1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire

Self-made billionaire Sam Wyly is a natural storyteller. In this candid, engrossing memoir, he recounts his experiences establishing and expanding companies on the leading edge of advancements in technology, energy, retail, and investments over the last five decades. From the hardships his family faced trying to hold on to their cotton farm during the Depression to the coaching he received on the high school football field, Wyly describes how his early years in Louisiana prepared him for what lay ahead.

Risking $1,000 of his savings, Wyly founded University Computing in 1963 and took it public two years later, becoming a millionaire at age thirty. Throughout this book, he reveals the decisions and strategies behind many business successes, including founding Sterling Software, growing the small chains of Michaels Stores and Bonanza Steakhouses into nationwide brands, and founding Green Mountain Energy, the largest provider of cleaner energy in America today.

In this expanded edition, Wyly discusses the “Great Crash of 2008” in historical perspective, offering insights on the causes of our current financial crisis and the path to recovery—including the importance of green energy for the future.