From Rags to Riches: Gardner Lives the American Dream
From Rags to Riches: Gardner Lives the American Dream
Once he had decided to become a stockbroker, Gardner immediately set out to find an investment firm that would give him a chance. In one brokerage firm, Gardner finally found a manager of a training program who was willing to give him a shot. However, when Gardner showed up for his first day of work, the manager who had hired him had been fired and no one else had ever heard of Gardner or his new position. He left with his hopes disappointed.
Nevertheless, Gardner didn’t give up on his dreams. He continued to seek out investment firms, taking odd jobs to pay the bills in the meantime. Dean Witter, a San Francisco-based brokerage firm was interested in Gardner but refused to bring him on board before putting him through ten months of interviews. It would be a grueling ten months.
In this seemingly short period of time, not only would Gardner’s girlfriend run off with their son and all of his belongings, but Gardner would also find himself penniless and in jail. After running Gardner’s car license plates, a police officer discovered that he had $1,200 worth of fines for unpaid parking tickets. Gardner was sent to jail for ten days, with his release date just one day before his final interview with Dean Witter.
Gardner showed up for his interview in a T-shirt and dirty jeans. He could have fabricated some heroic story to explain his appearance. Instead, Gardner decided to tell the truth. In plain terms, Gardner told his interviewer that the mother of his son had ran off with his child, that he was broke, and that he has just gotten out of jail the day before. As luck would have it, the interviewer had recently been through a nasty divorce and could sympathize with Gardner. He was immediately given a position in the company’s training program.
Soon after landing his new job, Gardner’s ex-girlfriend returned with their 18-month-old son, leaving him with his father and promptly taking off again. Since the house Gardner was staying at didn’t allow children, the pair found themselves living on the street. “The truth is, I was homeless before Chris came, I just didn’t know,” says Gardner. “I was just functionally homeless – living with friends, staying a night over here, a couple of days over there. Now, with Chris, I had to face it.”
Eventually, the father and son began to scrape by in a $10-a-night motel, while Gardner continued to study for his broker’s exam. “I was homeless, but I wasn't hopeless,” he says. “I knew a better day was coming.” They were given refuge in a shelter for single mothers until Gardner had earned his license, after which time his persistence in cold calling earned him the attention of executives at Bear Stearns, who offered him a job. After the company went public in the late 1980s, Gardner saw his sphere of influence shrink and decided to strike out on his own.
In 1987, Gardner launched his own brokerage firm in Chicago, Gardner Rich. “If you look around the country, no city has fostered more Black entrepreneurs than Chicago,” he says. Gardner quickly began to land major clients for his new company, including the pension fund of the Chicago Teacher’s Union. Since then, his business has continued to take off and Gardiner hasn’t looked back.
“It’s not just my story,” says Gardiner of his autobiographical book, ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’, which has also recently been turned into a major motion picture. “It’s the story of a lot of people who grew up and took a lot of crap – and decided, ‘I'm going the other way.’”
From Rags to Riches Gardner Lives the American Dream
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“A slow walk to Wall Street is how others describe my life,” says Gardner.
Once he had decided to become a stockbroker, Gardner immediately set out to find an investment firm that would give him a chance. In one brokerage firm, Gardner finally found a manager of a training program who was willing to give him a shot. However, when Gardner showed up for his first day of work, the manager who had hired him had been fired and no one else had ever heard of Gardner or his new position. He left with his hopes disappointed.
Nevertheless, Gardner didn’t give up on his dreams. He continued to seek out investment firms, taking odd jobs to pay the bills in the meantime. Dean Witter, a San Francisco-based brokerage firm was interested in Gardner but refused to bring him on board before putting him through ten months of interviews. It would be a grueling ten months.
In this seemingly short period of time, not only would Gardner’s girlfriend run off with their son and all of his belongings, but Gardner would also find himself penniless and in jail. After running Gardner’s car license plates, a police officer discovered that he had $1,200 worth of fines for unpaid parking tickets. Gardner was sent to jail for ten days, with his release date just one day before his final interview with Dean Witter.
Gardner showed up for his interview in a T-shirt and dirty jeans. He could have fabricated some heroic story to explain his appearance. Instead, Gardner decided to tell the truth. In plain terms, Gardner told his interviewer that the mother of his son had ran off with his child, that he was broke, and that he has just gotten out of jail the day before. As luck would have it, the interviewer had recently been through a nasty divorce and could sympathize with Gardner. He was immediately given a position in the company’s training program.
Soon after landing his new job, Gardner’s ex-girlfriend returned with their 18-month-old son, leaving him with his father and promptly taking off again. Since the house Gardner was staying at didn’t allow children, the pair found themselves living on the street. “The truth is, I was homeless before Chris came, I just didn’t know,” says Gardner. “I was just functionally homeless – living with friends, staying a night over here, a couple of days over there. Now, with Chris, I had to face it.”
Eventually, the father and son began to scrape by in a $10-a-night motel, while Gardner continued to study for his broker’s exam. “I was homeless, but I wasn't hopeless,” he says. “I knew a better day was coming.” They were given refuge in a shelter for single mothers until Gardner had earned his license, after which time his persistence in cold calling earned him the attention of executives at Bear Stearns, who offered him a job. After the company went public in the late 1980s, Gardner saw his sphere of influence shrink and decided to strike out on his own.
In 1987, Gardner launched his own brokerage firm in Chicago, Gardner Rich. “If you look around the country, no city has fostered more Black entrepreneurs than Chicago,” he says. Gardner quickly began to land major clients for his new company, including the pension fund of the Chicago Teacher’s Union. Since then, his business has continued to take off and Gardiner hasn’t looked back.
“It’s not just my story,” says Gardiner of his autobiographical book, ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’, which has also recently been turned into a major motion picture. “It’s the story of a lot of people who grew up and took a lot of crap – and decided, ‘I'm going the other way.’”
From Rags to Riches Gardner Lives the American Dream
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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