Reallionaire: Nine Steps to Becoming Rich from the Inside Out (Paperback)

~ (Author), Fran Harris (Author) "By the time I made my entrance into the world on September 9, 1984, my mother, Paula, had left my father and was well on..." (more)
Key Phrases: Las Vegas, Wall Street, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Just 20 years old, Gray is a self-made millionaire, having founded ventures and made media appearances beginning at ages six and nine respectively. He chronicles and draws lessons from his successes and failures, from his first job selling handmade body lotion to his Los Angeles neighbors to his founding of Farr-Out Foods at 13, his sale of it two years later for over a million dollars and his current philanthropic and developmental projects like running INNERCITY magazine. With the help of freelance writer Harris, Gray presents a persona that is straightforward and confident, if somewhat generic ("Now, I want you to take a real 'lemon' from your life and make lemonade with it"), but the tale of his ascent is compelling. Fueled by his desire to help his family, especially his single, workaholic mother, Gray is virtually unstoppable; faced with rejection, he tries something else. It's that resilience that comes through most clearly, reinforced with chapter-ending "Real Points" and "Reallionaire Exercises." Despite the familiar gimmicks, the real parts of Gray's experience come through, making this a sound book for anyone seriously interested in getting ahead on his or her own terms.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Nineteen-year-old Gray grew up in the projects in Chicago and formed his first business organization at age 7, inspired by his mother's will and determination. By age 15, he had developed his own food company for kids, Farr-Out Foods, which he sold for $1.5 million. He has lived in Japan, England, New York, and Las Vegas; hosted the celebrity TV show Backstage Live; and is in high demand as a public speaker. It may be hard to believe that sound business advice can come from a teenager, but Farrah Gray is no ordinary kid. Although the book is punctuated with what he calls "Real Points" for success and exercises for things like building a great team and seizing opportunities, the real inspiration is his personal story, which speaks strongly of the importance of mentoring to young people and sends the message that you should never underestimate anyone, especially yourself. Farrah is a young man of true character and integrity, and we surely haven't heard the last of him. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: HCI (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757302246
• ISBN-13: 978-0757302244
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #139,877 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

134 of 141 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I'd give it more stars as an autobiography, July 11, 2005

By	JerseyTomato - See all my reviews

OK. This kid is pretty amazing in that's he's extremely intelligent, charismatic, and persistent. A long-term goal of his is to be a talk-show host. I'm sure he'd excel at that or anything else that requires great skill in communication and persuasion, such as politics.

If this book were being sold as an autobiography or general motivational book, that would be one thing. But here it is in the books on finance, and he's been set up as a role model for getting out of poverty. He has some good general advice about following your dreams, not taking no for an answer, and working hard. But as advice on how other people can become wealthy, I just can't give this book much credibility.

For one thing, he might have made that million dollars, but already he's lost a chunk of his own and investors' money. He lost a "high six figure" investment in a Las Vegas project, plus his NE2W organization had to close down. (p. 256). As he says himself "If all my businesses dried up at age 17, why am I writing a book about success? And why are you reading it?" (p. 271) Because finally, after talking about making money for the entire book, he's decided success is not about money, it's about doing your work in the world, whatever it is.

And a lot of the attitudes and beliefs he leaves you with are just 180 degrees opposite of proven wealth-building behaviors discussed in books like The Millionaire Next Door (Stanley and Danko). For example, he's spent a lot of money on the trappings of looking successful (expensive suits, pens, shoes, etc.) because it's supposed to "open doors". (p. 237-238). Somewhere online I read he wears a $1600 watch. In The Millionaire Next Door, they are clear that most people who make and KEEP a million or more just don't spend money this way. They are apt to buy Timex watches and JC Penney suits. And no, they are not people who inherited their money, either.

An awful lot of his and his mother's business experiences seem to be about taking big risks (such as with the rent money), trying completely different types of businesses one after the other and hoping to hit the big jackpot with one of them. Again, in The Millionaire Next Door it's pretty clear that 99% of the time, businesses and wealth are built slowly and not from getting one big break. When you overextend yourself in business, taking orders for products you can't yet afford to manufacture, you probably won't be rescued in a 1.5 million buyout as Farrah was. (p. 190)

Finally, what about the photo with Michael Milken? Yup, Michael Milken, the Junk Bond King and white collar criminal. Why would someone talking about honesty and ethics throughout their book go out of his way to associate himself with Milken?

IMHO, read this book for general inspiration and because Farrah Gray's life is extremely interesting--just don't expect it to be a financial blueprint for becoming a millionaire yourself.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Million and one assistance, November 3, 2006

By	Pit O'Maley "coerf agile" (Alameda, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

The PR on this book is that you will find an inspiring story for all. I did not find this to be true nor autobiographical, a story hopefully will be told in middle-age with more candor. Knowing the general sketch to success for this charming, winning gotta-be, the narrative was consistently pushed by cliche and quotations, streamlined to tell the rags-to-riches part without the nuts and bolts. The schmoozing, name-dropping, never-ending event-scheduling, expose a darker tale of mere marketing prowess and networking skills. Those who accept the packaging from childhood into a shelf commodity for acquisition, will see something here. Until now, America was about individuality; this book emphasizes "connections" over personal efforts. Honestly, Farrah Gray made it with supportive parenting,strong work ethics and influence. In the real world, you can have far more talent than Farrah Gray and go nowhere with just one or two run-ins. If you have similar products to Farrah's, food ideas etc., you can find inspiration, but consistently the nuts and bolts of achievement get lost in digressive medical setbacks. The rest of us cannot unload the obstacles to our "success" like co-workers, with Jack Welch-unconcern, and move on and upward.Throughout, Mr. Gray does say he is not entirely a self-made man. He deserves marks for that.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rousing and inspirational read!, August 30, 2006

By	Reginald Johnson "Success-Tapes.Com" - See all my reviews

Even though he is a young man, Farrah Gray writes like an "old soul." His message is clear, his beliefs are strong. When asked to perform at a higher standard there are many who ask: "Why me?" Those who read this book will learn a better response is: "Why not?"

Reginald V. Johnson, Author, How to Close More Customers