Wisdom from a Wise Guy: Former Mafia Don Louis Ferrante's "Mob Rules"

Who says crime doesn’t pay? Not Louis Ferrante, an associate of the Gambino family, who by age 21 had netted millions for his employers.

“My natural talent for management led Mafia bosses to rely on me,” explains the man who went on to pay a big price for the crimes he committed — more than 8 years in prison.

While in prison, Ferrante realized there was more to life than what he knew and decided to go straight. He also realized that the Mob’s most valuable business lessons would allow him to survive — and thrive — in the real world. He was right.

In the years since, he’s written “Unlocked,” a memoir of his criminal life and his time in prison — and the bestseller, “Mob Rules: What the Mafia Can Teach the Legitimate Businessman,” which was published in 2011. That book has been translated into 15 languages and read by millions around the world. And his work has landed him a TV show, “Inside the Gangsters’ Code,” which is currently airing in 217 countries on Discovery Network International.

Talk about a turnaround. So it was a great pleasure to interview Lou about what made him change his ways — and want to share the lessons he’s learned with entrepreneurs?

In this podcast interview we learn:

• What led Lou into a life of crime, and into the arms of the Mafia
• How he was finally caught and put into prison
• How he regained his freedom — and what made him eventually decide to go straight
• How we can all learn from his experience to defend against predators, sniff out bullshitters, and outfox a snake.
• Lou’s insight that “mobsters are selfish men who are out for personal gain — but so are businessmen.” What does he mean by that?
• And much more!

Download the podcast now!

• And be sure to check out more of our interview with Lou Ferrante, coming soon as the November 2013 Entrepreneur of the Month in Be Inkandescent magazine.