In 1917, 18-year-old Al Capone worked as a bouncer at Frankie Yale’s bar. One night on the job, he noticed a young woman named Lena, who came in with her brother Frank Galluccio and his girlfriend Maria Tanzio. All evening, Capone tried to get the girl’s attention, but she ignored him. When Lena got up to leave, Al called after her, «I’ll tell you one thing, sweetheart – you’ve got a nice ass. Take that as a compliment.»
Lena didn’t take it as a compliment, and neither did her brother, Frank Galluccio. Furious, Galluccio pulled out a knife and attacked Capone. He aimed for the neck but, being fairly drunk, missed and slashed his face instead. The wounds weren’t fatal. Frankie Yale managed to intervene before it got worse. Later, after hearing both sides of the story, New York’s Mafia bosses forbade Capone from taking revenge on Galluccio, telling him he brought it on himself by disrespecting the girl. Capone didn’t argue. But later, his revenge would be sweeter – Galluccio would become his servant.
Capone was a good student to his mentors. He absorbed everything they taught him and applied it to life. The fact that Frankie Yale had his back explains how Capone survived his teenage years. He had powerful people behind him. You’ve laid the foundation for your future. Now it’s time to carve out your own path. To break away from the pack, you need to prove you’ve got leadership – and nothing says that better than a million-dollar idea.
LESSON 3. RELY ONLY ON YOURSELF
Do you want to rise to the top? You have to work hard. You need to know how to make money, and nothing should stand in the way of your financial vision for life. Learn from Al Capone. Al decided to move to Chicago because he saw an opportunity to make his life better. Chicago was a big, noisy city, and he arrived there just as Prohibition was being introduced. After World War I, the best minds in Congress decided that America would prosper if alcohol were banned. However, Capone was skeptical about his fellow citizens embracing sobriety. Al understood that many would not accept this law, and so he started thinking like a businessman. He realized he could turn this law to his advantage. He saw that he could make millions because consumers still wanted alcohol, and he could supply it. Nothing complicated: demand creates supply.
The government’s decision marked the beginning of an underground industry known as bootlegging. A bootlegger could fulfill any request. If you liked whiskey, you could sell it as medicine with a doctor’s prescription any drunkard could get a bottle. You could get creative by smuggling alcohol across the Canadian border. If someone preferred something sweeter, they could go for rum – a high-quality product imported straight from overseas by ship. But to make even more money, you had to go for beer. Bootleggers took over shut-down breweries. And when the police showed up, they were «persuaded» to look the other way. Clever labels were slapped on, and the money began to flow in. But if you wanted to make the most money, you had to transport everything.
Shortly after moving to Chicago and reuniting with his old mentor, Torrio, Capone focused his attention on organizing bootlegging operations. At first, he was just one of Torrio’s soldiers. Johnny first got Capone a job as a bouncer at one of the brothels, and later as the manager of the «Four Deuces» – a new brothel Colosimo opened with Torrio’s involvement. But gradually, Johnny began to realize that Capone wasn’t just a good enforcer – he was also a great businessman, a smart and charismatic leader. People could work under him. However, on the road to realizing his criminal vision, Capone faced an obstacle.
Chicago’s top gangster and Torrio’s boss, James «Big Jim» Colosimo, was against diversifying and expanding the empire. Colosimo didn’t want to get into bootlegging. He was satisfied with his restaurant, brothel, and casino. He didn’t want to risk everything just to gain more. Capone couldn’t let a narrow mind get in the way of a great idea. So he and Torrio had to find a solution. At some point, they decided it was time for «Big Jim» to go.
At stake was a fortune born from lawlessness. Al couldn’t trust just anyone with the job of killing Big Jim. He knew who to call his mentor and former boss, Frankie Yale. Capone handled the matter and offered Frankie ten thousand dollars, which today would be equivalent to around one hundred and fifty thousand. On Capone’s orders, Frank entered Colosimo’s restaurant and took position. Around 4 p.m., Colosimo arrived for a meeting with a partner – who never showed. Colosimo headed to the phone booth to find out why, and walked straight into the trap. Frank fired. «Big Jim» was shot in the head and died on the spot.
It shocked Chicago’s underworld, and Capone was able to turn his leadership into reality. Over the next three years, Capone and Torrio took over three major breweries. Soon, it became clear who the bosses were. They controlled a massive operation. Breweries that once belonged to large companies were now run by them. Capone’s strategy helped turn Torrio’s operation into a criminal empire bringing in three million dollars a year (equivalent to fifty million in today’s money). Getting rid of Colosimo had another benefit: Johnny Torrio rose to the top of the criminal organization – and Capone was right behind him. But even if you’re climbing the career ladder, that doesn’t mean you’ll definitely become the boss. So how do you secure that spot for yourself?
LESSON 4. ALWAYS PROVE YOURSELF
When you become the boss of the mafia, you’ll be able to give orders. But before you get promoted, you’ll have to demonstrate the most important quality – loyalty. Do your job. If they say, «Go there, do that,» then you go and do it. If they say, collect money from the Thursday card games – you do it. Follow orders!
As the inevitable rise approached, Capone did everything he could to ensure his boss, Joe Torrio, knew he had his support. He was young and still learning. He was making money, but he wasn’t yet the kind of man who could take the reins of power. However, in the criminal world, life moves fast. The Chicago beer wars were the result of clashes between rival bootlegging gangs. The fight over territory was fierce. There were shootouts soaked in vengeance.
Capone and Torrio’s main turf on the South Side of the city faced off against their rival bootlegger on the North Side – Dean O’Banion, who was also a florist. Dean «Dion» O’Banion was an American mobster and the main rival of Johnny Torrio and Al Capone during the brutal Chicago bootlegging wars of the 1920s. Newspapers of the time made him more widely known as Dion O’Banion, although he never used that name himself. He led the North Side Gang until 1924, when he was shot – reportedly by Frankie Yale, John Scalise, and Albert Anselmi.
Dean tried to encroach on Torrio’s territory, and Torrio was getting fed up. Being a loyal soldier, Capone knew what to do – and who to call. He ordered another hit from his old mentor, Frankie Yale. Dean was working in his flower shop. A few men walked in, ones he didn’t recognize – and one of them was Frankie. He greeted them, and Yale used the «Chicago handshake» – grabbed his hand, pulled him close, pressed a gun to his stomach, and fired. One threat down, but Dean had many friends. After Dean’s murder, Al Capone took extra security measures and surrounded himself with bodyguards, but Torrio wasn’t as concerned. After a shopping trip with his wife, they were returning home – where Dean’s friends were waiting. They shot Torrio five times, but he survived.
While Torrio was recovering, Capone seized the opportunity to prove his loyalty – he came to the hospital and sat by his side, making sure no one came to finish the job. He was loyal and cared for Torrio. Al Capone’s loyalty paid off. When Torrio left the hospital, he said he was retiring and moving to New York. And so, at just 26 years old, Capone became the new boss of Chicago’s criminal underworld.
After six years in the Windy City, Al Capone became the top boss in Chicago – but his reign wouldn’t last long. By following the guidebook’s instructions, you