About the Author

Steve Mariotti is the founder and former CEO of theNetwork for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), and an advocate for entrepreneurs worldwide. His previous books include the Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting and Running a BusinessandAn Entrepreneur's Manifesto, which makes a convincing case for the power of entrepreneurship education to combat poverty, terrorism and totalitarianism.Mariotti is also the author of award-winning junior, high-school and college textbooks on entrepreneurship and small business management. He is a popular Huffington Post blogger.

In 1982, Mariotti left a successful business career to become a public high-school teacher in tough New York City neighborhoods like East New York, Bed-Study, and Fort Apache in the South Bronx. Frustrated at first by his rowdy classrooms, Mariotti discovered he could motivate even his most challenging students by teaching them how to run a small business.This experience inspired him to create NFTE in 1987 to bring entrepreneurship education to low-income youth, and empower them to create pathways out of poverty.Today, NFTE is widely considered the leading provider of entrepreneurship education to low-income youth worldwide.

Debra Devi is an award-winning author, journalist and musician based in Jersey City NJ. She has co-authored numerous books with Steve Mariotti, including The Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting a Business,How to Start and Operate a Small Business, winner of the Golden Lamp Award for excellence in educational publishing, and An Entrepreneur's Manifesto.Devi's bookThe Language of the Blues- From Alcorub to Zuzu (foreword by Dr. John) received the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award. As a journalist, Devi has written for Investor's Daily, American Banker, Crain's New York, The Village Voice, RollingStone.com, Guitar Worldand more. An accomplished guitarist and singer, Devi performs internationally and received a proclamation from Jersey City for her contribution to the arts.

Reviews

"This is an important, compelling story. Readers interested in the reality of extreme poverty and violence will find it well written, terrifying, and finally uplifting."

—Blue Ink Review

"A story that combines Steve's depth of knowledge and experience as an entrepreneur with his exceptional humanity, and he brings his concepts and achievements to life in this personally charged memoir, a ‘novel' in essence that is rich in relating the lives of the street youths of New York as well as a fine sense of humor."
—San Francisco Review of Books

"Steve Mariotti's moving memoir is a call to action for anyone who dares to dream, and dream big! Steve's entrepreneurial spirit led him from calming his contentious classroom and nurturing his students' ‘street smarts' to becoming the founder of a booming nonprofit. Goodbye Homeboy powerfully illustrates how Steve went from reaching one student to reaching millions with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)."

—Erin Gruwell, teacher and author of The Freedom Writers Diary

"Goodbye Homeboy truly captures Steve Mariotti's amazing journey as a teacher and an innovator. It's engaging, heartbreaking, hopeful, and ultimately triumphant. This is the story behind the entrepreneurship-education revolution!"

—Jimmy "Mac" McNeal, founder of Bulldog Bikes Worldwide 

"Steve Mariotti is one of the great teachers of our time. In this deeply personal memoir, he describes how a bunch of high-school dropouts in the South Bronx helped him discover the power of entrepreneurship education. Goodbye Homeboy is a page turner—once you open this book, you won't be able to put it down."

—Verne Harnish, author of Scaling Up and founder of Entrepreneurs' Organization  

"I'm so inspired to finally read the inspiring, intense, and hilarious story behind the organization that helped me so much as a high schooler. NFTE taught me entrepreneurship skills that I still use to this day, as the CEO of a company that employs thousands and is transforming the real-estate industry."

—Robert Reffkin, founder and CEO of Compass 

"So many personal stories today are described as 'inspiring,' but Goodbye Homeboy is the rare true story that genuinely transcends the word. Steve Mariotti's memoir conveys the heart, soul, and determination that has catalyzed the lives of so many young people."

—Ray Chambers, World Health Organization Ambassador for Global Strategy