Farrah Gray Interview

Considered one of the most influential black men in business, Dr. Farrah Gray rose from poverty to become a self-made millionaire by the age of 14. Farrah is a syndicated newspaper columnist, author and CEO of Farrah Gray Publishing. TheCelebrityCafe.com spoke with him about his start in business, his Reallionaire philosophy, and the next step for Farrah Gray Publishing.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: What drove you as a young child?

Farrah Gray: I’m a strong supporter of comfort breeds complacency. Growing up poor I wasn’t comfortable, my mom had to work so hard and I woke up one day and decided I was not going to come home until I could help her pay the bills.

I founded UNEEC (Urban Neighborhood Economic Enterprise Club) we started out raising money for things like selling lemonade, nothing big at first. Eventually we raised $15,000, that’s when I opened the office on Wall Street at 13 and it became New Early Entrepreneur Wonders and I started raising more money.

That’s when I came up with the Reallionaire philosophy. There are so many people living the best life money can buy. I want to slap some of these people. Some of these people you think are living the best life but they’re not rich on the inside. I started this philosophy to be spiritual and be rich on the inside out.

TCC: Tell me about Farr-out foods?

FG: Well it’s a play on my name. My grandma used to make syrup for us because we couldn’t afford it and I just played around with her recipe. I made strawberry syrup and that didn’t really work out but I made strawberry-vanilla and that sold. Then I just went out and took marketing classes, went to seminars, learned about marketing a product and striking deals. It ended up taking orders of $1.5 million.

Then I arranged for it to be sold, it ended up being bought by for $1 million. With the proceeds I financed a comedy show on the Las Vegas strip and bought an 80% share of Inner City Broadcasting. They produce Showtime at the Apollo along with Innercity Magazine.

TCC: What did it mean to you to be invited to the White House by President Obama?

FG: For me it was an honor, I had been there almost 10 years earlier with President Clinton, and again with President Bush. It was certainly different to meet with President Obama, a president that looks like me. There was a picture of a black woman up, and there certainly wasn’t a picture of a black woman up when I was there before.

TCC: How did you get started in publishing?

FG: I got started in publishing writing my three books. Someone from HCI contacted me and said, 'I heard your story and its amazing do you have a book in you?' I was 19 at the time and I wasn’t sure I did have a book, but I had been published in INNERCITY magazine. I wrote Reallionaire with HCI and decided I could get into this myself and worked with them to open Farrah Gray Publishing. We have over 80 celebrity authors including Flava Flav, Don Lemon of CNN, Shaft's Richard Roundtree, Tasha Smith of Tyler Perry’s Why did I get Married, Bob Marley’s son Ky-Mani Marley.

TCC: What is Flava Flav’s book about?

FG: His book is a memoir about his life: the ups, the downs, the roller coaster it is. He is an icon all the way from TV when he had the #1 reality show on cable with VH1, his career with Public Enemy, the drug use--he is clean now but he was on drugs for many, many years, and he had many, many women.

TCC: What is some advice you have for young entrepreneurs?

FG: Well I would give a few different tips first of all jump into it today, even though we are in a down economy. If you stay in the game you're in a good position for the upswing. If you’re not in the game you can’t win. Secondly, define your area of excellence. Establish the area where you will be the best. Third, answer three questions about yourself:

• What comes easy to you but harder to other people?
• What would you do and not get paid for?
• How can I be of service?

A good entrepreneur can answer these questions and the world market will open up.