The En Factor Podcast features conversations with entrepreneurs who have started, stumbled and succeeded.
In this episode of The En Factor Podcast, we are thrilled to be joined by serial entrepreneur Terry James, who is currently Founder and CEO of the Offleash’d social app, as well as Nibble and Wag, LLC. Terry joins host Dr. Rebecca White with vast business experience to share as he left a stable and successful career in wealth management to become an entrepreneur. His turning point stemmed from the global pandemic at the beginning of the decade when he came to the realization that there was an epidemic of loneliness in our world, with everyone sitting behind their screens. Human connection has changed significantly since the pandemic, and Terry had a simple goal of bringing people together and build a community through a clever commonality: pets.
As a result, Offleash’d was launched by Terry and his team to bring humans and their pets together through holistic and authentic interactions. The app has been a huge success and continues to experience growth nationwide, as pet parents can be found building themselves and their pet each a profile to connect with other pets and owners in 42 different states. All from simply filling in a gap that nobody had addressed yet: connecting humans through leveraging their deep affection for their pets and the humanization of their pets.
Terry’s newer brand, Nibble and Wag, was also created from a gap in the pet industry that had not truly been focused on and filled yet. Nibble and Wag is Terry’s dog food brand that is healthy, yet affordable, targeted mainly for younger pet parents that want to provide their dog healthy food but are struggling to afford the purchase of premium dog food. Another specific gap in the pet industry that nobody truly paid to attention to and targeted, but Terry didn’t launch this brand to compete with other dog food brands. He simply wanted to provide younger owners with the opportunity to feed their dogs healthy food without breaking their banks.
Join us for this incredibly insightful conversation with Terry and Dr. White, as they explore and cover various key moments from Terry’s entrepreneurial journey including how he identified and capitalized on these opportunities in the pet industry, the value of building a cohesive team through a shared vision, and how Terry plans to continue leading and reshaping the pet industry in the future.
Key Words – Pets, Opportunity Recognition
Explore this episode, and many other conversations with entrepreneurs on The En Factor Podcast, here:
https://drrebeccawhite.com/podcasts/en-factor
Connect with Terry and join the Offleash’d community by downloading Offleash’d from your device’s app store, or visit their website, here:
Connect and learn more about Terry’s newer dog food brand, Nibble and Wag, at their website, here:
Explore Dr. White’s new Entrepreneurial Intelligence (EI) Lab, here:
https://drrebeccawhite.com/entrepreneurial-intelligence-lab/
Check out Dr. White’s book, “See, Do, Repeat”, and more from her website, here:
Chapters
00:00 • Introduction: Welcome to The En Factor!
01:15 • Introduction to Today’s Guest: Terry James
04:00 • Welcome to The En Factor, Terry!
04:30 • About Terry’s Social App, Offleash’d: Connecting People Through Pets
12:30 • Terry’s Journey from Wealth Management to Transitioning into Entrepreneurship
18:10 • No Pet? No Problem: The Offleash’d Community Welcomes All Pet Lovers, Not Just Owners
20:00 • Building a Team That Shares The Same Vision as You and Choosing the Right Partnerships
27:30 • The Expectations vs The Reality of Being an Entrepreneur
30:15 • Terry’s Perspective on The Evolution of The Pet Industry
34:50 • Focusing on Collaboration Rather Than Competition
38:00 • Terry’s Advice on Branding and Marketing In Order to Build a Community
41:00 • The Importance of Believing In and Betting On Yourself as an Entrepreneur
47:30 • How Terry Leverages AI in His Businesses
49:30 • Terry’s Dog Food Brand: Nibble and Wag
51:30 • Terry’s Final Pieces of Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
53:00 • Where Our Guests Can Connect with Terry, Offleash’d, and Nibble and Wag
54:00 • Wrapping Up with Dr. White: Thank You for Listening to The En Factor!
Episode takeaways
- Start your ideation with a real problem that is being experienced by you or other people. Terry didn’t begin with wanting to create an app, he started with experiencing loneliness, pet ownership, and the need for human connection.
- Listen closely to your market and the community you’ve built. After successfully launching and growing Offleash’d, Terry heard the same pain point repeatedly: people wanted healthy dog food, but couldn’t afford it. Terry turned that repeated feedback into an opportunity and created Nibble and Wag.
- Build around community and connections, not just transactions. Offleash’d works because it’s about belonging, shared identity, and real-life, authentic interactions, not just swiping and matching users online.
- Terry’s past memories with his dog gave him a powerful “why,” and reflecting on that emotional truth helped him drive his mission and stay on course.
- Choose partners and team members in general carefully. Terry emphasized trust, a shared vision, and being equally committed and all-in. Strong partnerships are built on alignment, not convenience.
- Be ready to outwork the uncertainty and setbacks. Entrepreneurship is not a 9-to-5 path. Terry’s message was clear: consistency, sacrifice, and relentless effort matter every single day when you’re a business owner.
- Don’t try to beat everyone; serve your audience better and control what you can. Terry’s focus of starting the brands he did was rooted from collaboration, filling unfilled market gaps, and making life better for customers and their pets instead of obsessing over competition.
The En Factor® Podcast
Conversations with Entrepreneurs
Hosted by Dr. Rebecca White
Our audience of aspiring and established entrepreneurs are inspired to persevere throughout their entrepreneurial journey. You will hear first-hand stories of success, resilience through failure, and how to become a master in your field.
