A former drug dealer who spent years working in the seedy criminal underworld has revealed how he turned his life around after using his last $40 to start a multi-million-dollar business.
Garrett Roberts, 29, was born in Hawaii and raised in Maryland and Texas, where he was brought up by his mother, Gloria, 59.
The family didn’t have much money and Garrett’s mom worked multiple jobs to keep a roof over their heads, occasionally leaving her son with his grandmother, Charla, in Detroit so that she could spend all of her time working to support them.
As a teenager, Garrett, who was eager to make fast money so that his mother didn’t have to work so hard, fell in with a bad crowd and began selling drugs.
‘Me and my mom didn’t have a lot of money when I was younger,’ he said. ‘I would see these other kids with nice shoes and clothes and I wanted the same.’
Transformed: A former drug dealer has revealed how he turned his life around to become a multi-millionaire after learning how to trade currency using his last $40
Past: 29-year-old Garrett Roberts, who was raised in Maryland and Texas, began dealing drugs when he was a teenager, having turned to crime as a quick means of making money
Garrett found he had a natural ability to market and sell products, explaining that he was happy to put this skill to use in any way – even if it meant breaking the law – as long as it would make him a quick buck.
‘I didn’t care how I made money,’ he admitted. ‘Selling for me was easy, I was the ultimate hustler. I could sell salt to a slug.
‘Mainly, I didn’t want to have to depend on my mom for stuff outside what she was already providing.
‘I remember her working at grocery stores, I remember her cleaning buildings, I remember her doing anything and everything to provide a better life for me than what she had.
‘She was always a worker, always a grinder.’
As the years went on, Garrett’s involvement in the drug scene escalated and eventually landed him in prison, as well as landing him in the middle of violent fights with rival gangs.
The former drug dealer was almost permanently paralyzed in 2008 after getting shot in the leg – but he still doesn’t know who the culprit was.
‘On the night of my high school graduation, some friends and I were out in the car and got shot at, I don’t know who by,’ he recalled. ‘The bullet went into my leg and travelled up to my spine.
Inspiration: Garrett’s mother Gloria worked multiple jobs in order to keep a roof over their heads and he says he never wanted to ask her for money – so he turned to drug dealing
Support: While Gloria knew that her son had fallen in with a bad crowd, Garrett says she didn’t realize the extent of his criminal activities
Heartwarming: After making his first million dollars, Garrett bought his mother a house – and he has since taken her away on an exotic location to Hawaii
‘For a short time I was paralyzed, it was terrible I literally couldn’t walk, run or drive. I couldn’t even pick my leg up.’
Despite his deep involvement in drugs and crime, Garrett managed to keep the true extent of his illegal activities hidden from his mother, who never realized just how much danger her son was being exposed to.
‘My mom was aware I wasn’t the perfect kid and had a rough crowd of friends, but as far as knowing everything, I don’t think she did,’ he shared.
‘When I got into trouble she’d tell me that my life decisions would determine my future but she didn’t go on. I think she knew I needed to get there on my own.
‘Looking back now, dealing drugs was very stressful. Thinking about all the risks I took all time but I was so focused on making money.
‘There wasn’t anything I couldn’t get hold of for my customers, they would call me Pac-Man because I could get everything.
‘Me and my team were well-known in the area. We all dressed real nice and had fly whips, flash jewelry.
Motivation: It was after welcoming a daughter, Aniya (pictured), at age 21 that Garrett realized he needed to turn his life around and quit his criminal activities once and for all
Focus: Garrett was given a book, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, which helped him to put his energies into legal money-making schemes – and prompted him to try online trading
Quick learner: Garrett used a YouTube tutorial to teach himself how to trade and – using his last $40 – he earned $1,200 in a single day. Four years later, he’d made his first million
‘I was the youngest so everyone knew me.’
While Garrett’s mother might have been aware that her son was up to no good, he believes his grandmother didn’t know a thing – even when he was arrested.
‘My grandma just wanted us to spend time with her, she had no clue of anything,’ he said. ‘When I was 20, I was arrested twice for possession and attempt to distribute drugs but both times I managed to avoid prison by paying the bond.
‘I’ll never forget the look of disappointment on my mom’s face when I was caught and knowing that record would stick with me forever.’
It wasn’t until he had a baby with his high school sweetheart that Garrett began to look at the bigger picture.
His daughter Aniya was born in 2010 – and it was then that the drug dealer knew he had to change his life.
‘I was 21 and fed up with Aniya being around danger,’ Garrett said. ‘There were always police sniffing around and the mother of my child kept saying I was unfit and throwing my life away.
‘Our relationship crumbled and I was scared she wouldn’t let me see Aniya if I didn’t sort my life out.’
Although he continued to sell drugs, Garrett also started working full-time at a warehouse in the hopes of making more money for his daughter but the job didn’t work out and he was fired.
Family man: Garrett has since tied the knot and welcomed another daughter – who is able to provide for thanks to his multi-million-dollar business endeavors
Close: His daughter Aniya (pictured with Garrett’s wife) is also a big part of his life
Up, up, and away: The businessman is also able to enjoy exotic trips that he never would have dreamed of taking in the past
Number one supporter: ‘It makes me proud that my mom never has to worry about money ever again. I take her on dream trips, I’d buy her anything she wants,’ Garrett said
After being dismissed from the role, the new father refused to let it get him down – and instead used his upset as a catalyst for change, vowing to turn his life around once and for all.
And it all started with a book – about money.
‘I was unemployed, I had two felonies for possession and distributing drugs, a newborn daughter and my ex thought I was a bum,’ Garrett said.
‘When Aniya was born, I knew things had to change but I didn’t know how, I had been living this way for too long. ‘A friend gave me a book – Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill – and it changed my life forever.
‘After reading the first few chapters of that book, I found myself starting over.
‘I got online and started researching ways of making money fast legally and all these entrepreneur ideas started popping up.
‘I got introduced to Forex Trading and how to build an online business.
‘There was a video of a 16-year-old kid talking about it and I watched so many times in awe, trying to learn.
‘I learned everything online, which is the reason why people call me ‘RichOffTheNet’.
‘I paid a couple different people to learn more but they didn’t teach me anything more than what I already knew.
‘I started my account with $40 and the first day I made $1,200. I haven’t looked back since.’
Four years after starting trading aged 26, Garrett made his first million and his first order of business was to buy his mother a house.
He said: ‘It makes me proud that my mom never has to worry about money ever again. I take her on dream trips, I’d buy her anything she wants.
‘My mom showed me how to be a hustler so whatever I can hustle up is hers too.’
Never too late: Garrett wants others to see his own experiences as proof that they can turn their own lives around, no matter how old they are
Helping hand: He does motivational speaking, through which he teaches others how they can achieve financial and personal success
Goal: ‘Ultimately, what I really want is to be known as a great father to my daughter and make my mom proud,’ he said
Now an established business owner and trader making millions of dollars a year, Garrett wants to teach people from disadvantaged backgrounds how to change their lives.
And that’s it’s never too late, regardless of your past.
He said: ‘I wanted to put together a blueprint to show people from the lower class how to become a profitable investor.
‘My first-ever client is now a millionaire and since then I’ve helped thousands of people earn a lot of money either from personal mentorship, cosigning them to my network, or giving them the blueprint directly or indirectly.
‘I know there are a lot of people out there who may have similar backgrounds to me and think there are no options for them to provide a better life.
‘I want them to know they can change their futures.
‘I show them how to become a profitable investor and entrepreneur, how to run their own online business, how to brand and how to pull in a six-or seven-figure income using the internet.
‘When people ask what the blueprint is, I tell them I am the blueprint. The way I talk, walk and dress and how I treat people.
‘I’ve created a lot of success stories just by showing people how to be themselves.
‘Not just that, I put together a whole platform that people can thrive in by following other successful people’s steps.
‘It’s got to the point where they now call me the ‘millionaire maker’.’
Garrett believes anyone can become rich if they have enough drive, the right mindset and can master consistency.
He added: ‘I really like helping people so one goal I have is to become a bigger brand so I can help more people and just continue to provide and win big.
‘Ultimately, what I really want is to be known as a great father to my daughter and make my mom proud.’