Then, brother Michael ran for City Council and won. A few years later, Steven ran for the City Council and he was elected as well.
While serving, the brothers continued to fix up old abandoned homes and continued to improve the housing in the city.
They left the council after several years and started a construction company to take on larger projects. They expanded from construction to media and bought a small radio station! Then, they bought small television stations. They continued to expand into telecommunications, hotels and airplane leasing.
The Roberts brothers became billionaires!
In my interview with Steven Roberts, he shares strategies they used to go from no money in the inner city to billionaires!
Here are memorable points from that interview:
- Prepare yourself, educate yourself and be willing to take risks.
- Learn, even if you need to take courses at your community college or online programs.
- Selling your ideas to others is necessary for business success.
- When people say NO, don’t get discouraged. Keep your courage and keep asking others. Someone will say yes…if you ask long enough!
- Put in sweat equity to build your company–especially when you don’t have a lot of money!
- Remember opportunities sometimes come in overalls (work clothes).
- Learn to look at opportunities differently. What some see as a boarded up house can be viewed by others as a beautiful opportunity.
- Don’t ever let small minded people dampen your big vision!
- Keep thinking big and remember: Massive Success Is the Best Revenge!