Stock market sage inspired by a Ferrari owner: Who is Chris Gardner?

Gardner had a troubled childhood. He never knew his father; He grew up with his mother and alcoholic stepfather. His stepfather frequently physically abused Chris, his siblings, and his mother. Her mother, unable to bear the violence any longer, attempted to kill her stepfather. After his mother went to jail, Chris and his siblings were also placed in a child welfare institution.

"My mother was an old-fashioned woman. And she would always say to me, 'Son, you can achieve anything you want if you believe.' I believed his words and I succeeded."

Gardner describes the difficult times he had as a child: “I have suffered that a child should not go through. I made my decision when I was 5 years old. ‘My children will know who their father is.’ You already know the rest. I achieved this success by making the right decisions.”

Christopher Paul Gardner (born February 9, 1954) is an American businessman and motivational speaker. During the early 1980s, Gardner struggled with homelessness while raising a toddler son. He became a stockbroker and eventually founded his own brokerage firm Gardner Rich & Co in 1987. In 2006, Gardner sold his minority stake in the firm and published a memoir. That book was made into the motion picture The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith.

After graduating from high school, Gardner served in the army for 4 years. In 1974, after leaving the military, he went to San Francisco where he started selling medical devices.

But one day he saw a red Ferrari in the parking lot. Admiring this car, Gardner went to the owner and asked how he had bought the car. The car was owned by a stockbroker named Bob Bridges. And with his speech, he both influenced Gardner and caused Gardner to be interested in the stock market.

Bob Bridges secured Gardner's internship at a company. However, Gardner was arrested for failing to pay parking fines during his internship. Later, his financial situation began to deteriorate. His wife left Gardner, who could not even pay the house rent.

Gardner, who was thrown out of the house, fell into the streets with his son. Father and son stayed in the train station, parks and churches for a while. They also ate their meals in the soup kitchens. In addition, Gardner's earnings were limited. Therefore, he could only afford to pay for his son's nursery. He lived like this for about a year with his son, who is only a few months old.

Chris Gardner and Son

Gardner completed his internship in the stock market at the age of 27. Thanks to her determination and faith, she got a full-time job where she did her internship. He finally had enough money to buy a house. Then, thanks to his hard work, he flew up the career ladder. And in 1987, he started his own investment consulting firm called Gardner & Rich.

Later, he wrote the book "The Pursuit of Happyness" with the desire to share his story.

This book caught the attention of Hollywood. In this way, they started shooting the movie in the same year, without even changing the title of the book.

In 2012, Gardner's wife died of cancer at the age of 55. After this death, Gardner reconsidered his life and reordered the things he wanted to do. So he left the finance and investment industry and devoted himself to motivational speaker.

Now he travels the world telling his own story.

And he summarizes his life story with these words:

“If my childhood was my destiny; Today I would be an alcoholic guy who beats his wife and abuses children. I listened to my mother's voice. I walked towards the light, not the darkness.”

https://www.instagram.com/ceoofhappyness/

https://www.chrisgardnermedia.com/