Joe Terrell: From Web Developer to Tech Entrepreneur
Early Life and Influences
Born and raised in Cambridgeshire during the 1980s, Joe Terrell developed a passion for computers and gaming at a young age. His father, Martin, a successful software developer, played a significant role in nurturing this interest.
First Steps into Web Development
Joe's journey from tech enthusiast to creator began in the 1990s when dial-up internet reached his small village. At just 14 years old, he published his first website, igniting a lifelong fascination with digital publishing.
Professional Career
Joe started his professional life as a front-end web developer, working as a contractor for several well-known brands. This experience laid the foundation for his future entrepreneurial endeavours.
Entrepreneurial Leap
In 2018, Joe took a significant step in his career by transitioning to full-time entrepreneurship. Now based in the UK, he continues to make his mark in the tech industry as an innovative entrepreneur.
Drifted - where did it start?
Joe has had an obsession with cars and Japanese culture since he was a teenager. In 2009, he had the opportunity to forge these interests together with the founding of Drifted (drifted.com).
Drifted is an automotive portal for all things drifting - arguably the most exciting form of motorsport which originated in Japan in the 1980s. In 2018, Joe left the professional web development world and took the reigns at Drifted full-time.
What happened next with Drifted?
In the years since, the website saw considerable success, serving over 650,000 monthly visitors with car content, car tuning guides, drift games and everything in between.
Drifted has grown into the most popular and comprehensive online destination for drifting enthusiasts. Two highlights from this journey were designing, developing, and publishing two Drifted exclusive drifting-themed browser games.
In 2020, Drifted released its first game - Touge Drift & Racing. After learning essential lessons from the development of this first game, it was followed up in 2022 by the development and release of the sequel to the most successful free drifting game (Drift Hunters) with Drift Hunters MAX.
Drift Hunters MAX has since surpassed 2 million plays and enjoyed two major game updates so far, with much more in the pipeline. The team chose to build this game on the base of the original popular Drift Hunters game, and shaped the sequel using fan feedback from surveys of players on the Drifted website. Drift Hunters MAX is the most popular and highest rated game on the Drifted website.
Further online projects
Joe has also been working on new projects in the automotive and gaming sectors, run under his UK-limited company, The Terrell Empire.
The Terrell Empire operates the following websites in the gaming niche:
- Smart Shooting Games (smartshootingames.com)
- New Browser Games (newbrowsergames.com)
- Scary Games Vault (Scary Games Vault)
Project Spotlight: Great Without Gluten
Joe's wife Becky is the founder of a gluten free specialist information and recipe website; Great Without Gluten.
His favourite part of the Great Without Gluten website is all of the fabulous champagne testing that the couple does in order to find the best possible products to recommend. Hard work indeed!
Project Spotlight: Smart Bike Games
Smartbikegames.com was originally launched in 2019 as an SEO experiment in the power of exact or partial matched domain names for the purposes of ranking a new site in Google Search. This worked well, however the traffic monetisation did not match the marketing budget required to promote it.
In the summer of 2024, Joe rebooted the website with a new theme, all new games and game categories. The site was built upon the knowledge gained from the gaming side of the drifted.com website and Joe has big ambitions for the rebooted bike gaming website.
Smartbikegames.com hosts the largest collection of online bike games, from motorcycle games, to dirt bike games and mountain bike games, anything on two wheels is covered.
Joe Terrell trivia
So, you want to know more about Joe Terrell? Here is some trivia:
Joe Terrell has a famous JDM car
Joe's obsession of Japanese cars has not waned; he currently owns a 1999 Nissan Silvia S15 Spec R that he has been restoring and building up as a high-specification fast-road car for nine years.
As a testament to the car's exceptional condition, it was requested on set and shot at Warner Bros studio, London - in the latest Fast & The Furious movie, Fast X. You can see Joe's Silvia three times in the film. You can follow Joe's S15 progress on Instagram.
Joe was trained by professional business coaches
The Path to Success
Joe's entrepreneurial journey has been marked by both challenges and growth. Like many successful entrepreneurs, he learned valuable lessons through experience:
Multiple Ventures
Throughout his career, Joe launched over a dozen websites. While many of these projects didn't succeed, each provided invaluable insights and learning opportunities.
Recognizing the Need for Guidance
After facing setbacks, Joe realized the importance of professional mentorship. He understood that to achieve his goals, he needed to refine his approach to business.
Investing in Personal Development
Determined to improve, Joe made a significant decision to invest in professional coaching. This step was crucial in helping him enhance his:
- Thought processes
- Business strategies
- Entrepreneurial habits
Joe's commitment to personal and professional growth through coaching has been a turning point in his career. His experience serves as a testament to the power of continuous learning and seeking expert guidance in the entrepreneurial world.
Joe is a fan of cycling
Joe loves getting out on his mountain bike and cycling around the trails of Hertfordshire in the UK.
What is Joe Terrell doing right now?
Joe's current focus is on launching his digital marketing agency that specialises in acquiring backlinks for it's ambitious clients - Velocity Links. You can keep up to date with him here.
Contact
If you would like to reach out to Joe, you can contact him here.