There are those in our world who face adversity from the moment they are born, who seem to thrive, even when life throws everything it’s got at them – and Dr. Joe Dudley is one of them. His family may not have been rich in money, but they were millionaires when it came to having a strong faith in God, and always loving and supporting each other.
During his early school days, his teacher told his mother, Clara, that Joe was “mentally retarded,” but she knew better. Clara told Joe she believed in him and she gave him a job to do: To fool them all. “Every disadvantage has an equivalent advantage,” his mom said, which resonated with Joe, who always felt he wasn’t smart enough to keep up with everyone else.
A turning point came at the tender age of 17, when one day his longtime girlfriend announced that she was going to marry a different boy – a “smart” boy – because she wanted to have smart kids. That was the day Joe realized he had to find his advantage, use it, and show the world he was smart and could have smart kids too.
Since that epiphany, Dr. Dudley has been a shining example of how far motivation, family and faith can take you. He not only read, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill over 300 times, he lives by it, too. A business consultant who provides one-on-one classes on leadership, Joe travels the country doing talks on faith and forgiveness, as well as finding success in finance, business, and even in one’s personal life.
Dr. Dudley is an internationally respected entrepreneur, humanitarian, mentor and business advisor. His DudleyQ+ brand, encompassing the Dudley Beauty Corporation and Dudley Cosmetology University, is the largest African-American-owned industrial and service company in the United States.
He is the author of Walking by Faith: I Am, I Can, & I Will, a biographical revelation of his motivational life story that shares his secrets to success and encourages readers to develop a strong foundation of faith.