You’ve reached the top of the food chain, but it’s only a matter of time before the vultures start circling. Out on the streets, everyone wants to take what you have, and you always have to defend yourself. Violence is the best way to do that. Other rookie bosses would surely agree. Just two months after Nicodemo Scarfo became the boss of the Philadelphia Mafia, he targeted competitors from the Greek mob, killing their leader in a popular South Philadelphia restaurant to seize control of the Greek drug trade. When Yakuza lieutenant Hiroshi Yamamoto broke away from Japan’s largest criminal organization, the Yamaguchi-gumi, to form his own crew, his first move was to kill rival Masahisa Takenaka, who stood in his way of becoming boss.
Little Vic, in just his first year as head of the Colombo crime family, financed the assassination of Thomas Asera, who was accused of skimming profits from the family’s sanitation business. In 1926, during the height of the «beer wars,» more than 500 Chicago gangsters were killed by fellow gangsters as ambitious rivals tried to undermine Al Capone’s bootlegging empire. Capone’s first year as boss was a constant battle for survival. If your rivals sense weakness, they’ll find you and kill you. They’ll beat you down until they get what they want. But when your whole operation is under threat, silence isn’t an option.
On April 27, 1927, rival bootleggers Miles and Dion O’Banion made a bold move by spending the night on Capone’s turf. Soon, their friends joined them. Over the next few weeks, O’Banion tried to sabotage Capone’s alcohol sales by spreading rumors about its poor quality. When Capone found out what they were doing on his territory, he decided not to let it slide. He sent his men to the bar and declared the party over. The brothers were wounded but managed to escape. One of their friends wasn’t so lucky – nor was Capone. He accidentally killed Assistant District Attorney McSwiggin. When they realized they had killed a prosecutor’s assistant, panic set in. Capone’s attempt to defend his position backfired, as now the entire Chicago police force wanted to take down the new boss. Police began raiding and inspecting every bar in the city, forcing Capone to lay low. He continued to watch the police’s moves – and how his legend grew. Eventually, Capone decided it was time to step out of the shadows and face them. He called a press conference, returned to Chicago, stood on the courthouse steps, and declared that the assistant DA had been his guy, he was on his payroll, and he had no reason to want him dead.
– «If the cops want to talk about it, I’m ready. Reporters got questions? I’m the boss here, so I’ll be glad to discuss it all.»
Capone openly declared himself the king of the Chicago mob, and in a single moment, the legend of Al Capone was born. From that moment on, he was in the national spotlight for five bloody and glorious years – until he was finally arrested for the one thing the U.S. government can’t tolerate: tax evasion. Every era brings forth people who want to change the world for the better – and others, just as intelligent and talented, who cynically exploit its flaws and weaknesses. Alphonse Capone was one of those anti-heroes. His life was the inside-out version of the American Dream – or an inverted canvas, if you will. The son of poor Italian immigrants, he rose to become the «King of Chicago,» making a fortune during Prohibition from the illegal production and distribution of alcohol. He bought politicians and journalists wholesale and retail. Naturally, the road to the top was long and bloody. Errand boy, street robber, club bouncer, racketeer, pimp – just a few of the «professions» Capone held throughout his career.
Alphonse was one of the first to realize the need to launder illegal income – but he overlooked one thing: you have to pay taxes. It was the skills he developed that helped him leave the streets and rise to power. You may need to build your fortune without his impeccable timing. For that, you’ll need a solid business plan. A year that will revolutionize your industry and help you build an empire. In the next chapter, heroin tycoon Frank Lucas will show that there’s more than one way to make the Forbes list. Ready to make real money?
Chapter II OPTIMIZE YOUR WORK PROCESSES
Having followed the first lessons from the guide, you’ve gone from rock bottom to the mafia boss’s penthouse. Now it’s time to think about profit. In this cold and ruthless world, morality sometimes feels like a luxury. Business is often seen as a brutal game where principles and ethical standards are pushed to the sidelines. Many claim that, in the pursuit of maximum income, you must be ready to make certain compromises.
You realize that mere desire isn’t enough fuel for financial success. Without compromise, without a willingness to take risks – and sometimes ignore moral aspects – it’s hard to reach maximum profit. You may be facing a dilemma: stay true to your beliefs and have limited opportunities, or adopt a harsh business approach to maximize your income. This choice is not only financial but also an internal battle between ambition and morality. Perhaps you decide that it’s important to find a balance between achieving material goals and preserving human values, but that requires the ability to maneuver in a complex world where business and ethics often clash.
However, this book is not about morality. Dealing drugs or running a brothel is, of course, wrong – but let’s look at it from another angle: it’s still business, and here you have to grab the money with both hands. You can’t reach maximum income on desire alone. It’s absolutely vital for a mafia boss to have a solid business plan. Without a plan, the whole system will collapse. But if you combine muscle with brains, you’ll outsmart your competition and become the CEO of the criminal world you dream of. Just like that guy – Frank Lucas, the heroin kingpin of Harlem. Lucas’s revolutionary strategy turned the drug trade in New York upside down. He built his own supply chain, pulling in over a million dollars a day. Follow Frank’s latest business plan – and then you can be sure your crimes will pay off.
LESSON 6. IMPROVE YOUR PROCESSES
Frank Lucas built an international multimillion-dollar heroin empire from scratch by the time he was forty. His goal was to make a lot of money by selling heroin. But before you decide to follow Frank’s path to the top, take a lesson from his story.
Fact 1: Confrontation with Violence. A young Lucas quickly realized the odds were stacked against him. Frank Lucas was born in North Carolina during the Great Depression. In segregated North Carolina, there were no opportunities – you couldn’t build a good life or take care of your family. Members of the Ku Klux Klan killed his cousin right in front of him. They shoved a gun into his mouth and blew his brains out. Sometimes in life, something happens that changes everything – absolutely everything.
Eventually, Lucas moved to New York. The thing is, he was illiterate: he couldn’t work as a paperboy – he couldn’t do anything! The only way to survive was to get into something illegal – they would definitely take him in. That’s how Frank Lucas started selling drugs.
Fact 2: Mentorship. Lucas had a powerful mentor – Ellsworth Raymond «Bumpy» Johnson, an African American gangster and crime boss who ruled Harlem in the 20th century. The nickname «Bumpy» came from a bump on the back of his head. Bumpy was the coolest Black gangster in the city, and to Frank, he became like a father. Lucas worked with Bumpy for many years – specifically, thirty years, eight months, and thirty days. He was grateful to him for every cent and always made that clear. When Bumpy died, Frank got into the drug business. He did it because he believed that’s where the most money could be made.
Fact 3: A Family Business. Frank’s business was a family affair. He was the eldest of seven sons. If he asked his brothers to do something, they did it! Lucas managed to keep control of his growing business thanks to his brothers, whom he trusted and made rich. Frank used to say, «Always stay with family» – he drilled that into his own head. He had a promising career and a loyal inner circle that helped him build the business. But that didn’t mean everyone respected his authority. When you’re starting out, how do you prove to everyone that you’ve got what it takes?
LESSON