We recently connected with Thomas Dear III and have shared our conversation below.
Thomas, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
I hope to be remembered as a visionary author who shaped the future of financial literacy one book at a time. As someone who foresees a future where children are making more educated decisions on spending, investing, and saving. I want my books to make an everlasting impact on future generations.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an author, motivational speaker, and advocate for financial literacy with a focus on educating the youth. As a former banker, I was driven to write my children’s book, ‘Teddy Makes Cents,’ after witnessing students struggling with basic financial concepts during my time leading a Junior Achievement program. I want to inspire children to think creatively about money and develop financial literacy skills through this engaging and educational story.
Also, I am the founder of Dream Big Publishing. A space for dreamers to foster innovative ideas and make them a reality. We offer consulting, editing, marketing, and distribution services. Dream Big Publishing was founded on the belief that anything is possible. No dream is ever too small – DREAM BIG!
Have you ever had to pivot?
A couple months ago, I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of high school students in St. Louis, Missouri and shared with them my journey as an author and publisher. However, my presentation did not start off so well. The students were not impressed by the business jargon and analytics and it felt like I was losing them. In that moment, I decided to pivot and be myself.
I made the discussion more conversational and began to ask them these questions: How many of you own a business? How’s that going for you? What challenges have you faced along the way? How did you overcome those challenges? To my surprise, they were now more engaged in the discussion. I learned a valuable lesson which is know your audience. Also, be prepared to pivot if need be.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I believe what has helped me build my reputation is my ability to mobilize communities and inspire change through financial literacy. Fortunately, I’ve been able to document a lot of the journey. People see the vision and passion and are choosing to be a part of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dreambigpublish.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamthomasdear/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011461176495
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasdear/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamthomasdear
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKORg74c1_LbNJL2Cjl3mqg
Image Credits
4MACS Photography, Tough Enough Media