Jimmy Bennett is known to many as a young millionaire and powerful speaker who travels the world endorsing mindset change as the key to a better life. To others, he is a successful investor with a philanthropic heart who champions the cause of the vulnerable, especially the homeless. However, many may not know that he spent years as a victim before achieving the success he enjoys today.
At 15, Bennett was a homeless high school dropout who spent many nights on a bench in a public park. He spent his time in countless dead-end jobs, even selling narcotics at one point. But instead of seeing his failure as a product of wrong beliefs, Bennett took it as his destiny.
With no responsibilities to tie him down, he lived the next nine years out of his suitcase in seven different cities. At one point, after he had exhausted his list of people who could host him, he got an offer to live in his uncle’s garage, and he accepted it graciously. Bennett had not counted on having a rat for a roommate, but he felt very privileged to have a place to finally call his own.
At that time, Bennett’s lack of education started getting in the way of many things. The realization that knowledge did hold power set in, and he enrolled in a local college. It was then that he met two people who influenced his life remarkably and effortlessly by the simple act of belief.
Until then, the first person to believe in Bennett had been basketball coach Kevin Robbins. In a season when Bennett lacked any accountability, the coach kept him on a path of sorts while growing up. He was the only authority figure Bennett had for many years. Despite all his failures at the time, Bennett felt genuinely respected, even while Robbins was always telling him to “get to grips with his life.”
Bennett’s other two influences were Chichester College’s athletic tutor Matt Wright and the music teacher Aldith Smith. He says these two were the first teachers to look at him and see beyond his failures. They identified his potential and helped him start believing in himself. Although the college experience didn’t change him much academically, he left better than he had arrived. He finally realized he could not always run from his problems and started making changes in his life.
Today, years after he was a hopeless teenager, Bennett is passionate about providing a similar support system to disadvantaged teens. He recently launched Mentors for Minors, a program that focuses on empowering and transforming the lives of children from underprivileged backgrounds. Bennett also owns a financial services consultancy, owns a crypto platform and is a voice for many.
The boy who once lived on the streets of the U.K. is now a multimillionaire with his own private yacht. He is based in Dubai, but he spends a lot of time traveling the world sharing his story of hope to thousands. Bennett’s new book “Zero to 100” fully chronicles the many challenges he has overcome on his journey. It is set to release early next year.
The news and editorial staffs of the Chicago Tribune had no role in this post’s preparation.
