Millionaire Shoe Shiner. Great success story. Only in America.

[Paul]

Every morning, the CEO of a large bank in Manhattan walked to the corner for
a shoeshine. He sat in an armchair, examined the Wall Street Journal and
the shoe shiner buffed his shoes to a mirror shine.

One morning the shoe shiner asked the CEO: "What do you think about the
situation in the stock market"?

The man answered arrogantly, "Why are you so interested in that topic"?

The shoe guy replied, "I have millions in your bank and I'm considering
investing some of the money in the capital market".

"What’s your name"? asked the executive.

“John H. Smith”, was the reply.

The CEO arrived at the bank and asked the Manager of the Customer Service
Department, “Do we have a client named John H. Smith”?

"We certainly do”, answered the Manager. "He is a high-net-worth customer
with 12.6 million dollars in his account".

The executive came out, approached the shoe shiner, and said, "Mr. Smith, I
would like to invite you next Monday to be the guest of honor at our Board
meeting and tell us the story of your life. I’m sure we could learn
something from your life's experience."

At the board meeting, the CEO introduced him to the Board Members.

"We all know Mr. Smith, from the corner shoeshine stand. But Mr. Smith is
also an esteemed customer. I invited him here to tell us the story of his
life. I am sure we can all learn from him."

Mr. Smith began his story...

"I came to this country 50 years ago as a young immigrant from Europe with
an unpronounceable name. I got off the ship without a penny. The first
thing I did was change my name to Smith. I was hungry and exhausted. I
started wandering around looking for a job but to no avail. Fortunately, I
found a coin on the sidewalk. I bought an apple. I had two options; eat
the apple and quench my hunger or start a business. I sold the apple for 25
cents and bought two apples with the money. I also sold them and continued
in business. When I started accumulating a few dollars, I was able to buy a
set of used brushes and shoe polish and started polishing shoes. I didn't
spend a penny on entertainment or clothing; I just bought bread and some
cheese to survive.

I saved penny by penny and after a while, I bought a new set of shoe brushes
and polishes in different shades and expanded my clientele. I lived like a
monk and saved penny by penny.
After a while, I was able to buy an armchair so my clients could sit
comfortably while I shined their shoes, and that brought me more clients. I
did not spend a penny on the joys of life. I kept saving every cent. A few
years ago, when the previous shoe shiner on the corner decided to retire, I
had already saved enough money to buy his shoeshine location at this great
place.

Finally, 6 months ago, my sister, who was a prostitute in Chicago, passed
away and left me 12.6 million dollars."

[Mitch1100]

Brilliant