JOHN CATSIMATIDIS - Lessons from a Common Sense Billionaire

John Catsimatidis went from rags to riches to become the CEO of the Red Apple Group where he began his meteoric rise to billionaire status as the founder of the Gristedes supermarket chain in New York City. He started as a child immigrant from very modest beginnings were he had to learn English and where he took one small grocery store and turned it into a sprawling empire. He has gone on to be wildly successful in other industries including real estate, energy, sports and media as the owner of WABC Radio in NYC. His book is How Far Do You Want To Go: Lessons from a Common-Sense Billionaire. If you ever dreamed of hitting the Lotto, dream on...or learn the blueprint from this book on how to get to the top...the very top. Topics we cover in this interview include: What was life like growing up in West Harlem? What inspired you to write a book and what are the main takeaways you wish for our audience to learn from reading it? What do you believe are your secrets or not so secret principles that have enabled you to build not only a successful business empire but a successful personal life as well? What is your idea of common sense that you allude to in the subtitle of your book? There is an incredible quote in your book that was your public school's slogan: Never let it rest until our good gets better and our better gets best. What does that mean to you and how have you applied this lesson? In the book, you say that you were insecure in public school. Insecure that you weren't smart enough. Insecure that your English was not good enough. Insecure that the other kids had more and knew more. Insecure that you did not belong. How did you cope with that at 5 years old & how did you overcome this? What role does collaborating with others play in your life and do you have a prime example that comes to mind of a particularly mutually successful collaboration? Can you tell us what is the sink or swim theory you learned from your cousin in Greece?