Dennis Kimbro - The Wealth Choice: Success Secrets of Black Millionaires

The Wealth Choice

Success Secrets of Black Millionaires

Featuring the Seven Laws of Wealth

Dennis Kimbro

with The Napoleon Hill Foundation

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THE WEALTH CHOICE

Copyright The Napoleon Hill Foundation, 2013.

All rights reserved.

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First published in 2013 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN in the United Statesa division of St. Martins Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

ISBN 978-0-230-34207-1

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The wealth choice : success secrets of Black millionaires / Dennis Kimbro.

pages cm

1. Success in business. 2. African AmericansLife skills guides. 3. Self-confidence. I. Title.

HF5386.K496 2013

332.0240108996073dc23

2012030390

A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.

Design by Letra Libre, Inc.

First edition: February 2013

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Please note that some of the links referenced throughout this work are no longer active.

Printed in the United States of America.

Contents

v

Introduction A Wealth of Knowledge: The Most
Powerful Economic Weapon

The First Law of Wealth

Chapter One Decision: Resolve Now That You Will
Not Be Poor

The Second Law of Wealth

Chapter Two The Haves and the Have Nots:
The Difference That Makes the Difference

The Third Law of Wealth

Chapter Four To Thine Own Self Be True: Find Your
Unique Gifts

The Fourth Law of Wealth

The Fifth Law of Wealth

The Sixth Law of Wealth

The Seventh Law of Wealth

Acknowledgments

This seven-year effort is not about the power of one, but the support of many. Ive learned so much in the process of writing The Wealth Choice. First, and foremost, I could not have done it alone. In my case, friends, family, and well-wishers stood patiently behind the scenes helping me put forth my best effort. As a result, I had the pleasure of working with some real pros. They include:

My agent, Wendy Keller, who believed in this project when a number of her colleagues passed. I dont know what I would do without her sound and sage advice. My editor, Emily Carleton, improved the manuscript beyond measure. Donna Cherry, my fact-checker extraordinaire; trust me, she is one of the best in the business. Don Green, the executive director of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, critiqued an early draft of the manuscript before pulling out all stops. I also owe special thanks to Teri Dean, Cheri Henderson, Andy Ingraham, Sophia White, Tony Martin, Randal Pinkett, Pennae Lewis, Wendy Welch, and Rudy Vincent who made several key interviews possible. Thomas Jenkins, Terry Ramdayal, and Gail Seegars pitched in when I needed help. As usual, David Smith kept my energy level up and refused to accept excuses.

In short, this book is about dreams and the power to make those dreams come true. No one knows more about this concept than my wife, Pat. The wind beneath my wings and an expert on achieving the impossible, her wisdom and insight can be felt on every page of this book. To my three daughters, Kelli, Kimberli, and MacKenzie, who personally crunched and collated so many numbers that she probably knows the data by heart. Kennedy and Logan, my two granddaughters, were there to cheer me on. The future belongs to them.

And finally, a special round of thanks goes to the countless Black millionaireshundreds upon hundreds of determined and ambitious men and women who unselfishly embraced my survey and granted me entrance in to their world of wealth, power, and achievement. A partial list includes:

John Barfield

Shirley Bailey

Ken Brown

Leah Brown

Les Brown

John Hope Bryant

Tom Burrell

Herman Cain

Pasha and Steve Carter

Valerie Daniels-Carter

Lisa Nicole Cloud

Johnnie Cochran

Trish Millines-Dziko

Joe Dudley

Kirk Franklin

Tyrese Gibson

Nathaniel Goldston

Earl G. Graves

Farrah Gray

Carla Harris

Steve Harvey

Michele Hoskins

Janice Bryant Howroyd

Cathy Hughes

T. D. Jakes

Daymond John

Harry Johnson

John H. Johnson

Robert Johnson

Lillian Lincoln Lambert

Spike Lee

Victor MacFarlane

Rueben McDaniel

Colleen Payne-Nabors

Clarence Otis

Henry Parks

R. Donahue Peebles

Roosevelt Peebles

Tyler Perry

Lisa Price

Antonio Reid

Michael Roberts

John Rogers

Barbara Smith

David Steward

Ephren Taylor

Willie Watkins

Mark Wilson

Amos Winbush

Their quotes are the result of these interviews. I hope and pray I have made them proud.

Introduction

A Wealth of Knowledge

The Most Powerful Economic Weapon

The First Law of Wealth

If you dont know better, you cant do better.

John Hope Bryant

Why arent you rich? John H. Johnson, the founder and chief executive of Ebony magazine, the nations leading Black publication, fired at me as I sat across from his desk in his plush Chicago headquarters. Caught off guard, I had never considered his question. I suggest that you consider the gifts that youve been given, Johnson continued. You and your generation live in an era of unprecedented wealth and growth. More men and women have become wealthy in the last 20 years than any other time in human history. Youve been given a sound mind and sound body, not to mention an energetic spirit as well as opportunity at every turn. And to top it off, youve earned a degree from one of the finest schools in the country.

Again, the publishing tycoon repeated his question, this time demanding an answer. Why arent you wealthy? I sat motionless and ashamed. Ashamed that I could not answer his question, ashamed that I had failed to grasp past opportunities. Ashamed that I had failed to realize that wasted time means wasted energy, wasted talents, and wasted potential. I now know that time is money. No one should waste an hour any more than we should waste a dollar bill. But most important, I was ashamed because I had failed to cultivate, nurture, and emulate Johnsons passion and purpose for life. The millionaires among us are men and women of laser-like focus and concentration: wealth creators who have hammered away at one place long enough to accomplish their purpose. In a world of mostly have nots, the wealthy and influential tend to be individuals with one overriding objective, one unwavering aim. Ironically, the man or woman who is forever looking about to see what he or she can find never finds a thing. In short, we find what we seek with all our heart and, if we look for nothing in particular, g uess what? We find just that.

I was ashamed because I was finally forced to answer to a man who served as my judge and jury. Johnson, a onetime have not, had spent the better part of three decades crafting articles at night and peddling them during the day before he was given the chance to demonstrate his powers of persuasion to the world of commerce. After starting Ebony, he became a multimillionaire by age 40. A weaker spirit would have quit years ago. And this remarkably committed individual unselfishly carved out a piece of his day to school me on the demands of wealth.