Jordan Ross Belfort is an American motivational speaker, author, and former stockbroker. Born in New York, Belfort was blessed with the talent of a good salesman at a very young age. He started out as a stockbroker and churned out millions of dollars through illegal ways in the 90s through ‘Stratton Oakmont,’ an investment company which he owned. Unable to withstand the pressure exerted upon him by the law-enforcement agencies, Jordan pleaded guilty for cheating several investors and other crimes related to manipulation of stock market. He also pleaded guilty for running a boiler room as part of the ‘penny stock scam.’ He spent around 22 months in prison. As part of an agreement, he gave testimony against several subordinates and partners involved in his fraud schemes. Belfort has since reformed his ways and delivers several motivational speeches. When he first started delivering speeches, the topics were mainly on ethics and motivation. However, he later shifted his focus towards entrepreneurship and sales skills. In his speeches, he emphasizes on how ethics play a crucial role in running a successful business and how to avoid mistakes that he made in his career as a broker.