1,000 Dollars and an Idea

Expanded edition with new chapters on the Great Crash of 2008 and looking ahead.

Self-made billionaire Sam Wyly is a natural storyteller. In this expanded edition of his 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 the age of thirty. Throughout this book, he reveals the decisions and strategies behind his 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.

Wyly also discusses the "Great Crash of 2008" in historical perspective, offering insights on our current financial crisis and the path to recovery--including the importance of green energy for the future.