When Steve Mariotti, a successful young businessperson, was mugged by a bunch of teenagers in the streets of New York it changed his life. He decided to find a way to channel these young peoples’ destructive energy and creativity into more positive pursuits. In this story, we learn how the organization Steve started – the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship – has helped kids like Felix Rouse turn their passions into profitable small businesses. In just 10 years, NFTE had 186 teachers and 14,000 mentors who are replacing the deadens of drugs, crime and teenage pregnancy for over 10,000 students with a vigorous pursuit of success in the business world. As one graduate put it, “My dream is not to die in poverty but to have poverty die in me.”