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Meet Brock Rice, CEO of World Class Dropouts, World Class Media, and industry leading influencer. I was very fortunate to sit down with him and pick his brain on how he got started as an entrepreneur and where he is heading in his professional career. Enjoy!
- Who is Brock Rice?
Brock Rice: I was born in Yakima, Washington. After spending two years in Yakima, and 12 years in Spokane, Washington, my family and I moved to Boise, Idaho. I remember being entrepreneurial from a young age. From duct tape wallet businesses, to mowing yards, and selling products to other kids in school,
I am a testament to the fact that many young entrepreneurs show entrepreneurial traits in the early stages of their life. As families do, my family played a major part in shaping who I am today. My father Leon is currently the head men’s basketball coach at Boise State University. He also coached at Gonzaga, and the University of Oregon prior to that. As you can imagine, this made the foundation of my life built entirely around the sport of basketball. When you grow up focused on one specific facet of life, it’s hard to imagine yourself being successful in any other field of work.
- Did you go to college? Do you recommend college for entrepreneurs?
Brock Rice: Following High School I accepted a basketball scholarship to go play in Eugene, Oregon. I attended Northwest Christian University, at the time ranked #6 in the nation, playing teams like Oregon, and even my own dad at Boise State University. What an unbelievable blessing it was to be able to play the sport I love, and have that sport pay for my education, but sometimes just have to do what’s in your own best interest. Halfway through my sophomore year I dropped out of college to pursue my passions full time. I remember I was sitting in Poetry 121, listening to Gary Vee (as good students do) and I stood up from my seat and told my teacher I was done. She responded, “Done with what?” with a very puzzled face. I said, “..done with school ma’am, sorry”. That was the last day I visited a School or University outside of speaking engagements.
In terms of school for entrepreneurs, I don’t think it should be anyone’s impulsive action to drop out of school. I think people need to think about the logistics associated with their situation. School can be an incredible platform for connecting, networking, and leveraging a school community to grow. If you aren’t taking on debt, and you have the ability to get a college experience at low cost, I would recommend you sit back and enjoy the ride. I promise you this, the real world is no joke. It takes more effort than anything the school system is going to throw your way. And it goes without being said that if you want to be in some form of trade work (Accountant, doctor) or anything of that nature, you need a degree. The only thing I advocate for is if you are going to school, taking out student loans, and just there to drink some beer and figure stuff out, I would highly recommend re-calculating your path.
- What motivated you to be an entrepreneur?
Brock Rice: Becoming an entrepreneur was never a question to me. When I was 15 I set one goal. It was that I never wanted to work for someone else. No matter what I positioned myself to work on my own time. This whole journey to “success” comes down to one thing for me, happiness. Creating freedom for myself, and developing the monetary means to live how I want to live is the most important to me.
- What does your brand, World Class Dropouts embody?
Brock Rice: World Class Dropouts is a brand built around the foundational concept that by dropping out from what everyone told you that you had to do, and doing things on your own terms, you will be able to live a happy and abundant life. World Class Dropouts centers itself around what I believe to be the core principles of education and community. The brand is in the works to be a television series, hopefully on Netflix, MTV, or Hulu. The series will progress to the point where we can host nationally recognized events called Dropout Days. Pop up shop style events in different cities with the best speakers and educators in the world. The purpose is to teach everything the education system is lacking. Information on the credit industry, taxes, wealth management, building and scaling a business, and other things of that nature. The brand is for anyone who truly understands what it means to be a World Class Dropout. Our community is built up of people who build others up. It is for people who want to live their best life, impact others, learn the foundations of success, and ultimately change the world.
- How have you leveraged Personal Branding?
Brock Rice: Personal branding is a major element of my success. My brand on instagram alone has given me social validation with many other influencers and educators. I have done interviews with some of the biggest entrepreneurs in the world, Matthew Morgan, Chris “Drama” Pfaff, and Dani Reeves just to name a few. Building a brand is the backbone of the success of your business in 2019. An effective brand positions your company to reach thousands of consumers daily. With over 90% of the market place active on many social platforms, It is a no brainer to build a positive brand.
- What are your 3 core principles?
Brock Rice: My three core principles are honesty, loyalty, and respect. Many people say they possess certain values, but not many people truly live by the values they put on display. Honesty to me can mean so many things. Above all it is most relevant to me with my clients. I pride myself on being honest with clients in both their services, and in the way that we depict their success. It is important to me that people know I am always over the top honest. That is a big factor why I strongly believe I only get along with very authentic and real people. Fake people don’t often like me because I’m more than happy to call people out. Loyalty goes without saying. Everyone knows what that means, and that is huge for me in both my business and my relationships. Being loyal to your friends, your business partners, and anyone that impacts your life is a foundational value that I hope everyone lives by. If you don’t have a certain level of loyalty, this life will be tough to find success in. And finally respect. As many have heard, respect is not given, it’s earned. But I believe everyone in this world deserves my respect until they’ve given me a reason to take it away. This value is like trust. You have mine until you give me a reason that I can no longer trust you.
- What would you tell an aspiring entrepreneur in high school right now?
Brock Rice: I would tell a high school entrepreneur to enjoy the ride. Above all you need to look around and enjoy the journey. Happiness is not found in the paychecks or the final destination. It is found in the experiences, the late nights, the great phone calls with new friends, the endless hours of work, and every moment that you get to take a breath. Enjoying the journey is your magic key to lifelong happiness. I would also tell young people to position themselves to be able to learn about things you love. It is important to spend your early years trying a lot of things so that you ultimately discover what it is you want to spend the big chunks of your life doing. Treat it like a buffet, go up and give everything a try. Try a little bit of sales, try a few online endeavors, try some brand building, get into some labor work, whatever you have some level of interest in. Now is the time to take a shot at it. Figure out what you love! The reason WHY you do what you do is ten times more important than anything else. Your why drives you through the days you don’t feel like working. Your why inspires and empowers other people. Your why shines through everything else to get people to see the real value in why they need to work with you. If you are young, spend time figuring out why you want whatever it is that you think you want.
- What are your future plans?
Brock Rice: My future plans are to be one of the biggest millennial thought leaders in the world. I want to collaborate with the brightest minds, and make a significant impact on the world around us. There’s a bigger purpose than you and me, and that’s my driving force. As a whole population we are choosing to ignore so many of our worlds real issues. It truly is going to take a massive unified effort to fix the world we currently live in. I plan to make world changing impact. I invite any of you on the journey with me.
If your life was a book, what do you want your chapters to look like? You get one life, what legacy are you trying to leave?
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