After surviving three near death encounters in his native country of Trinidad—including almost losing his ear in a gang fight at age 14—a 17 year old Ifoma Pierre turned his life around. He received a craftsman diploma from John Donald Technical Institute and started making various types of clothing which he sold on a wall eight hours away by boat in the sister island of Tobago. From this he grew his tailoring business from one sewing machine to six and had his clothing featured in many fashion shows. Pierre met and married the love of his life, Hazel, at age 22. But after a bad property deal took their life savings, they decided to start over in New York City and moved into a basement rental so small his nine month old son's room was a closet. Pierre humorously thought himself ‘the perfect candidate’ when he answered a newspaper ad to make money in real estate with no experience or money required! When the opportunity didn’t work out, he quickly realized a license would lead to better opportunities, but it would be three years before his first sale. Despite the slow start he continued to invest every dollar he had on personal development books, coaching and tools and by 2018, Pierre was named one of the Top 20 Rising Stars in Real Estate under 40 by the Long Island Board of REALTORS®. Pierre has been an International Corporate Trainer; acquired several designations including ABR, GRI, MCNE, SRS, PSA, E-PRO, CBR, and ITI; and is a John Maxwell Certified Speaker Trainer & Coach.