STREET-BORN ENTREPRENEUR VISITS SEMO

Inspirational speaker Tom Ryan will visit Southeast Missouri State University on Nov. 10.

Ryan will lecture at 7 p.m. in Glenn Auditorium on the topic, "How to Kick Butt in College and Your Career." The lecture is free and open to the public.

A street-born entrepreneur, Ryan decided at 18 years of age that he would never work for anyone but himself.

His roller-coaster life took him from a self-employed, door-to-door salesman at age 18 to the president of his own multi-million-dollar apparel company by age 26.

He was presented the Nebraska Business of the Year award at age 28, the youngest recipient in the state's history.

But Ryan suffered through the loss of his marriage, his business and all of his money by age 30. Forced to live out of the back of his pickup truck and sell sweatshirts at flea markets, he never gave up his dreams of success.

With a $5,000 investment from a friend's father, he built another multi-million-dollar company. His life is documented in the book, "One More Try, a Story of Entrepreneurial Passion." His second book, "How to Kick Butt in Your Career, Cracking the Code for Professional Excellence," will be published later this year.

Ryan's visit to Southeast is sponsored by Alpha Kappa Psi, the professional business fraternity, and Student Government.