GOD BLESS YOU.

Chicagoland stay tuned for "Someone You Should Know" at 5:00p.m. on Channel 7 ABC. Mr. Harry Porterfield will be interviewing Mike Moss .  Mr. Mike Moss is the author of While the City Sleeps. The book is about one man's (Mike) struggle and triumph. The book is very inspirational and motivational. It tells how Mike overcame the obsticles that life threw and no matter what keep pushing forward. If there are any questions that you would like to ask the Author Mike Moss about state them on the comment page and he'll try to answer as many as possible.

MIKE MOSS
  Mike Moss, is a successful entrepreneur, visionary, community leader, author, philanthropist, loving husband, father & grandfather who has a passion for helping the broken & underprivileged to live lives filled with hope and possibility.
 Mr. Moss is living proof that human kind does not have to be products of their environment.  Born and raised in the crime, infested areas of Chicago, Illinois, Moss was surrounded by all of the wrong things to do yet, he still had a burning desire to do what was right. 
 He was the fifth of six children given to Scott & Emma Moss.  Despite their relentless efforts to provide and protect their children, the young couple constantly struggled and was barely able to make ends meet.
 At the ripe age of six years old, he and his family were forced to move into the Cabrini Green housing project (also known as) “The War Zone”.  Shortly there after the loving Moss family was torn apart as the two overwhelmed parents went through divorce proceedings.  With the departure of his father…his devoted mother was left to join the ranks of the many overworked and underpaid single mothers…yet she refused to give up and was determined to survive.
 Inspired by his mother’s unstoppable and mission--driven spirit…he was determined while yet a little boy to one day become wealthy in order to be able to provide for his powerful mother who had sacrificed so much for him and his five siblings.
 With the lack of a male figure within his home, Mike eventually began hanging with the wrong crowd.  However, it wasn’t long before a life-threatening occurrence of violence, proved to be a crucial turning point, which shifted his entire mindset and reality for the better.
 As a result, Mike Moss sought out mentorship from the pastor of his church, Pastor Wilson who provided him with a sense of hope and direction and his life took on a major transformation. 
 He then met a beautiful young lady by the name of Angie who would soon become his wife, partner and friend – she believed in him and the treasured dreams within his heart.
 Mike’s job at the Jewel Food grocery store in the produce department was not yielding enough income for him to properly provide for the needs of his quickly growing family.  Therefore, he would complete applications everyday in hopes of securing a better position.
 Finally, he was blessed with an opportunity to work for the City of Chicago as a garbage truck driver making great money for that time period…and in the words of the Jefferson’s Mike, Angie & their children were “Movin on UP!”
 Mike & Angie started their first Jewelry business in 1992 utilizing their car as a mobile office…they brilliantly combed the neighborhood salons, barbershops & offices and watched their profits grow rapidly before their very eyes.  Shortly thereafter, he became aware of a hot new trend that was spreading like wildfire called: beepers.
 Mike with the help of Angie then created Gold Coast Beepers & Jewelry, Inc., which ignited massive and explosive success that dominated the entire beeper market on both the South & West sides of Chicago.
 Blessed with five children and exhausted from the ongoing non-stop work around the clock…Mike followed his intuition and successfully sold their company for a more than sizeable offer.  Mike and Angie were then placed among the few Americans who achieved the millionaire status with no debt and lots of love & joy to spare.
 Moss then went on to launch Help You Rent Apartments as another business that would bring hope into challenged neighborhoods. Constantly looking for various ways to uplift the community, Mr. Moss would engage prominent and successful individuals with celebrity status to come out and participate in community cookouts, which were sponsored solely by Mike Moss.  Moss would provide the hamburgers and hotdogs while the famous such as: Reverend Jesse Jackson, Frank Thomas, R. Kelly & Craig Hodges would provide words of encouragement, a warm handshake, a picture or maybe just a smile.
 Climbing the ladder of success more than once with very little education while simultaneously maintaining a marriage, fatherhood and his unrelenting commitment for the betterment of our communities speaks volumes about this exceptional being, who beat the odds and rose above and beyond the seen and unforeseen traps of the ghetto. 
 Mike and Angie still remain happily married after 26 years and currently reside in Frankfort, Illinois in their beautiful suburban home where they are raising the 3 remaining home, of their 5 lovely children (Itanza, Kela, Ashley, Michael III & Isaiah).  While also, enjoying the fruits of an amazingly successful real estate business and promotions & marketing business. 
  He has served and is still serving as a beacon of light in the midst of the seeming darkness surrounding our improvised neighborhoods.  Mike Moss is an agent of change who is driven by love, hope and an undying compassion for the common people who are the foundation of the world.  Moss continues helping those which most of society would rather turn their backs on.  Empowering, teaching and supporting ‘THE HAVE NOTS’  to know that it is possible for them to actually ‘HAVE’!






Choosing Your Future
CREATING YOUR BEST TOMMORROW

In this series, MIKE MOSS prepares you to make it on your own, mentally,emotionally, and spiritually-rather than trying to depend on anything outside yourself. Excellent for children to adults!

"Just Because Fate Doesn't deal the right cards doesn't mean you should give up... it just means you have to play the cards you get to their maximum potential!"

Michael Moss would like to Thank You for order this book it will motivate you by the divine influence. This book has been a total inspiration.

God's plan

Mike Moss, 41, of Frankfort beat the odds.

Growing up on Chicago's west side, Moss, a high school dropout, rebelled against authority, yet miraculously escaped the traps of drugs and gangs. company, Gold Coast Beepers and Jewelry, then lost everything when the stock market crashed. Moss later rebuilt his financial.

Through his businesses and by attending special events, Moss even met people he never dreamed would be possible to meet, people like Debbie Allen, R. Kelly, Michael Jordan, Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson and Smokey Robinson.

Moss also has co-authored a book, "While the City Sleeps," with Terri Necci Wiedmyer of Joliet and has told his story on a number of radio and television stations.

He also hosts "The Mike Moss Money Making Minutes," which runs on two radio stations. It is on radio station WYCA 102.3 FM from 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. every Thursday and on radio station WGCI 1390 AM from 12:45 to 1 p.m. every Saturday.

Moss said he responds to every e-mail he gets and is continually amazed at how his story inspires other people.

"A 15-year-old teen just e-mailed me and said, "Mike Moss, I just read your book, and it helped me get off drugs,'" said Moss.

Moss hopes all those who read his book do not view it merely as a guide to success, but realize it is more important to serve God, that worldly success is a secondary gain. "I'm not trying to be a role model. I'm just a regular person. I'm just grateful that people are getting helped from it and not just people like me, but married couples, moms and dads and kids with moms and dads who have their high school diploma and degree, but still don't have a job." Moss attributes all of his successes and the opportunities to share his life with other people to God, who guided and inspired his entire life. "You have to put your faith in motion," Moss said in his book. "Use your energy for prayer instead of worry. Praying gets you somewhere; worry gets you nowhere. All the hardships I had, I always kept my focus on the Lord."

As a boy, Moss's mother, Emma Moss, raised him and his six siblings by herself after she and Moss' father, Scott Moss, divorced. But Emma was a very internally strong woman who made numerous sacrifices to keep her children safe, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Moss grew up knowing the Lord had a plan for his life, and he dreamed two dreams, to own his own business and to make films.

But first, Moss had to test those waters of life. Secretly, Moss dropped out of school and worked for his uncle as a carpet layer.

"At first, my mother did not know I had the job," Moss said. "I acted like I was still going to school."

By the time Moss was 17 years old, he had saved up enough money to buy his dream car, a black and white Cadillac. But after Moss was arrested for loitering around a candy store, he sold that car and vowed to change his life.

He began listening to motivational tapes about Les Brown, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela and began attending Israel God Church in Chicago, finding even more inspiration in the church's pastor, the Rev. Henry Wilson.

One day, Emma brought Wilson home to talk with Moss. Wilson, Moss said, reaffirmed Moss' conviction that God had a plan for his life. Wilson encouraged Moss to lean on God and promised to help Moss as much as he could.

Moss believed Wilson and blossomed under his spiritual leadership. He got a steady job at a Jewel Food store and met and married his wife, Angie. They set a goal to raise their children, Itanza Moss, 19; Tela Moss, 15; Ashley Moss, 13; Michael (deceased); Michael, 9; and Isaiah, 8, in a godly manner.

But with minimal education under his belt, Moss found it difficult to provide properly for his growing family. Then Moss learned the city of Chicago was hiring garbage truck drivers. There was only one catch: All drivers had to have a CDL license, and the application deadline was in a couple of days.

So Moss called up a truck driving school and explained his predicament. A school representative created a crash course for Moss. He and Angie stayed up late into the night until both were satisfied that Moss knew the world of truck driving inside and out.

"I passed the driving test and began working for the city," said Moss. "God worked everything out for me. Through all the trials and tribulations I had, I always had that peace of mind, that clear vision of what I needed to do."

It was on that job, on a slippery, winter day that a miracle happened in Moss' life. One moment Moss was assisting with snow removal and the next moment a van struck him and lifted him the air. Moss landed on his back with the van pinned on top of him.

Moss felt only peace as he sensed angels surrounding him. He asked God to spare his life for his family's sake.

"Someone called 911 for the paramedics and the fire department. They were able to lift the van off me," said Moss in his book. "By the grace of God I wasn't hurt. No broken bones. ... The only part of my body that wasn't in pain was my thumb."

But in 1997, tragedy struck the Moss family that gave Moss even more reason to cling to God. Their youngest child, Michael, was ill one day with chicken pox and suddenly dead the next. Doctors never could find a concrete reason for young Michael's death, said Moss.

"It was very hard to face," said Moss in his book. "He was just a baby. His life never got started."

But Moss continued to work and to dream. A friend, knowing how badly Moss longed for his own business, asked him to sell beepers for him. Moss succeeded as a salesman beyond his wildest dreams and, against the advice of his friends, quit working for the city and opened Gold Coast Beepers and Jewelry.

The company grew quite large, Moss said, and he felt confidently successful until the stock market crashed. Moss' stockbroker reassured Moss that everything would be fine, and Moss relaxed. Then the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001, occurred, and many people lost their financial security, including Moss.

"I lost 80 percent of everything I worked so hard for all my life, but I kept the faith," said Moss in his book. "I was a millionaire one day and broke the next. I was depressed and cried a lot. My friends never saw the difference in me. I kept to myself. I was dying inside.

"I knew God had a plan for me. This was something I had to go through. I said I wasn't going to let anything or anyone get me down."

Another friend suggested to Moss that he might enjoy buying and selling real estate. Moss and Angie prayed on the matter, sold their business and invested in real estate. They were not disappointed.

Within two years, Moss had rebuilt his wealth, and he continues in the real estate business to this day.

But he never underestimates just where true wealth lies — with Angie, whom Moss views as his partner and life's love, and with his children.

"One of the most important assets you can have is your precious children, to take care of them and teach them the values in life," said Moss in his book. "I tell my five children they can make it. I want them to be proud of me and I want to be an example of where you can go in life with hard work and dedication and always keeping the faith.

"The Lord will provide all you need. It's up to you what to do with your life. Be responsible for yourself and always have respect for people."FYI

To order copies of "While the City Sleeps," send $9.95 for orders of five books or less (add $.05 shipping and handling per book for orders of six or more books) to Michael Moss, P.O. Box 141, Frankfort, IL, 60423. You also may order copies from www.5starpc.com. To contact Mike Moss, e-mail him at mikemoss@5starpc.com