After dropping out of high school, Gardner lied about his age and joined the U.S. Navy. He hopes to become a medic and can go around the world, but it was never achieved. He just arrived at North Carolina. However, the experience was introduced Gardner to cardiac surgeons, who then hired Gardner as a clinical research assistant at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. Gardner enjoyed the job, but he has only earning $ 7.400 per year, and he wanted more.
Gardner toying with the idea of becoming a doctor, but he decided that the years of paying off a loan for medical school was not for him. Instead, he became a seller of medical devices, earning $ 16,000 per year. He was loading equipment into his car one day and something happened that ultimately change lives forever Gardner. He saw a bright red Ferrari and instantly fell in love with all it represents. "I asked him two questions that Ferrari owners," recalled Gardner. "One of them, 'What are you doing?' 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 men earn more than $ 80,000 a month, he decided that being a stockbroker is her future. He had no education, no experience, and no connection, but that did not stop Gardner from reaching his new dream.
In 1987, Chris Gardner established the brokerage firm, Gardner Rich & Co., in Chicago, Illinois, a brokerage firm specializing in the execution of debt, equity and derivative products transactions for some of the nation's largest institutions, public pension and union. " The new company was
started his small Presidential Towers apartment, with initial capital of $ 10,000 and furniture: a wooden table that serves as the family dinner table. Gardner reportedly owns 75 percent of the stock brokerage firm with the rest owned by a hedge fund. He chose the name "Gardner Rich" for his company because he considers Marc Rich, the commodities trader pardoned by former President Bill Clinton in 2001, "as one of the most successful futures in the world."
After Gardner sold its stake in Gardner, millions of dollars in the deal in 2006, he became CEO and founder of Christopher Gardner International Holdings, with offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. During his visit to South Africa to observe the 10th anniversary of the election at the end of apartheid, Gardner met with Nelson Mandela to discuss possible investment in South Africa and emerging markets as indicated in his autobiography in 2006. Gardner reportedly developing an investment venture with South Africa that will create hundreds of jobs for millions of people. Gardner refused to divulge details of the project citing securities laws.
Bitter sweetness of life seems to have felt it. Homeless, abandoned wives, was arrested by police, trouble paying loans, everything is perceived. He was not a highly educated, but he kept trying and struggling. Now he became a successful millionaire, motivator, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Now he has a Gardner Rich & Co., a stock brokerage firm.
Amazing story of Chris Gardner struggle, faith, entrepreneurialism, and fatherly devotion has catapulted him beyond the notoriety he has found on Wall Street (where stock exchanges such as the JSE). He has been interviewed on the "Evening News with Dan Rather," "20/20," "Oprah," "Today Show," "The View," "Entertainment Tonight," CNN, CNBC, Fox News Channel and is also the subject of news as profiles in numerous newspapers and magazines including People, USA Today, Associated Press, New York Times, Fortune, Jet, Reader's Digest, Trader Monthly, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Post and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He is also a frequent speaker sought.
:.