At 14 I went into fast food as a short order cook...yeah, I
know, they don't do that anymore... I had to get a physical and a doctor's permission, which I did all on my own...And as I moved up in the world, I told my mom that I would cover everything myself. I paid for my own clothes, my own books, my own transportation to school some 5-6 miles away, everything...I was self-supportive aside from having an occasional dinner at home and living there...the rest was all on me...I can tell you that I know the value of one dollar...And, oh yeah, I used to pay for my own dental work myself...I remember the surprise my mom had when I got one of my teeth pulled back then. At 19 I went into the corporate world and began learning the hard knocks of business...I was self-taught as a typist, getting a book out from a library and teaching myself on the office equipment...People seeing how fast I could type landed me a job for years as a speed typist and proofreader...I typed 120 wpm back then which is still amazingly fast...I wrote and typed out my first book, The Black Book of Sales Secrets, in one weekend...I don't consider that any kind of a feat...I just think I'm normal.

I found I did pretty well in whatever I delved into and I made some impressive record-breaking sales in real estate, collectibles and other industries...but this was making money for others all the time, which is fine as I consider that on-the-ground training...I helped form an insurance technology company and I ran the fundraising, raising $3.25 million from friends and family in a six-month period; all strictly angels. I took on the role of VP Sales & Marketing and learned lead generation and basic marketing...invaluable lessons.

I put myself through college and university. I graduated Summa Cum Laude, which is pretty rare and not really heard of much. I got straight A's in every single class be it biology, mathematics, finance, accounting, legal basics, you name it, I aced everything. It's like graduating in the top 1% of the country.