Sean Comb a.k.a Puff Diddy's Meterioric rise to Fame and Fortune

Sean Combs was born on the dangerous streets of Harlem and exposed to violence at an early age, the odds were stacked against Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, from day one. Nobody believed he would amount to much, let alone go on to become one of the most successful and well-known musicians, producers and entrepreneurs of our time. November 4, 1969 was the day Sean John Combs entered the world. Born in Harlem, New York City to Janice and Melvin Combs, Combs’ early life was a far cry from the luxurious existence he has grown accustomed to since. At the age of two, Combs’ life would change forever. His street-hustler father was gunned down, leaving Janice to raise Combs and his sister on her own. Fearful of the increasing danger Harlem posed to her children, Janice moved the family to Mount Vernon, New York. This, she believed, would provide the children a safer environment in which to grow up.

Without the support of her husband, Janice was forced to work three jobs in order to not only provide for her kids, but to be able to also give them the best possible education. Combs attended Mount Vernon Montessori School and later completed his secondary education at the private, Catholic boys’ school Mount Saint Michael Academy. Of his mother’s influence on his life, Combs recalls, “She was constantly pushing. I feel like I was nurtured into wanting to be somebody special.” Were it not for his mother’s strong encouragement and the faith she had in him, Combs’ could have easily followed in the footsteps of his father and suffered the same fate at a young age. Instead, with his mother by his side and a good education in hand, Combs was given a strong character base, from which his future success would later stem.

After graduating from high school, Combs moved to Washington, D.C. to attend Howard University where he pursued a degree in business administration. His attention slowly began to shift from inside the classrooms to outside on the streets. His entrepreneurial instincts started to kick in, and soon he was producing weekly dance parties and also running an airport shuttle service. Combs would never finish his degree. Fortune smiled on him when he was offered an internship at Uptown Records, one of the most popular hip-hop and R&B labels of its time. Recalling his desire to work closely with Uptown founder Andre Harrell, Combs says, “I told him I’d wash cars, quit school – anything – a priceless chance to be in your presence.” At just 19 years old, Combs had been promoted to become one of the label’s top executives, managing such notable acts as Father MC, Mary J. Blige and Heavy D & the Boyz. The very first record that Combs produced, Jodeci’s Come & Talk to Me, sold two million copies and led to Combs’ promotion to vice president. After just two years with Uptown, Combs was fired. “I guess Andre didn't want two kings in the castle,” Combs says of his dismissal. “I had obtained some success, some notoriety, and I didn't realize it wasn't my house.” And so, at the young age of 21, Combs decided to create a company of his own. Today Sean Combs is a fashion and media mogul whose businesses rack in millions of dollars every year. His clothing label Sean John has been extended to fragrances, which are selling like hot cakes worldwide.

In 1993, after being fired from Uptown, Combs established Bad Boy Records, taking new hip-hop artist The Notorious BIG with him. Both The Notorious B.I.G. and Craig Mark quickly released hit singles, followed by similarly successful LPs, particularly B.I.G.'s Ready to Die. Combs began signing more acts to Bad Boy, including Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, 112 and Total, as well as producing for Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, TLC, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, SWV, Aretha Franklin, and others, and forming The Hitmen, an in-house production team. In 1998, Combs started a clothing line, Sean John. It was nominated for the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Award for Menswear Designer of the Year in 2000, and won in 2004. In November 2008, Combs launched his latest men's perfume under the Sean John brand called "I Am King" dedicated to Obama, Muhammad and Martin Luther King. In his blog he stated: "There is a black president and it's time for there to be a black Bond". In November 2008, he unveiled a new Times Square billboard for the "I Am King" line to replace his iconic Sean John ad. The giant billboard is currently the largest print ad in Times Square. Model Bar Refaeli was chosen to be the face of the fragrance.

In addition to his clothing line, Combs owns an upscale restaurant chain called Justin's, named after his son. The current restaurant is in Atlanta; the original New York location closed in September 2007. He is the designer of the green Dallas Mavericks alternate jersey. On September 18, 2007, Combs teamed up with 50 Cent and Jay-Z for the "Forbes I Get Money Billion Dollar Remix. He also made appearances with Jay-Z on his American Gangster concert tour in 2007. As of October 2007, Combs has inked a multi-year deal, in which he'll help develop the Ciroc brand, one of Diageo PLC's super-premium Vodka lines, for a 50-50 share in the profits. The agreement is the latest in which a celebrity is going beyond the typical role of endorser to share in a brand's rise and fall. Diageo said the agreement could be worth more than $100 million for Combs and his company, Sean Combs Enterprises, over the course of the deal, depending on how well the brand performs. Since then, he has launched multiple ventures for Ciroc, many of which were featured during the 2008 presidential election.

Combs acquired the Enyce clothing line from Liz Claiborne for $20 million on October 21, 2008. In a 2008 interview with Albert Lawrence of Talk of Fame, while speaking about his diverse work ethic, Combs claimed that he was "The Black Sinatra".

Homeless But Not Hopeless: Millionaire Chris Gardner’s Early Years

I think most of you have watched the movie ‘The Pursuit of happiness’, it is an astounding yet true rags-to-riches saga of a homeless father who raised and cared for his son on the mean streets of San Francisco and went on to become a crown prince of Wall Street – starring Will Smith. It is one of my best movies to come from Hollywood in recent years. Will Smith did justice to this story, as he managed to bring Chris Gardner’s life story to reality. Here is a brief background about this remarkable man with a never dying spirit, who rose above all obstacles to claim his rightful place in life.

Chris Gardner wears a $10,000 watch on each wrist. On the right hand is a Cartier set to Chicago time, and on the left is a Roger Dubuis set to South African time. “I was late once and it cost me $50,000,” explains Gardner. “I figure it was cheaper to wear two watches.” For a man who not too long ago had only two suits to his name and could not even afford to pay rent, Gardner has come a long way. From living on the streets and bathing in public restrooms to owning a successful multi-million dollar stock brokerage firm, Gardner is living out the American dream.

Born on February 9, 1954 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Christopher Gardner’s first few years were filled with nothing but difficulty and uncertainty. He was the only son in a family of twelve children. His single mother was trained as a schoolteacher, but wound up taking on numerous part-time jobs in order to provide for her family. “She was probably her happiest when she was teaching my sisters and me,” recalls Gardner. “She was our professor, our Socrates.” The absence of a father is something that would come to profoundly affect Gardner’s life.

Gardner and his siblings were transferred back and forth between relatives and foster homes. His mother had been imprisoned twice; once, for allegedly receiving welfare while working, and the second time for attempting to burn down the house of Gardner’s abusive stepfather. “I’m sorry she didn’t succeed,” says Gardner of the incident. “Until I went to the U.S. military, the worst violence I ever saw in my life was in my home.”

Gardner was a smart student, but had little interest in academics. He studied trumpet for nine years, wanting to be the next Miles Davis. Eventually, Gardner realized, “I had the attitude, but I didn’t have the talent. Besides, there was only one Miles Davis and he already had that job.”

After dropping out of high school, Gardner lied about his age and joined the U.S. Navy. He had hoped to become a medic and travel the world, but never got any farther than North Carolina. However, the experience did introduce Gardner to a cardiac surgeon, who would later hire Gardner as his clinical research assistant at the University of California Medical Centre in San Francisco after both were discharged. Gardner enjoyed the work, but was only making $7,400 a year and he wanted more.

Gardner toyed with the idea of becoming a doctor, but decided that years of paying off medical loans were not for him. Instead, he became a medical supply salesman, earning $16,000 a year. It was in loading equipment into his car one day that Gardner’s life would forever change. He caught sight of a bright red Ferrari and was immediately in love with it and all that it represented. “I asked the guy two questions,” Gardner recalls. “One was, ‘What do you do?’ The second was, ‘How do you do that?’”

As fate would have it, the driver of the Ferrari was a stockbroker. When Gardner heard that the man was earning over $80,000 a month, he decided that his future lied in investment. He had no education, no experience, and no connections, but that was not about to stop Gardner from achieving his new dream. Culled from evancarmichael.

I hope this article will inspire you to rise above all obstacles to claim your rightful place.

To your success!!!!

Developing A Weath Mindset - Part 2

I am particularly impressed by men and women who defied all odds to reach their goals despite encountering many obstacles in their solemn journey towards financial freedom. There is a saying by William James which says ‘the greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind’. This saying has been a driving force in my journey towards self liberation from the shackles of poverty. George Bernard Shaw summed it up when he said ‘the greatest of evils and the worst of crimes is poverty…our first duty – a call to which every other consideration should be sacrificed – is not to be poor’.

In continuation of my first article, I want to proceed by cautioning prospective entrepreneurs on the widely held view that to make it in business one needs to have a sound educational background. Yes, it is important to have some form of education. It is important to have knowledge about things, knowledge about the type of business you want to do. There are two type of knowledge, one is general and the other is specialized. General Knowledge, no matter how great in quantity or variety it may be, is of but little use in the accumulation of wealth. Knowledge cannot attract money, unless it is well organized, and intelligently applied through practical plans of action. Lack of understanding of this fact has been the source of confusion to millions of people who falsely believe that ‘knowledge is power ‘. Knowledge is only potential power. It becomes power only when, and if, it is organized into definite plans of action and directed to a definite end.

Remember an educated man is not, necessarily, one who has abundance, of specialized knowledge. An educated man is one who has developed the faculties of his mind that he acquires anything he wants or its equivalent, without violating the rights of others. I hope I have done justice in trying to dispel this notion which has held millions of people captive for centuries. Business or entrepreneurship is all about your vision; history to me is a great teacher, if you look at Bill Gates the founder of Microsoft Corporation, he is a college drop out without any degree, Richard Branson the founder of Virgin Group is also a college drop out. These two men defied all odds and went on to establish what is today two Major Corporations rated in the top 20 Fortune 100 companies.

Developing a wealth mindset is the first step towards developing an entrepreneurial spirit. Earl Nightingale said ‘you become what you consciously think about’, what this tells us is that, whatever, our mind conceives, it will surely come to pass. If our thoughts are always crowded with despair and despondence, there is no way; our thinking can come up with wealth creating strategies. Therefore, mind transformation set should take precedence over anything else in order to align our thinking. Simple steps towards aligning our thinking with our goals takes very minimal effort, it’s all about dreaming and planning….it’s a dream in the sense that you anticipate and visualize yourself in the position or status you intend to be in a given period of time. Personally I visualize myself being a group CEO of my own enterprise. I have already embarked on this dream….it’s not an event but a process. Every time I think about business, Sir Richard Branson keeps popping in my mind. He is not only my role model but somebody who inspires me to thrive and look for opportunities around us. Every Individual can do the same if we are focused and think and live our dreams.

To round off, we need to do soul searching in order to find out what we really love to do. This should be something you are passionate about, your values and your talent. After identifying your values and talents, the next step is to turn these talents into a viable product or service into a commercial entity.

On a parting note Mark Victor Hansen said ‘Poverty is a degrading, dehumanizing, cancer-like disease of the uninformed mind…’

To Your Success!!!

Developing A Wealth Mindset

There is a quote I like so much, I first read this quote in 2005, by Mr. Brian Tracy. It goes like this ' All successful people, men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose'. As individuals we all dream and aspire to get to another level in our lives. We all aspire to drive a luxury car, live in a mansion, go on vacation to the Caribbean, and have a beautiful wife and kids. It is good to dream, as dreams often bring hope, for without hope a man is as good as a corpse. However, these good things don’t just come on a silver platter; we have to work hard in order to get them.

When I finished college I dreamed of getting that superb J.O.B and attaining all the desires of my heart. I was full of excitement when I landed my first job, my mind was full of all the good things I could buy with my first pay check….But alas, the excitement began to wan when I later realized i had many responsibilities waiting for me from my immediate family, siblings and my personal upkeep. There was rent to pay, transport fare to get to and from work, utilities, insurance, entertainment, tithing e.t.c. Six months down the line I realized all I had anticipated was not all roses; it was a battle of survival. That dream of owning a nice automobile and staying in a mansion was now like a fairy tale. Money was never enough to do all the things I needed to do. I later realized the painful truth many of us have refused to accept – being an employee is not a passport to earn and live the lifestyle you desire.

You see God created us with different talents and blessings. When he gave us different talents, it was a way of empowering us to live off our talents. Some people are very good speakers, and whenever they speak they draw the attention of their audience, some people are good singers, some are very good at sport. But often times, we abandon our God given talents for our artificial or acquired talents, which we think will give us financial freedom. Unfortunately this does not work at all. The only way to liberate yourself from the enslavement of a J.O.B and march towards financial freedom is to create employment for yourself.

Being an entrepreneur is not an easy thing to do, however, the easiest thing to do is to dream big and follow your dreams. As Abraham Lincoln said, don’t ask what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. In other words, this means we have to find ways and means to live and realize our God given potential. Whatever the mind conceives, it can be realized if we are focused and determined to succeed. The best way to start a business is to look at things you are passionate about, things you would do for others and expect no payment. This could be your hobbies, or things you really enjoy doing to help humanity. Money must not be the main motivator when you are thinking of a business to start, money will come later, let your passion drive the desire to serve and provide a service that will bring positivity to mankind.

Remember success comes to those who become success conscious. Failure comes to those who indifferently allow themselves to become failure conscious. Pray for God’s guidance and approval before venturing into any type of business, God is the author and finisher of our faith. He will guide your thought process and allow the hidden treasure in you to come to the fore. I will continue with this article in my next post. To your success!!!

Welcome to My Blog

Thank you for finding time to visit my blog. The main essence of my blog is to share practical ideas on entrepreneurship. I will be sharing business ideas I have personally tried and succeeded in doing with readers of this blog. Please watch this space as we begin a series of thought provoking articles on how to ignite and release the untapped potential hidden in you. Remember that the entrepreneur in us sees opportunities everywhere we look, but many people see only problems everywhere they look. The entrepreneur in us is more concerned with discriminating between opportunities than he or she is with failing to see the opportunities.

As we travel on this road together, it is my hope and conviction that we will find common ground where the seed of success will be sown and enjoyed by mankind.

To your Success!!!!