"I have always believed, and put into action, my faith that we carve out our own statue. We write the lyrics of our own song, and we paint our own picture based on our innate talents. We are our own Picasso's, painting our lives, stroke by stroke, decision by decision. And, I can't say it enough: never underestimate the power of your reputation ... and never forget that someone is always watching you."

 

“Success isn't something that happens overnight: it's a process. You have to nurture it along with continuous care, and the best way to do this is to have the right people working with you - not for you, but with you. I can dream alone and strive alone, but true success always requires the help and support of others."

- Farrah Gray

Farrah Gray

Farrah Gray was born on September 9, 1984. By the time he was born, Farrah's father had left his mother, Paula, with five kids to raise. Farrah grew up in the projects on Chicago's southside, where, as he has explained, "it was a good month, if nobody you knew got killed."

LEARNING TO TAKE ADVICE FROM A MENTOR

PAYS OFF BIG!

Farrah Gray began his business career at age six by combining almost empty used bottles of body lotion he collected from neighbors and selling them door-to-door for $1.50. At age 7, he was carrying business cards reading “21st Century CEO.” At 8, with the help of personal and career mentor Roi Tauer, Farrah became co-founder of Urban Neighborhood Enterprise Economic Club (U.N.E.E.C.) on Chicago’s southside. Later, in his book Reallionaire: Nine Steps To Becoming Rich From The Inside Out, Farrah recalls the very first piece of advice Roi gave him just before UNEEC's first meeting:

"Now, before you can work on UNEEC you first have to answer these questions: Who’s Farrah? What are his strengths and weaknesses? How strong are his mind, body and spirit? And, how well do you fight? For, it’s time for you to get ready to fight to win. Now, I’m not talking about fighting someone with your fists but rather defeating whatever is inside you that could stop you from achieving your dreams.”

Farrah took that advice to heart. Soon UNEEC became the forerunner of New Early Entrepreneur Wonders (NE2W), the flagship organization Farrah opened on Wall Street that enlisted, educated and engaged youth by creating legal ways for them to make money.

Between the ages of 12 and 16 years old, Farrah founded and operated business ventures including KIDZTEL pre-paid phone cards and the One Stop Mail Boxes & More franchise. At age 13, Gray founded Farr-Out Foods, a specialty foods company located in New York, which targeted young people. Two years later, he sold the company for $1.5 million.

FROM VEGAS TEEN CO-HOST

TO PREMIER MOTIVATIOAL SPEAKER & AUTHOR

Farrah Gray felt he had a story to tell about life, and he enjoyed and excelled in telling it. As a pre-teen, Farrah reached 12 million listeners and viewers every Saturday night as co-host of “Backstage Live,” a syndicated television and radio simulcast in Las Vegas. And, since his first interview at 11 years old on KVBC Channel 3, Gray has been featured in hundreds of print, magazine, radio and television venues such as: Good Morning America, The Montel Williams Show, Tavis Smiley, The Tom Joyner Show, XM Satellite Radio, and the Wall Street Journal.

Today, Farrah’s inspirational spirit and winning personality has sparked requests for him to speak around the country. He earns $5,000 - $10,000 per appearance, and is listed in the Premiere Speakers Bureau's 2006 catalog. An estimated one-half million people a year hear Farrah's motivating mix of an inspiring personal journey and practical business advice.

GIVING BACK TO OTHERS:

THE FARRAH GRAY FOUNDATION

Farrah's sense of social responsibility motivated him to create The Farrah Gray Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on inner city community-based entrepreneurship education and provides scholarships for students from at-risk backgrounds to attend HBCU's (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). He donates the honorariums from his speaking engagements as well as the proceeds from his book to the Foundation. This is what he refers to as his "self-imposed" youth tax.

Farrah Gray is the youngest African-American to rise from public assistance to business mogul without being in sports, entertainment, or having a family connection. His is an American “rags-to-riches” story of success, perseverance and hard work.