At fourteen years of age, Billy Houston arrived in Santa Monica, California and embraced the land of opportunity with both hands. This is his story.

From clandestine raffles with his schoolmates, to creating two of the most dynamic franchise businesses in history, Billy's tale is one of triumphs and tribulations, interspersed with the wit and wisdom of a natural-born entrepreneur.

Inspired by true events, Billy Houston Rags to Riches will take you on a journey unlike any you've read before - rooted firmly in reality, but with the twists and turns of a fast-paced financial thriller.

About the Author

I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia before moving to Noosa, Queensland, Australia where I have lived for the past twenty-seven years. I commenced university in Melbourne but after a horrific car accident, then being tied up at gunpoint by a man wielding a sawn-off shot gun decided there was more to life than finishing my university degree. I spent a few years travelling, doing odd jobs and I guess like many young people at the time, searching for the meaning of life. At age twenty-seven, I finally returned to university in Melbourne to complete my degree and commence a career in the accounting profession. When I was thirty-five, I opened an accounting firm in Noosa, Australia. I was the sole employee and started the firm with three clients. Fifteen years later, my accounting firm was listed by BRW magazine as one of the Top 100 accounting firms in Australia by revenue and one of the Top 10 fastest-growing accounting firms in Australia. Whilst running the accounting firm, I established a surf clothing company with clothing retailers in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States of America stocking my clothing label. After operating for three years, with the global financial crisis upon us, I closed this business at considerable cost to me and other investors. I commenced one of Australia's first franchised insurance businesses for Insurance Advisors. This business then morphed into becoming an Australian Financial Services Licensee. With a lot of hard work, this business grew substantially over a six-year period to include over 300 licensed advisors and accountants throughout Australia. The business won many national awards and was acknowledged as one of Australia's leading independently owned financial services licensees. In growing this business, I spent a lot of time living in hotel rooms, Monday to Friday, whilst travelling across Australia, recruiting new advisors and accountants. In June 2017, as the largest shareholder, the business was sold for twenty million Australian dollars to a company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. In October 2017 I officially retired from corporate life. I'm known in business circles as an entrepreneur. Most of my business ideas have come to me on my daily walks, when home, along Noosa main beach. I find the feel of sand under my feet along with the sound of the ocean aids my creative thought process. I've always had an imagination, I'm full of ideas, and decided to write my first novel. The story line for this book came from my daily walks along the beaches of Noosa, Australia and Koh Samui and Phuket, Thailand. Most of this book was written whilst I was living in beach bungalows on the island of Koh Samui. It is a story of persistence, failure, greed, corruption, lies and egos intermixed with mystery, success and laughter. Believe me, I've worked extremely hard over the last twenty-four years building the businesses I've mentioned. I never bought clients, and never paid for existing goodwill. All my businesses have been start-ups and commenced with only me and one or two other employees. Like the main character in my first novel, Billy Houston, I'm a workaholic and my personal relationships have suffered as a result. I've endured a lot of stress and worry over the years in building those businesses, but I've also had a lot of fun and laughs, and met some great people. Unlike the main character in my book, I never went to school in America and have never set up any form of business in America. I now spend half my life in Noosa and the other half in Thailand. A relaxed, stress-free, idyllic lifestyle. I've now commenced writing my second novel which is being written whilst I'm living in a house on the beach in an idyllic, small Thailand beach community. Feel free to connect with me at www.gregholman.com.au

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

We first started out as ?The Paperback Exchange,? a chain of physical bookstores where we would part exchange your beloved books for new stories to transport you to faraway places. However, as shopping started to evolve to online shops and marketplaces, we bid our stores goodbye to become ?PBShop.? This transition has only allowed us to blossom as we now ship thousands of titles to book lovers across the globe. We pride ourselves in being a community of local book lovers which allows our passion and devotion to shine in everything we do. In 2020 we not only celebrated our 20th birthday but our 1st birthday as being completely employee owned after becoming an E.O.T in September 2019. We are proud to be different and embrace standing apart on a book mountain by working from a virtual inventory which allows us to provide thousands of books that may be difficult to get for your bookshelf or your studies. Working with a number of different suppliers allows us to explore other avenues such as puzzles, sheet music and even stationery so we really do have something for everyone. Life is about being versatile in all realms of existence. If this is your first visit or you are a returning customer, we would like to welcome you to the PBShop family, for there is no friend as loyal as a book. We are a company who put our customers at the centre of everything we do as we understand the importance of reading because once you learn to read, you will forever be free. There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours that we are yet to explore, which is why we will forever inspire curious minds.

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Seller's business information

Pbshop.co.uk Ltd
Unit 22 Horcott Industrial Estate, Horcott Road, Fairford, GL7 4BX, United Kingdom

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

Returns Policy
We ask all customers to contact us for authorisation should they wish to return their order. Orders returned without authorisation may not be credited.
If you wish to return, please contact us within 14 days of receiving your order to obtain authorisation.

Returns requested beyond this time will not be authorised.

Our team will provide full instructions on how to return your order and once received our returns department will process your refund.
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Right of cancellation

If you are a consumer you can cancel the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.

INFORMATION REGARDING THE RIGHT OF CANCELLATION

Statutory Right to cancel

You have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The cancellation period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the the last good or the last lot or piece.

To exercise the right to cancel, you must inform us, Paperbackshop-US, 901 Penhorn Avenue, Unit 6, 07094, Secaucus, New Jersey, U.S.A., 44 1285 712917, of your decision to cancel this contract by a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post, fax or e-mail). You may use the attached model cancellation form, but it is not obligatory. You can also electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". If you use this option, we will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a cancellation on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.

To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired.

Effects of cancellation

If you cancel this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to cancel with contract.

We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.

You shall send back the goods or hand them over to us or Paperbackshop-US, PaperbackShopUS, 801 Penhorn Avenue Unit 5, 07094, Secaucus, New Jersey, U.S.A., 44 1285 712917, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your cancellation from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Exceptions to the right of cancellation

The right of cancellation does not apply to:

the delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
the supply of digital content (including ebooks) which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not cancel it once delivery had started.

Model withdrawal form

(complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract)

To: (Paperbackshop-US, 901 Penhorn Avenue, Unit 6, 07094, Secaucus, New Jersey, U.S.A., 44 1285 712917)

I/We (*) hereby give notice that I/We (*) withdraw from my/our (*) contract of sale of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following service (*),

Ordered on (*)/received on (*)

Name of consumer(s)

Address of consumer(s)

Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper)

Date

* Delete as appropriate.

Shipping Terms

Books are shipped from our US or UK warehouses. Delivery estimates allow for delivery from either location.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	7 to 14 business days	7 to 14 business days
First item	� 0.00	� 0.00

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.