From Orphan to Wall Street CEO: Ed Hajim’s Inspiring Journey of Resilience, Leadership, and Entrepreneurial Success

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Ed Hajjim. Ed is a long-time Wall Street executive and entrepreneur with over 50 years of experience. Most people that hear his origin story are amazed that he ended up where he has. But, in reality, Ed has one of the best stories that is the truest testament to the American Dream and what is possible that I have ever heard. And I’m excited for him to share it today. But first, I mentioned 50 years’ experience. Here is a little bit of Ed’s pedigree… Ed has held senior management positions with the Capital Group, E.F. Hutton and Lehman Brothers before becoming chairman and CEO of Furman Selz. He was the co-chairman of ING Barings, Americas Region; chairman and CEO of ING Aeltus Group and ING Furman Selz Asset Management; and chairman and CEO of MLH Capital. Presently, he is chairman of High Vista, a Boston-based money management company. In 2008, after 20 years as a trustee of the University of Rochester, he began an eight-year tenure as chairman of the university’s board. Upon assuming that office, he gave the school $30 million—the largest single donation in its history—to support scholarships and endow the Edmund A. Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Through his Family Foundation, he has made generous donations to organizations that promote education, health care, arts, culture and conservation. Ed is the author of several books including, the Road Less Traveled: An Unlikely Journey from the Orphanage to the Boardroom. And I’m excited to squeeze as much wisdom as I can from him in our time together in this episode. To see the full show notes and Misfit 3 for this episode, go to www.MisfitEntrepreneur.com. Show Sponsors: Entrepreneurs, what if there was a way to know you were hiring the best salespeople to drive your business? How much would that help your success? Well, with SalesDrive's DriveTest, you can! Drive is composed of three non-teachable traits shared by all top producers: Need for Achievement, Competitiveness, and Optimism. You can get a FREE DriveTest assessment to help you in your hiring efforts at www.MisfitEntrepreneur.com/SalesDrive 5 Minute Journal: www.MisfitEntrepreneur.com/Journal