I first met Terence Van Horn, president and founder of the Van Horn Group, 25 years ago. He was a new cashier at Premier Liquor and I was a part-time stock guy.
Terrence quickly moved up to one of the trusted associates in our wine department (in all reality a garage could hire Terence as a tire changer and he’d be head mechanic within a year- he is just that driven). We talked about his time at Premier, working under Burt Notarius. “That experience played a humongous part in my life. It taught me customer service and allowed me to see and realize that all customers are not created equal, but we must always fulfill our duty to all and treat each one the exact same,” Terrence intimated.
I am proud to spotlight a fellow member of Burt Notarius’ “Tree of influence.”
Terence, tell me about the Van Horn Group.
Van Horn Group, marketed as VHG Advisors, is a New York City-based private equity firm. We invest in financial technology companies and purchase Fintech portfolio’s that create monthly recurring income streams for the firm and our investors. We’re not a broker-dealer, or investment banking firm, but we do work with many offices in the industry by sharing information on alternative investments and portfolio diversification in our Fintech products.
I worked in the electronic payments industry for more than a decade and partnered with individuals who shared my same passion in wanting to share our proprietary interpretation of financial literacy in the Fintech sector.
Congratulations on all your success. In all the years you spent building the Van Horn Group, what has been your biggest challenge?
I’ve had hundreds of challenges from concept to execution. But, if I had to pick one, I’d say my biggest challenge was knowing when to jump off of the fence of indecisiveness and to seek out a mentor or business coach.
I’ve always had great ideas on paper, but knowing how and went to execute had always been my challenge.
Once we finally realize it’s okay to trust someone with our ideas and struggles, windows of opportunities will make themselves manifest. No hocus pocus, but when the student is ready, the teacher will smile and say, “hello.”
We all know any challenge can be a learning opportunity. What did that challenge teach you?
It taught me that it was okay to ask for help. It was okay to seek out individuals who had more information than I possessed.
More often, we go through life with notebooks full of plans on how to become the next solution provider. The missing key to the rusty lock is in the pocket of a friendly person who has already gone through the blood sweat and tears that we are currently enduring. Having someone coach us into success can be the missing piece to the puzzle that we will never find if we think we can go at everything alone.
The biggest lesson I learned from this internal challenge of indecisiveness was that there are individuals out there who are eager to help you succeed in your personal and professional endeavors.
What advice would you give a young entrepreneur?
Never stop learning. Never be embarrassed to ask for help.
You know your craft, but you don’t know everything. You are Luke SkyWalker, and you need to find an Obi-Wan or a Yoda in your life to help you stay accountable to the goals, dreams, and plans you said are important to you.
Become a networking octopus. Every person you meet is a potential client, referral source, or a mentor in disguise. However, you won’t know if you don’t introduce yourself to them.
Remember the race is NOT given to the swift. The race is given to those who can endure with an unshakeable amount of self-determination to succeed. Your confidence is dependant on your passion, and your passion is dependant on your daily method of activity. Keep this in mind and I strongly believe entrepreneurial success will come.
What role have mentors and business coaches played in your journey?
Mentors are like alkaline water to the dehydrated, thirsty professional seeking to master their craft!
My entire journey in life is attributed to mentors and life coaches who took time out of their busy schedules to see the virgin-like potential I possessed. We all need someone to help us raise the bar of our talent.
I will always remember being in my early 20s having a conversation with Burt Notarius about my life and the obstacles I was facing. He told me that he would help me any way he could if I promised him that I would strive my best to succeed in life and not give up. I never forgot that conversation. He changed my life.
Burt was the first entrepreneur I ever met who took time out of his day to get to know me on a personal level and offer advice.
When someone represents the Van Horn Group to a client, what personal quality is most important to you?
The most important quality I look for in an individual is their ability to listen. Anyone in my industry can sell, but most lack the ability to effectively listen to the issues and concerns of the client. If you aren’t a good listener, you will never truly earn the respect of the client. You will fall victim to offering the client a cookie-cutter templated solution that never really addresses their needs.
At Van Horn Group, we are in the business of truly helping people.
Outside of business, what are your passions?
Thank you for asking this question, Ed. I’m extremely passionate about helping others and paying it forward.
As you’re aware, millions of people are teetering on the knife edge of financial ruin, mainly due to the lack of financial education and planning. In my spare time, I visit churches, schools, and nonprofits across the country and offer mentorship classes and scholarships to our youth. I have a vested interest in helping our youth jump on the fast track of financial literacy because it’s an important tool that will be useful for the duration of their lives.
Just as important as helping our youth – and after having three detached retinas and seven surgeries within the past year – is the importance of maintaining and providing awareness of ocular health.
From the time we’re born, until our senior years, it’s utterly important to be mindful regarding the health our eyes. Macular degeneration, retinal detachment, vasculitis, glaucoma, and corneal accidents are issues that can affect any person who has the healthiest looking eyes.
I’ve been working with my surgeon, Dr. Gareth Lema from The Ross Eye Clinic, to find ways to educate the public about the importance of seeing an ophthalmologist at least twice a year. I’m still in the process of actively creating free eye screening programs to help people identify early issues. Early identification of eye problems can often be remedied before any serious issues occur.