United States stock-broking tycoon Christopher Gardner comes to Ghana on October 5 with tips for Corporate Ghana and young aspiring entrepreneurs on how he rose from being a homeless man to build a business empire, and how revenues from his business ventures including book sales and speaking engagements exceeded US$10 million in 2009. His has certainly been the most unlikely of entrepreneurial success stories because - less than 22 years ago - Gardner lived on the streets, ate from public soup kitchens and took his bath in public washrooms. Many business and investment analysts around the world are still struggling to come to terms with the incredible rags-to-riches story of this remarkable African-American businessman. Business analyst Anthony Thompson has tried putting the case of Gardner In a clear perspective. In an article in The Trader Daily, Thompson notes that if you were to ask a few people if they wanted to become entrepreneurs, "it is very likely that most of them would tell you that is indeed their dream." However, what many of them don't realise, Thompson adds, is that becoming an entrepreneur is extremely tasking on the soul and body. "It takes many years of arduous labour, mental toughness, emotional resolve, and a busload of disappointments." To illustrate the point, Thompson cites the cases of some of the world's most famous entrepreneurs to show individuals and the corporate world that while it is difficult to start a major corporate organisation and stay faithful to its development, it is also possible to reach heights that are highly profitable and life-changing. High up on the list of Thompson's subjects, is Christopher Gardner. Gardner's story as recounted by Thompson is that when Chris was a young boy, his father abandoned the family, leaving him to be raised solely by Bettye Jean, his mother. She married a man named Freddie Triplett, who was so abusive that at one point Christopher made a failed attempt to kill him. When Christopher finally left his home in Milwaukee, he relocated to California and married his long-distance girlfriend, Sherry Dyson. Then, he met Jackie Medina, and the two had a son named Christopher Gardner, Jr. Soon after that, Jackie left the family and Gardner was forced to raise his son by himself. The year that followed was quite difficult. Father and son were living on the street, staying in drug-infested hotels frequented by prostitutes, visiting soup-lines, and sleeping in public bathrooms. Then one day while Christopher was in the city, he noticed a well-dressed gentleman getting out of a red Ferrari. Christopher began a discussion with the gentleman, and later learned that he was a stockbroker earning US$80,000 per month. Gardner resolved to pursue stock-broking as a career. Convinced beyond any doubt that his natural talent and calling lay in the world of finance, but lacking an MBA or even a college degree, Christopher Gardner sought and obtained the opportunity to exercise and perfect his untested business skills at two major financial services firms: first at Dean Witter Reynolds in a low-paying training programme, and then at Bear Stearns. He saved and used US$10,000 to launch his own brokerage firm, Gardner Rich L.L.C., and operated out of his home in Chicago. Nearly 22 years later, he continues to expand his business empire. Gardner's latest project is the development of a private equity fund in South Africa. Gardner has allocated time to, encourage professionals around the world to "focus less on the economic downturn and more on where and how you can fashion out opportunities." He urges entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs to "become your own stimulus package." They must take informed risks. Gardner frequently asks: "If you're not willing to take a risk on yourself, what will you take a risk on?" With the risks he himself took paying off in full measure, Gardner had by 1987, amassed a million-dollar fortune. "How did this guy do it?" is what everybody has been asking. The answers lie in Gardner's autobiography titled "The Pursuit of Happiness", which was later turned into a movie of the same title starring Will Smith. Today, he devotes much of his personal time and wealth to fighting poverty, homelessness, and unemployment with a variety of philanthropies. Gardner has this counsel for underprivileged people determined to succeed: "You have to take care of yourself. You have to be your own stimulus package. Don't be one of those people needing a bail-out. Bail yourself out. There are advantages to being a minority or disadvantaged entrepreneur. When you come from a place of little, you have to learn to be resourceful. "In my case, spending a year being homeless with a child tied on my back prepared me to open a small business. Being homeless is having a lack of resources. Starting a small business, you have to become resourceful." Today, Chris Gardner is one of the busiest businessmen on the planet. But busy or not, Gardner is far from done with further investment: according to Jet magazine, Gardner is collaborating with the reading glasses manufacturer, Eyebobs; on a pair of fashionable reading glasses which Gardner has given the brand name Gardner "All Blues". Sales of the stylish reading glasses will benefit the Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. The church is on record as having venerably assisted Chris Gardner and his son during their struggle with homelessness. Gardner's visit to Ghana under the auspices of the Italian development-oriented NGO, Amicus Onlus, should excite Corporate Ghana. He has a session scheduled with Corporate Ghana at the National Theatre under the theme: "Attitude, the Game-Changer". Managers and captains of corporate institutions should take full advantage of this opportunity to instil a winning, positive attitude in their staff. Chris Gardner is a man that needs to be experienced. Source: B&FT