Amongst the many rags-to-riches tales we know, the life-story Chris Gardner is considered one of the most famous of all. The epitome of a humble beginning, this man lacked everything he needed to survive, in his youth. He was separated from his mother by a violent and abusive stepfather, and was brought up in several foster homes. Soon he decided to join the Navy, serving in the US Corps for four years. After retirement, the war veteran took up the job of a laboratory research assistant, with surgeon Robert Ellis showing confidence in his promising medical career. However, the job was low-paying, and with a family to fend for, the young man had to abandon all dreams of becoming a doctor. He sold medical equipment for some time, never really satisfied with what he did. Soon, the hunger for doing something more rewarding grew, and he decided to become a stockbroker. After a few attempts at various training programs offered by different firms, he was soon accepted as a trainee at the 'Dean Witter Reynolds'. His dedication paid off, and soon he was able to establish his own firm, 'Gardner Rich & Co.', which might have started small, but ended up shooting Chris to fame. Read on to know more about his life and works