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My Favorite Quote:“Work harder on your self than on your job” Jim Rohn |
About Me:
I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was only 10 years old. As a newspaper delivery boy, I built a customer base by delivering 3 free newspapers every day. On the 4th day I would knock on the recipient’s door and explain that there would be no charge for the newspapers they had received for the past 3 days. I would then ask them if they would like to subscribe to the paper so they could continue having it delivered to them.
I learned at a very young age that you could build a business and earn money by giving away something of value.
As a young teenager in Atlantic City, NJ, I rented space on the Steeplechase Pier during the summer and sold souvenirs. I had several people working for me.
After graduating high school, I visited the home offices of several 5¢ & 10¢ store chains and got approval to rent concession space along the East Coast to sell stationery products I purchased from the manufacturer. Again I attracted customers by giving away free samples. I had several people working for me.
At age 20 I felt a calling to enter the ministry and attended college at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Ordained on April 5th, 1964, I returned to Atlantic City where I founded the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, a non-profit agency providing services to the homeless.
Doing the “impossible”
When I told people I was going to start a mission in Atlantic City, everyone told me I was crazy. They said things like, “You don’t have the education, you don’t have the experience, you don’t have the financial backing” and a lot of other reasons why I couldn’t succeed. I was told because of those things it would be impossible. I did it any way.
Tonight when I go to bed, over 300 homeless people, including families with small children will also be climbing into a nice clean bed as a result of a work I started even though every one told me I couldn’t do it. That’s a nice feeling.
During the five years I served as Executive Director of that agency I received many awards including the Jaycees “Man of the Year” and was interviewed on national TV. One of my prized possessions is a letter from the Chief of Police stating that the work I founded proved to be a deterrent to juvenile delinquency.
We did not accept funding from the United Way or ANY government agency. I felt people who had expressed an interest in the mission should support the work. This was done with MY OPT-IN LIST. There wasn’t any email back in those days.
Over the years I served as Executive Director of several other agencies, enjoying similar success and worked for a division of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for 5 years.
After retiring from the non-profit sector, I conducted seminars for high school students and their families on college admissions. Just about everything I have done in my life revolved around helping people.
I found my work fulfilling and rewarding. I truly enjoy helping people. One of the things I liked about my lifelong career is that I actually got paid for helping people.
My Passion:
Helping others succeed