Jordan Belfort: From 'Wolf of Wall Street' to Empowering Leader and Business Coach

You may know him as the Wolf of Wall Street, but Jordan Belfort has reinvented himself as a renowned speaker, business coach and influencer. “I’m a wolf who became a more benevolent character,” he told the New York Post in 2013.

Not only did Belfort manage to bounce back from a major life setback, but he also used his impressive selling skills to build a viable, ethical business, transforming past mistakes and experiences into motivation to help others. 

Today, he makes a living empowering entrepreneurs and individuals to harness the power of persuasion through products and services such as the Straight Line Persuasion system. Quite an impressive comeback if you think about the fact that in 2003, he was sentenced to four years in prison.

Belfort recalled the moment he had to tell his kids he was going to prison as a turning point in his journey to happiness and success.

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Biography

Belfort, whose infamous rise in the financial world was portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” always excelled at selling (he even operated a meat and seafood business in the ‘80s!), but didn’t always focus on building wealth ethically.

He became a stock broker in 1987, learning the ins and outs of the industry. Two years later, he created Stratton Oakmont, his own investment company.

Along with his partner Danny Porush, he made millions running a “pump and dump” trading scheme, pushing specific stocks onto  clients to increase the value of the stocks and then selling the company’s own holdings of these stocks at an inflated price.

Did the scenes in "The Wolf of Wall Street" actually happen?

Yes, a lot of the moments in “The Wolf of Wall Street” movie did actually take place in real life.

The high-rolling entrepreneur lived in expensive cars, yachts and mansions. But behind the glamorous facade, there were substance abuse issues and strained family relationships. 

Life after prison

When his illegal actions caught up to him, Belfort lost his money, his wife, and his freedom. But he didn’t let that stop him from cleaning up his act, turning his life around and inspiring others in the process.

He actually started writing the memoir that would make him famous while serving his prison sentence. (Fun fact: Tommy Chong of Cheech & Chong was his bunkmate, and he inspired Belfort to write about his experiences.)