“Believe in yourself when nobody else does.” - Mary J. Blige. Allen’s secret to success is his boundless belief in himself that he has relied on for challenging situations throughout his life. Until the age of thirteen he was not able to read but with his resolute self-esteem and hard work he achieved what may have seemed impossible to others. He proudly earned a degree in architecture from the University of Kansas. Allen has gone on to achieve spectacular success in real estate. He also works with various charities to raise money and his efforts have had remarkable results such as a one hundred-thousand-dollar grant for the Mental Illness Foundation from New York State. Allen has also authored a book titled "Memoirs of a Learning Disabled Dyslexic Multi-Millionaire”.

Can you tell us your journey of becoming a self-made entrepreneur? What challenges did you face in this quest?A: To answer that question would be too deep and complicated to write in a short answer. However, my main principle to success is to set your goals in life and be prepared for roadblocks. Imagine yourself driving a car and encountering a detour on the road. You don’t just stop and end your trip, right? Of course not. You find a way around that roadblock and you continue a new route toward your destination. Failure is not an option. Always treat your setbacks as a learning experience.
Regarding challenges, every day in life and business is a challenge, however there are some that impact us harder than others. I have had my share of challenges in my life as an entrepreneur. My biggest one was going to bed on a Sunday night with enough financial security to last me a lifetime and woke up Monday morning with nothing in the bank plus $13.8 million in debt. The full story of what happened and how I overcame the worst challenge in my life can all be found in my book, ‘Memoirs of a Learning Disabled Dyslexic Multi-Millionaire.’
I am a true testament of how never losing the will to go forward can make the impossible possible. Never give up, never give in, and never except negativity from the world around you. No matter what others might think about your goals, always believe in yourself. With consistency and hard work; success is guaranteed

What alternative methods of learning did you employ which ultimately enabled you to attend various prestigious colleges and receive a degree in architecture?A: At the time, I did not know I was actually doing alternative methods. They were simply ways that I learned to do things that allowed me to succeed. One of the major things that affects students with learning challenges is self-esteem. We are often ridiculed and belittled because we may not learn at the same pace or the same way as our classmates, and this often leads to a major decline in self-esteem.
Confidence plays a major role in how we pursue things. When we lack confidence we are already setting ourselves up for failure, and often times, that is exactly the result we get. Even though I was called “dumb” by my peers and teachers and voted the least likely to succeed in life, there was one person that never stopped believing in me, and that person was ME. It was this belief in myself that allowed me to be persistent at completing tasks that seemed impossible. It was this persistence that allowed me to think outside of the box and find methods that worked for me.
One of these methods is the use of imagery. I go into full detail about it in my book, but in a nutshell it is visualizing your end goal in as much detail as possible and believing without a doubt that you have already accomplished it. For example, while in college I would go to bed every single night with the image in my mind of me at my graduation ceremony walking up to receive my diploma. I did this without fail every night and combined with hard work and belief that failure is not an option, I made it my reality.
Till this day I still use imagery in my life, and I also taught it to my daughters, who are also dyslexic, and it helped them in incredible ways to far surpass any challenges they ever faced.

What challenges did you face during your school days? What needs to be changed in our education system to make it conducive to learning for students with special needs?A: The challenges were voluminous due to dyslexia and learning difficulties. The teachers treated me like a troubled kid with no future (fortunately for me I didn't believe them). So consequently everything in school for me was a challenge, until I taught myself alternative ways of learning (as I mentioned in my previous answer). Since it has been a while since I had to personally deal with schools on behalf of my daughters (Dana and Sherri), who both have LD and dyslexia, I am turning this question over to them. Between both of my daughters, they have seven children and each one of them has different learning differences so dealing with today’s educational system is something that my daughters are very familiar with.
Dana: You can’t put a dyslexic child with sensory issues in a regular mainstream class that caters to mainstream learners and expect them to soar the way that the mainstream child does. They learn differently and nowadays teachers are not allowed to teach, they are only there for guidance, due to the common core system. Every school should have a program for children with dyslexia and LD that cookie cuts a curriculum for each of those child’s needs. Some schools have this implemented and are amazing, but not every school has this. Some don’t even have the pull out or push in programs for just the LD students. There needs to be better classification and modifications for all the school districts that will put all children on an even playing level based on their needs.
Sherri: In my personal experience they need more teachers and educators with an understanding of dyslexia and other learning difficulties. I’m always being told by teachers that they are not taught how to handle children with special needs, such as LD or dyslexia unless they major in special ED. Teachers need to be taught how to teach to each issue more effectively using multiple systems that work; for example, the Ortan-Gillingham system which uses a multi-sensory approach and the Wilson programs to name a few.
The education System needs to also change their methods of teaching students and need to realize we have been teaching one way for all students whom learn in multiple ways. We as a people have grown, evolved and changed whilst the education system has stayed the same with little to no changes since the beginning of time. I was completely blown away that the only difference from my children being helped and myself is that they no longer called my children dumb, lazy and stupid. Fortunately, my kids are in the minority. Many students that don’t get the help and encouragement
I have an even harder time in the educational system. I hear this all too often from parents. Basically, the educational system needs to be revamped with way more diversity and ways to learn.

Which of your art projects is closest to your heart and why?A: I actually have two favorite art projects. One is a dollhouse that stands about 4ft tall. I built it completely from scratch. Nothing is store bought except for one item that was donated by my mom as I was building it. Each floor lights up individually and each floor comes apart. When together all wires are hidden. This is close to my heart because it was done for my daughter Dana.
My daughter, when she was younger, wanted one of those dollhouses that you would buy at a hobby store and build by following instructions. You then would shop for cookie cutter furniture to fill it all up. I wasn’t impressed with what was out there so I took her home and told her we were going to build one from scratch. Well it took many years of dedication and determination to scale down my skills of art and architecture. This labor of love took me 13 years to build her the perfect dollhouse.
My other favorite art project was for my daughter Sherri who loves carousels. She always wanted one so again, I looked to see what was out there, and said I can do better so I built her a carousel that moves and plays music as well. This was put together with odds and ends that I found here and there and everywhere. I like to say another man sees trash and I see infinite possibilities for creativity. Sometimes I see an item, bring it home and have no idea what it will be used for, but eventually it finds its way into my art.

Can you tell us about your philanthropic work?A: I helped form M.I.F. (Mental Illness Foundation) and I was also active in other charities for cancer and heart disease as well.

Which world leader inspires you the most? Which of his/her quality do you like the most?A: In order for me to recognize a person as a leader (whether socially, in business, or politically), they must first fit into my standard rules. However, to gain my respect one must show their respect towards the people that rely on them. A leader who respects those he leads will always be fair to his constituencies. I do have my personal opinions about certain leaders, however I've chosen to keep my politics private.

What are your other hobbies?A: My main hobbies are art, writing, and I love mentoring young people in business

What is your favorite place to visit? What do you like about that place?A: My favorite place to visit used to be anyplace I can ski in the winter, but these days it's Florida, where I live during the winter time. What I love about the community where I live in Florida is its resort-like feel and amenities. I never have to leave my little resort until I return home to NY during the spring. While in NY I find my favorite place is either my basement, where I do all of my artwork, or the beach for my soul.

What tips/advice do you have for those in our community who want to attend college?A: I actually wrote about this very topic in an article titled “Is College Necessary, or Is It a Waste of Time and Money?” Please feel free to read it here.

Any special message for our community?A: I am a firm believer that we create our own destiny. We all face challenges in life, but it is up to us on how we deal with these challenges. We must not see challenges as limitations that hold us down. Too often we are quick to feel defeated. We hit a roadblock and we think it is the end of our journey. Reality is that if we want to continue our journey bad enough, we will always find a way. We need to stop nurturing limits that we, or others, impose on us. If we nurture our limits, they will only grow stronger and never go away. Instead, start pushing your limits and you will see that little by little you will grow more and more until you realize the limits you once had are no longer existent.