Farrah Gray
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Farrah Gray (born 9 Sep 1984) is an African-American author, businessman, and motivational speaker.
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[edit] Early life
Farrah Gray is an entrepreneur who began his business career by selling body lotion for $1.50 from door to door. He often carried a business card that read “21st Century CEO”, started UNEEC (Urban Neighborhood Economic Enterprise Club), and co-hosted the radio show “Backstage Live” in Las Vegas.
[edit] Business experience
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. (Gray is the youngest African-American to earn one Million dollars.)
He started the New Early Entrepreneur Wonders (NE2W) Student Venture Fund and the Farrah Gray Foundation. He was invited to consult with and oversee an entrepreneurial institute for The Minority Business Development Agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Gray was elected a director of the United Way of Southern Nevada; he was the youngest director ever to sit on the board of any local United Way affiliate. Gray also served as the youngest member of the Board of Advisors of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. Gray acquired INNERCITY Magazine from Inner City Broadcasting Corporation. He financed a comedy show on the Las Vegas Strip, making him the second African-American after Redd Foxx to own a show production on the Strip. Gray was the youngest member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc. Region 15 (N.A.R.E.B.®), the oldest and largest minority trade association. Gray also is a popular motivational speaker, earning $5,000 - $10,000 per appearance. Gray is listed in the Premiere Speakers Bureau's 2006 catalog.
Gray’s honors include Keys to the Cities of Dallas, Shreveport, and Cincinnati. He has received Proclamations from the Governors of Illinois and Nevada, the Mayors of Chicago, Las Vegas and New Orleans and Clark County Nevada Commissioners. Gray’s Awards include The National Urban League Whitney M Young Jr. Entrepreneurship Award, The Indiana Black Expo (IBE), Hoosier Lottery Entrepreneur Award for 2005, The Alabama A&M Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) Award, The Davidson College Love of Learning Lifetime Educational Achievement Award, Central State Award of Appreciation for contributions made in the area of entrepreneurship, NV Magazine Vision Award and the American Red Cross Award of Appreciation. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Allen University on April 29, 2006
[edit] Author
In 2005, Gray (with Fran Harris) wrote the autobiographical Reallionaire: Nine Steps to Becoming Rich from The Inside Out. He also is a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the African-American Soul.
[edit] External links
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[edit] Farrah Gray
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Farrah Gray was born September 9, 1984. His mother’s name was Paula Gray, by the time Farrah was born; his mother had left his father. Farrah’s father left his mother with five kids to look for. As a little kid Farrah grew up in the projects of East Chicago. Farrah explains that in the projects, it was a good month, if nobody you knew got killed. His oldest brother, Andrew, was 17; his oldest sister was Kiki, 14 years old, and his other brother was Jonathan, 6 years old. His youngest brother, Alex, was 5, and Farrah was the youngest out of 5 kids, and constantly getting on everybody’s nerves. His mother was one of the hardest working mothers around. She had to take care of five children, without the father paying child support. They always had just enough money to put food on the table, and now for him that is a whole lot different. Farrah began his entrepreneurial business at a very young age. When he was six years old, Farrah started to sell hand made lotion for a dollar and fifty cents a bottle, and hand-painted, designed rocks as bookends also a dollar and fifty cents, from door-to-door. In 2 years, he had raised 1,500 dollars. When he was seven years old, he began to carry his own business cards with the words 21st century CEO (Chief Executive Officer) on it. By the age of eight, Farrah founded the U.N.E.E.C., (Urban Neighborhood Enterprise Economic Club), in Chicago’s Southside. U.N.E.E.C., eventually became NE2W, (New Early Entrepreneur Wonders), which was located on Wall Street. Farrah Gray was the youngest person to ever have an office on Wall Street. When he was in between the ages of twelve and sixteen years old, Farrah took many business challenges. Some of them included KIDZTEL pre-paid/pay-as-you-go phone cards, the One-stop mailboxes, and the Teen scope “Youth AM/FM” interactive teen talk show. Farrah was also the executive producer of a comedy show on the Las Vegas Strip. As a pre-teen, Farrah reached out to twelve million listeners and observers each Saturday night, being the co-host of “Backstage Live,” which was then a television and radio broadcast also in Las Vegas. Farrah’s unique spirit and personality, made speaking requests go up from organizations all across the United States. Farrah later was later motivated to create “The Farrah Gray Foundation.” His foundation includes programs and other activities for young kids and teenagers, and also provides grants and scholarships for students’ at-risk backgrounds to attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities, (HBCU’s). All the excess money from his book called “Reallionaire,” his honorariums and speaking engagements, (which can be up to fifteen-thousand dollars); he gives it to his foundation. At the age of thirteen, Farrah founded his own food company called Farr-Out Foods, (Way-Out Foods with a twist). He had many orders to serve; especially when the company introduced it’s first Strawberry-Vanilla syrup. At the age of fourteen, Farrah sold his food company for 1.5 million dollars, becoming a self-made millionaire, a.k.a. “Reallionaire,” at fourteen years old Farrah was not a big star for a while. He was participated three years on the Board of Directors of United Way of Southern Nevada at the age of fifteen, and also became the youngest person ever in the history of the Nevada to be a member of Board of Advisors for the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. He is the youngest member of the “African-American Leadership Roundtable” to be summoned by President George Bush and the Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Farrah is also the spokesperson for the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Marrow Donor Program. Since Farrah had his first interview at eleven years old on Channel three, he has become a radio and television star featured in many, many magazines, radio broadcast, and television shows including, The NPR (radio broadcast), The NBC reality show Starting Over, Good Morning America, 20/20, ABC World News Tonight, The Montel Williams Show, The Tavis Smiley Show, and The Tom Joyner Morning Show. Farrah has also been on many television channels including, CNBC, BET, NBC, FOX, CBS, and The Bravo Channel. Farrah is the Co-Chairman of the RBA, (Relational Brokers Alliance Consultancy). The Farrah Gray Foundation is also partnered up with the Kauffmann Foundation, creating programs for city schools all across the United States. Farrah is also one of the youngest people in history to have his own MasterCard/pre-paid/debit card that has his own picture on it. Companies such as, First Premiere Bank, and Diamond Financial Products featured it. This card is called the “goFarr” card, and its purpose is to increase financial freedom and literacy. Farrah currently has his own book out called “Reallionaire: Nine Steps to Becoming Rich from the Inside Out.” NBC & Publishers Weekly Quill Awards nominated his book in the category of Self-Improvement. His book was on the Best-Sellers book list for Amazon and bookstore Barnes & Nobles two weeks before it was released. His book was also named the number one bestselling book in August of last year by “Essence Magazine.” He is also a supplying author to “Chicken Soup for the African-American Soul.” In conclusion, Farrah Gray is a very successful person; he has received many honors, awards, and other great things. He is a great person to look up to. But all of this happened because he had a motivation, and he had the right habits.
