From living in his Toyota Camry to rolling up in a Bugatti: How Iranian refugee went from broke immigrant to millionaire Nashville car businessman

An Iranian refugee has shared his inspirational story, of how he went from being a broke immigrant to a millionaire Nashville car businessman – following string of jobs as a janitor and at Burger King. 

Sammy Poori fled Iran in 1989, and eventually made his way to the US with nothing to his name. Now, three decades later, the dad-of-two is living the American Dream, with multiple successful businesses and over 20 elite sportscars in his collection. 

The Kurdish man, 45, settled in Nashville with no money and barely speaking English – but a church that helped him move from Iran got him a job as a janitor in a hospital. 

From there, Sammy saved every penny he could and ended up buying a Toyota Camry for $1,000 – which he ended up sleeping in every night while parked at Walmart. 

He went to the gym to shower and freshen up before shifts. 

Poori’s hard work and determination has made him the man he is today. He’s a successful business owner and has two children Arteen, 14 and Hujin, 21, with his wife Ana

He’s always been obsessed with cars – when he bought his $350,000 home, his car collection was over $2 million. He claims his cars have a better return on investment than real estate or his business

Before long, Sammy started working at Burger King, where he built up his career and eventually became a chef manager. But he’d often be given night shifts, because his English wasn’t good. 

He then had a slew of odd jobs – including working at Subway, as a pizza delivery man, at a Nike store, and a book company.

Sammy told the Tennessean: ‘A guy like me who came from nothing and was able to create this on his own, I think it definitely should be a motivation to a lot of people and kids out there who think this can’t be done.

‘The biggest thing for me was never give up. Never quit. Keep working. Be driven. Write down all your goals. I write down everything I want to do, and I work very hard.’

While Sammy was toiling, saving money and learning English as a new immigrant, he also found the love of his life.

He met Ana through her brother in May 2000 – and they got engaged on June 26, just five weeks later. By August 26, the loved-up couple were married. 

Ana, who also boasts of their lavish lifestyle on social media, explained how she met her now husband: ‘We both told each other we were in love at the same time. I told my mom. She was so surprised.

‘We don’t know him or his family. He’s Kurdish. I’m Persian. We can marry whoever we want, but in his family, it could have been a problem, but thank God it was not.’

Ana soon fell pregnant, which was a wake up call for Sammy. He realized he didn’t want to be working for someone else any longer.

So with this brother-in-law, he bought a beat up tow truck and started his company, where he’d ask car dealerships for odd jobs. 

Sammy eventually launched BBB Auto Sales in 2005 – and with his earnings from that, he was able to start investing in property. 

His hard work and determination has made him the man he is today. He’s a successful business owner and has two children Arteen, 14 and Hujin, 21. 

Sammy Poori, 45, fled Iran in 1989, and eventually made his way to the US with nothing to his name. Now, three decades later, the dad-of-two is living the American Dream, with multiple successful businesses and over 20 elite sportscars in his collection

Sammy met Ana through her brother in May 2000 – and they got engaged on June 26, just five weeks later. By August 26, the loved-up couple were married

Sammy Poori parks one of his two rare Pagani sports cars at his home

He’s always been obsessed with cars – when he bought his $350,000 home, his car collection was over $2 million. He claims his cars have a better return on investment than real estate or his business. 

Sammy has two rare Pagani sports cars, as well as Ferraris in his fleet. 

He told the Tennessean: ‘I don’t think I have a car in my entire collection I have ever lost money on.’ 

Sammy has a multi-million-dollar car collection – boasting Porsches, Lamborghinis, and Bugattis. 

Speaking about his vices, he said: ‘I don’t do drugs, I don’t gamble, I don’t do anything. My only hobby is cars.’

In 2007, he became fixated on a car he saw in a showroom – a silver and red Mercedes SLR McLaren.

He said he’d walk past it and say: ‘One day, I am going to own one.’ I guess that was my dream car. That’s what really got me going.’

Sammy started buying cars at an auto auction and slowly built up his portfolio.

Sammy with his wife Ana and their kids Arteen, 14 and Hujin, 21

Sammy and his wife Ana pose in front of a Lamborghini

He added: ‘I am a goal-driven guy, so I tried to work my way up from that first car. 

‘I had certain numbers I had to hit in my business before I could go get a $100,000 car. I hit that number and bought an Aston Martin DB9.’

‘Eleven years ago, we had a house in Brentwood that we bought for $350,000, and at the time, my car collection was over $2 million. My wife is a big supporter. She gets it. 

‘For everything I’ve done in the past 20 years, she’s always been a support. She actually pushes me in a very positive way.’

Despite his immense fleet of impressive cars, Sammy said he’s never really called himself a collector. 

Sammy added: ‘I have set some goals in my life, and when I achieve those, I will buy that car. It’s been my dream car for years, but every year the price has gone up. 

‘When it was first my dream car, it was $2 million. Today, it’s a $10 million car. It may be a dream for the rest of my life.’

He said he doesn’t just see cars for their vehicular usage – but instead, they represent an accomplished dream or goal that he’s ‘very proud of.’