Damon Dash claims he still doesn’t know what he’s going to be, yet he has always been sure of one thing: he's going to be successful. Growing up in Harlem, he acquired the entrepreneurial skills he would need to capitalize on those opportunities when they did arise. Instead of hanging out on a stoop in Harlem, as he once did, he now hangs out at his plush office in downtown Manhattan and gets paid handsomely for being there. As Dash recounts, personal tragedy also shaped his rise to the top. A turning-point occurred after his mother died. Only a teenager, he lost his sense of security and knew he had to take care of himself. Obliterated by the loss, he became fearless. At the same time, he tried to follow the Golden Rule by treating others as he wanted them to treat him. For someone who was the class clown and to his high-school peers probably the most unlikely to succeed, Dash has come a long way—without formally studying music, fashion, business, film, or any of the other enterprises with which he has been engaged. He combines an unflagging belief in himself with a strong work ethic.