Meet Terri
A creative catalyst for entrepreneurial companies
Dr. Terri Lonier, globally recognized for her expertise in business and innovation, intertwines the worlds of entrepreneurship, design, and technology. Celebrated as a Top 50 Innovator and having shaped the strategies of industry leaders like Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, and Visa, Terri’s impact on the business landscape is undeniable.
As the visionary author of “Working Solo,” she foresaw and shaped the solopreneur movement decades ahead of its time. She’s an in-demand speaker and advisor to entrepreneurial companies and individuals, and the creator of innovative online learning experiences on business topics.
From her deep academic background to her personal guidance for budding entrepreneurs and established companies, Terri’s entrepreneurial journey is both an inspiration and a resource for those who work with her.
“Terri blends the creativity of the studio with
the realities of the boardroom.”
Global business expert Dr. Terri Lonier, named one of the Top 50 Innovators by ChicagoInno, works at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology, and creativity. A five-time author and authority on microbusinesses and innovation practices, Lonier’s experience spans corporate, academic, and entrepreneurial realms. Companies who have requested her guidance include Apple, Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, Bosch, Visa, and others.
Lonier blends the creativity of an artist, the experience of a serial entrepreneur and investor, and the academic rigor of a PhD. Individuals who want to start profitable one-person businesses turn to her for guidance. Chief Innovation Officers looking to launch or enhance Innovation Labs seek her out.
5-time author
Lonier is the author of five books on creative self-employment. Working Solo, her pioneering guide to what became the gig economy, launched the solopreneur movement and the term “solopreneur” in the early 1990s. It was named the “#1 book for solo entrepreneurs” in an Inc. magazine cover story and “the free agent’s bible” by Fast Company.
Other books in the Working Solo series include: Working Solo Sourcebook (selected, along with Working Solo, as Fortune Book Club featured offerings); The Small Business Money Guide (co-authored with Lisa Aldisert); Smart Strategies for Growing Your Business (all published by John Wiley & Sons); and The Frugal Entrepreneur (Portico Press).
A producer of executive events
Based on her trailblazing work with solopreneurs, in 1999 and 2000 Lonier produced the SOHO Summit, an executive conference for the leaders of the Small Office/Home Office market. The events brought together nearly 500 executives who were creating the products, programs, and policies for the emerging microbusiness market.
Sponsored by Visa USA, the 3-day events featured speakers such as Seth Godin, Daniel Pink, and other leading authors, product managers, and government program directors of the solopreneur movement.
A corporate innovation leader
Lonier’s corporate innovation expertise, which she presents as The Craft of Innovation®, provides companies with faster, higher-quality innovation, bringing ideas to business reality in record time. She guides executives and teams in developing skills in Design Thinking, Lean Startup, and an entrepreneurial mindset. Her work on Innovation Labs leads companies to create engaging customer experiences with measurable results.
An in-demand speaker and media expert
Dr. Lonier’s work has been featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Fortune, Business Week, Fast Company, Inc., and other publications, as well as on CNBC-TV and radio programs worldwide.
She frequently keynotes global business conferences and events and has informed and entertained audiences in countries around the world.
A respected academic
Lonier received an MFA in Visual Arts from the University of Florida and her PhD in Business History from New York University as a Henry MacCracken Fellow.
Lonier spent nearly two decades as a business professor and executive at academic institutions including New York University, DePaul University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Columbia College Chicago. In academia, she developed and taught an online MBA Entrepreneurship Startup course, raised more than a half million dollars for a university entrepreneurship center, and served as Dean of Career and Professional Experience at the nation’s leading art school.
A creative entrepreneurial guide
Lonier has a background in art and design, and her ceramic sculpture has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the country.
She mixes this design sensibility with her rich entrepreneurial background to guide solopreneurs, visual thinkers, and innovation executive boards and leaders to creative outcomes. She also applies her years of university teaching to developing innovative online learning experiences on business topics.
You will find Lonier in a city around the world or in her hometown of Chicago, engaged in her next creative project or with her husband, artist Robert Sedestrom.
Past Clients
Dr. Terri Lonier has advised smart, creative leaders
at some of the most respected companies in the world, including:
Aon
Apple
Bank of America
Barnes & Noble
Bosch
Capital One
Cisco
Corbis
DuPont
H-P
IBM
Intuit
Kemper Insurance
MCI
Microsoft
Ontrack
Oracle
Siemens
3M
Toshiba
US Bank
Visa USA