Journey continued

In Los Angeles we spent a night with one of my oldest friends, Markley and his girlfriend. Omar came to visit us. We met Omar last year in Washington, DC when we were both speakers at the National Urban League. The event was very badly organized and I was frustrated by the experience. I wanted to see a certain speaker, who turned out to be a huge ego-maniac and disappointment. Sitting in the greenroom waiting, I was introduced to this young man. He was immaculately dressed and had a presence about him that could not be ignored. He began telling us his story of growing up in the Bronx, the son of Jamaican immigrant parents who had divorced. Omar had 20 siblings from his parents various marriages.

Living in the Bronx, he saw children with fancy sneakers and wanted a pair. On learning the cost, he had two choices. Sell drugs and afford them, or not sell drugs and not have those shoes. Omar knew the consequences of selling, and valued his life more, but still wanted those shoes. He was always drawing, and began drawing the shoes of his dreams. Without realizing, Omar began designing sneakers and then figured out a way to make them, earning the nickname, the shoe guy.

In spite of struggling at school, he plugged away at his dream. A newspaper article that was seeking a positive story out of his school discovered Omar and he was interviewed. Omar was about to graduate in the bottom 10 percent of his class and was not college material when fate smiled on him. He got a scholarship to a design university in Ohio and wanted to go. He found a way to get closer to his shoe ideas.

As a result of the newspaper article, Omar was invited to speak in Washington. He was midway through school, and had done numerous internships in corporations from shoe companies, to a computer conglomerate and a consulting company. Financially he was struggling, but was determined to stay in school. Omar was determined to someday have his own company and to break the repetitive chains of poverty. We found a bond and I invited him to our home.

2 weeks later Omar arrived at our home for a power weekend. Another young entrepreneur, Phillip, from South Africa, was spending a week with us. They were the same age, different walks of life, but both ambitious in the face of insurmountable odds. From the day I had met them, I saw parts of myself in each, especially when I was their age trying to figure out how to participate in the world of professional racing. It was my chance to help them on their journey as I had been helped on mine.

Philip and Omar had been instructed to bring their laptop computers, bank statements going back 6 months, and all their current receipts. The objective of the power weekend was to get them accountable for their own economics. My life had been changed when I was taught how to use an electronic accounting system. Now they were going to learn the system and by weekend conclusion would be fully up to speed. From the moment Omar landed, the intensity began. In between we took breaks and had meals with community leaders that I knew. The pace was intense and the boys were good students, hungry to learn and progress. Progress we made. Omar was addicted to fast food. He had spent almost a $1,000 in 3 months on fast food. The young men found patterns in their spending habits, and solutions for changes.

Over the months that followed the power weekend, I interacted with Philip and Omar several times a week. We saw changes in habits and improvement in their bottom lines. They had formulated plans for their futures and were committing the economic accountability to their financial lives. They had taken charge of their individual destinies.

A year had passed by since the power weekend and Omar had moved to Los Angeles. My keynote address had brought Darlene and me west, and it was a opportunity to connect with old friends. Omar wanted to do a review of his accounting with me. We had a social night at Markley’s home and then planned a working afternoon at the Beverly Hills Wilshire where Darlene and I were staying, sharing the hotel with Johnny Depp and Paul McCartney. After my rehearsal, we hung out at the swimming pool working. Omar had made huge progress towards becoming an entrepreneur. He was wearing shoes that he had designed and was made during his internship. His economics was still hurting, but he was going in the right direction.

That evening we treated Omar to dinner. I did not want to drive, and the restaurants that were in walking distances were not appealing. The hotel made a recommendation that was over two miles away, and offered us the hotel Rolls Royce to take us to dinner. It was Omar and Darlene’s first time being chauffeured in a fancy car. The restaurant was in an all glass building and everyone saw the car pulling up and the driver opening the doors for us. On walking in, we were stunned by the silence that followed us in and every head looking. Omar had arrived in a place he had never been before, and was enjoying every minute of the pampering. We three had built a new memory together.

Two days later Darlene indulged herself by going shopping on Rodeo Drive after my keynote, and being able to call for the Rolls to fetch her, while I lay at the swimming pool networking with leaders in the real estate world who had heard me speak. It looks like we have found new niche for my career as so many of the owners who were present are interested in my addressing their staff.

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