That I Should Have So Much Get Up and Get

going to 1% in me!

…A native of Pakistan, Kahn came to the United States in the winter of 1967 with nothing but an acceptance letter from the University of Illinois. He found lodging at a local YMCA for $2 per night. In an interview with Forbes, Kahn explains his motivation for coming to the United States.

When asked what experiences motivated him to come to America, Kahn said, “I heard the streets were paved with gold. I found that to be true.” On his second day, Kahn accepted his first job as a dish washer. He made $1.20 per hour. Looking back on his first job, Kahn recalls his thoughts:

My God, what a country. I’m making more money than 99.9 percent of the people in Pakistan. This can’t get any better. Then I began engineering school, which was hard. And I would be saying, you know, if I can make this kind of money without a degree, why should I even be going to engineering school?

After pledging a fraternity and developing a social life, Kahn quickly realized that he had higher aspirations than dish washing. After graduating, he landed a position at Flex-N-Gate, a company that sells equipment components and mechanical assemblies for cars. In 1978, Kahn opened his own business with $16,000 in savings and a small business loan. Two years later, he bought the company he used to work for and turned it into one of the most successful companies in the country. He had now gone from an impoverished Pakistani immigrant to a billionaire. Kahn had achieved the American Dream. But he wasn’t finished there.

Oh, hell no, he wasn’t. He just bought the Jacksonville Jaguars this past November for $760 million dollars.

Bravo!

2 Responses to “That I Should Have So Much Get Up and Get”

  1. Gunslinger says:

    If he can make the Jags into contenders then he’s really a winner.

  2. nightfly says:

    I hope Warren Buffet buys a team that the Jags can beat twice a year every year.

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