made a deal that solidified him as a household name outside of boxing . After Salton Inc . approached Foreman to sell their grill , he made a deal to put his name on it and become their spokesperson . The George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine earned him 40 % of sales and later , a staggering $ 138 million to buy the rights to use his name on the grill in perpetuity . Selling over 120 million units , 1 out of every 10 people in the U . S . owns his grill . Between royalties and the buyout , Foreman pocketed a minimum of $ 250 million from the grill , making it one of the most successful endorsement deals in sports history .
In a private Technology Marketing Toolkit Producer ’ s Club Meeting , George Foreman shared his biggest lessons learned and how you can become more resilient in the face of adversity .
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Look for the positive . Even in the lowest moments , there are advantages . Foreman looked at being at the bottom as an opportunity . “ I think you have a major advantage when you start from the bottom because you have nowhere else to go but up ,” Foreman said . “ And I started from the bottom .”
Create guiding principles . Principles are the foundation of our beliefs and values and guide our actions . Foreman ’ s life changed positively when he found his principles one night after robbing someone . Being chased by the police and dogs , he climbed under a house where he covered himself from head to toe with sewage water from busted pipes under the house so the dogs couldn ’ t smell his scent . While hiding , he thought about a speech his mom had made about not having a thief in the family . “ I was so scared ,” Foreman recalled . “ I realized for the first time I was a thief . I thought to myself if I can get from underneath this house and the police don ’ t grab me , I ’ m never going to steal anything from anyone again . After a while , the sirens passed , and I crawled from under that house and said , ‘ That ’ s it .’ … I had been on the journey of my life , and I never stole anything again because I had something I ’ d never had before : principles . I had a badge of principles , and I knew if I could come from that bottom , I can make it all the way to the top .”
Fight through the tough times . Real champions fight hardest when faced with adversity , and they never give up . Foreman learned this lesson after returning to the gym following his first loss . This time , Foreman learned how to box extremely well , so his trainer entered him in the Golden Glove fight . When
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the bell rang in the second fight , his opponent , Winters , hit Foreman so hard that he went down and became dizzy enough that one woman appeared to look like eight women wearing the same outfit . As he heard the referee count down , one or two of the women would disappear with each count . “ I remember there were only two left , so I thought I should get up before they all left ,” Foreman said . “ I jumped up , and I thought I ’ m going to put this boxing and bobbing and weaving down for a moment and just fight this guy … I turned into a windmill and the next thing you know , I won the boxing match . I learned that sometimes you just gotta fight . All the rules you ’ ve got to play with , and your skills are nothing . You ’ ve just got to come out and swing and fight .”
Always stick to your convictions . Your convictions are what matter to you the most and signify to the world what kind of person you are . When
Foreman became a boxer the first time , he did it for glory and fame . Declaring his convictions changed his motivations and his life .
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After losing the fight against Jimmy Young , Foreman found himself in the fight of his life . In the dressing room , bleeding from his forehead , hands , and feet , Foreman began having a conversation with himself , justifying that he didn ’ t need to worry about the match . During his internal conversation , he reviewed all he had — a big television contract , a home , horses , a Rolls- Royce , and all the money he needed . Telling himself he could retire , he heard an unexplained voice that said , “ and die .”
“ After a while , death multiplied in my conversation ,” Foreman recalled . “ I realized I was about to die , and I didn ’ t know what to do … I was in this dark space . Over my head , under my feet , and around me , was absolutely nothing . If you multiply every sad thought you ever had in your life , that ’ s where I was in this dump yard of nothing . I got mad … I said , I don ’ t care if this is death , I still believe in God … that ’ s when someone grabbed me , a hand pulled me out of nothing . I was alive in that dressing room … and I wasn ’ t afraid anymore . I saw blood on my hand and my forehead , and I was screaming , ‘ Jesus Christ is coming alive in me .’” Foreman quit boxing , became an ordained minister , and began sharing his experience . “ The lesson I learned was conviction ,” Foreman said . “ You ’ ve got to believe in something . It doesn ’ t matter how powerful and wealthy you are if there ’ s no guide .”
Be humble . Foreman recalled being overconfident when heading into his fight with Muhammad Ali . He ’ d expected to knock Ali out in one or two rounds and didn ’ t study Ali ’ s fighting strategies . He never looked at a newspaper or watched an interview that Ali did . If he had , he would have heard Ali explain exactly how he planned to beat Foreman and could have
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adjusted his own boxing strategy .
Give people something they want . Don ’ t be discouraged if people don ’ t buy from you . Figure out what they want and give it to them . When George became an ordained minister , he began preaching on street corners at a friend ’ s suggestion . But nobody would stop to listen to him . “ This broke my heart ,” Foreman said . “ After a while , I realized I ’ m going
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to make these people stop and pay attention to me .” He began telling his boxing story about beating Joe Frazier , which brought people in droves . “ I learned how to sell myself on that street corner ,” Foreman said . “ You can ’ t be shy . You can ’ t let it break your heart , you just got to say the next one will stop . I found out it ’ s not easy to make someone stop on the street and listen to you unless you ’ ve got something for them , and I had something — that story .”
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Be proud of yourself . Don ’ t let ego get in your way . Foreman learned not to shy away from his beliefs . If someone rejected him , he said a kind word . “ I didn ’ t want anyone to know that George Foreman was on the street corner preaching ,” Foreman said . “ I decided I ’ m going to be proud of this .”
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