Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain : How I Went From Gang Member to Multimillionaire Entrepreneur

"Long before I became a millionaire entrepreneur, I was a punk with a juvenile criminal record, street gang experience, and a lot of emotional scarring...My teenage years were hardly the typical starting point for a normal, productive life, let alone a successful business career. Turns out, that didn't matter." Blair's middle-class childhood came to an abrupt end when his abusive father succumbed to drug addiction and abandoned the family. Blair and his mother moved to a dangerous neighborhood, and soon he was in and out of juvenile detention, joining a gang just to survive. Now Blair shows readers how to start and grow their own profitable businesses by following his often contrarian philosophies: • When you're dealing with an investor's money, you have to act as if God himself wrote you the check. • Efforts don't pay the rent. Have no sympathy for employees who talk about how hard they're trying. This book is an inspirational guide for people who are willing to put in the hard work, time, and dedication needed to see their vision through to the end. Blair shares lessons from his mentors and advice from his own life- changing experiences, and provides readers with a road map for entrepreneurial success. The New York Times bestseller by a former gang member turned multimillionaire entrepreneur Like many entrepreneurs, Ryan Blair had no formal business education. But he had great survival instincts, tenacity, and, above all, a 'nothing to lose' mind-set. His middle-class childhood came to an abrupt end when his abusive father succumbed to drug addiction and abandoned the family. Blair and his mother moved to a bad neighborhood, and soon he was in and out of juvenile detention, joining a gang just to survive. Then his mother fell in love with a successful entrepreneur who took Ryan under his wing. With his mentor's help, Blair turned himself into a wildly successful businessman. He started his first company, 24/7 Tech, at the age of twenty-one, and since then has created and sold several companies for hundreds of millions of dollars. Now Blair shows readers how to start and grow their own profitable businesses. Sharing lessons from his mentors and advice from his own life-changing experiences, Blair provides an inspirational guide for people willing to put in the hard work, time, and dedication needed to achieve entrepreneurial success The incredible story of a gang member who became a multimillionaire CEO. Ryan Blair's middle-class upbringing came to an abrupt end when his father succumbed to drug addiction and abandoned his family. Blair and his mother moved to a dangerous neighborhood, and soon he was in and out of juvenile detention, joining a gang just to survive. Then his mother fell in love with a successful entrepreneur who took Ryan under his wing. With his mentor's help, Blair turned himself into a wildly successful multimillionaire, starting and selling three companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars. This book will inspire and guide people who are willing to do whatever necessary-hard work, long hours, sweat equity-to take their vision from paper to pavement. Blair gives readers a road map for successful entrepreneurship. Ryan Blair knows about building a business from the ground up. Like many entrepreneurs he had no formal business education. But he had great survival instincts, tenacity, and above all, a "nothing to lose" mindset. Blair's middle-class childhood came to an abrupt end when his abusive father succumbed to drug addiction and abandoned the family. Blair and his mother moved to a dangerous neighborhood, and soon he was in and out of juvenile detention, joining a gang just to survive. Then his mother fell in love with a successful entrepreneur who took Ryan under his wing. With his mentor's help, Blair turned himself into a wildly successful businessman. He started his first company, 24/7 Tech, at the age of 21, and since then has started and sold several companies for hundreds of millions of dollars. -- Jacket Where I'm from Nothing to lose mindset Philosophies from the jail cell to the boardroom Seize the day Honor your deals Smarten up First things first : watch your wallet What's driving you? Define your assets : what is your influence worth? Risk and sacrifice Million dollar mistakes I hate business plans Pros and cons of a home-based business Launching your business Raising money Venture capitalists : swimming with the sharks Growing, hiring, and firing The connect four technique Cashing out Lawyer up. Traces the author's upbringing where he joined a gang in order to survive until his mother married an entrepreneur who taught him key life and business principles, in an inspirational account that describes his rise to wealth