solving a problem. As a kid, I used to see other students starving in class who didn’t really have any candy. Back then, there were no vending machines. So, I had an opportunity to supply the kids with candy and was able to help my mom pay bills when she was a struggling single mom. My dad was in prison for twelve years. I had an opportunity to help my mom and that was something that really was close to my heart. I was able to help somebody that I truly loved. I was able to help with rent, the water bill, and the light bill. That was massive for me.
I was able to have ten people working for me in sixth grade and it helped them because they couldn’t afford to pay for lunch and things like that. I was paying them every single week. I was just helping some of my friends because they were helping me with my business. And it just helped everybody. I helped my friends; I helped my mom, and I helped myself. And it was just a beautiful thing.
Pretty Ricky’s rise to fame was meteoric, but you experienced financial setbacks due to some mismanagement. How did that challenge impact your mindset? And what steps did you take to rebuild after losing everything at 28?
Man, it was a great opportunity for me because I feel like in every tragedy, there’s a blessing. My blessing was to understand how resilient I was and to know how much grit I had to be able to fight and push through when times were hard. And understanding that, I learned in my valleys and I earned in my peaks. And during that valley, it prepared me to understand that business has ups and downs. So, anytime I go through something like that, I don’t even let it faze me. I understand that anytime something is at the bottom, dirt low, it can only go up from there.
I love the way that you expressed that. Your pivot to social media was both innovative and unexpected. How did you first recognize the potential of social media as a business tool? And what was the learning curve in those early days?
Well, I realized the more followers you had, the more money you could make. There was a platform called MyLife.com at the time… I was making money in my sleep. That’s what let me understand the power of social media and that there were different opportunities out there where you can make money off of a following. I just figured out different ways that I could monetize. I found other celebrities who have massive followings and helped them do the same. I knew a strategy to monetize my following, and I rolled out a company that could actually help them benefit from it. And then I realized that I could help more than just celebrities. I can help the everyday person learn how to grow and become famous on social media while going viral. Social media marketing is the future. So, by my understanding, I just started double-downing on it, man.
Absolutely. The creation of viral accounts like Grumpy Cat made a huge impact. What do you think is the secret behind making content go viral and how can brands replicate that success?
Well, Grumpy Cat was a sensation because, at the time, people were really showcasing who they were through the actual meme. The cat relates to so many people in the world who may feel super grumpy, not in the mood, and nothing can make them happy. It just expressed it. Most viral content works the same exact way. One of the most important factors in whether something goes viral is that it has to be relatable. If it’s relatable, you send it to people. If you can make somebody laugh, that helps you go viral, right? You send it to your friends; it makes them laugh. They send it to their friends. The more people share, the more likely it will go viral.
That makes a lot of sense. At first, I thought you were going to say you need to go and visit adwizard.ai.
Adwizard.ai is my technology. It helps you build your business online. And I also have Adwizard.io. I have an A.I. component that has everything you need from social media posts, text marketing, email marketing, and voice calls—literally everything, cutting edge that literally changes the game and you don’t have to worry about doing things yourself. Adwizard.io is literally everything you can possibly think of that can make your page go viral from viral hashtags, the scheduling based on certain time zones to having certain posts with different voices. The way that you connect on Instagram is different than the way you connect on TikTok. The way that you connect on X is different than the way you connect on Facebook. We have everything covered. Everything that I’ve mastered over social media is in adwizard.io. And if you want to master building your business systems, processes, and operations, it’s Adwizard.ai.
You credited mentors like Jeff Hoffman for playing a role in your success. What are some of the most important lessons you learned from him and how have you applied those lessons to your ventures?
Jeff Hoffman, he’s a giver. He’s a servant leader. One thing I learned from Jeff is to be a servant leader. Be able to just give with all your heart and don’t take anything back in return… I know I give to somebody, and I help them out. I know that it doesn’t have to come directly back from that person. The universe is going to see my good deed and bless me in return. So, I give all I can with all my heart to make sure I’m helping as many people as possible, especially with my goal of creating a million millionaires. There are so many people who are lost and have the talent that just need guidance. Jeff Hoffman taught me to just really be a servant leader and just serve others. Jesus was a servant leader. He’s the greatest leader on the planet. And he was the greatest person to ever walk this earth, and he was a servant leader. So how can I be more Jesus-like?
Wow. That is so much needed, especially within the culture. Your Spectacular Academy has generated over 17 millionaires. What inspired you to start this program and how do you ensure that the knowledge you share creates long-lasting success for your students?
Man, it was all God-led, man. I had a message from God that just really told me my mission, and I’ve been carrying on God’s mission. And one of my missions is to be able to impact His people and lead them. I have the Millionaire Project, and I’ve just been pouring into the people and teaching lessons based on health, wealth, family, and God. It’s all a faith-based community that we support each other, we protect each other, and we make sure that we share resources and it’s unified. We’re stronger together, and we’re called the Spectacular Family, and everybody’s called the Spectacular Stars because when one shines, we all shine.
We have a slogan that says when the stars align, we all shine. No matter where you go, if somebody is shining, that’s your family, that’s your brother, your sister—that’s what we call each other because relatives are usually not the people who support you. It is usually the other people you meet who become your real family. You can’t choose your relatives, but you can choose your family, and we’re so close knit. We have innovative strategies that help you build your business, and at the same time, make sure that you are holistically whole and spiritually as well, because that’s important.
