W. Clement Stone

William Clement Stone (May 4, 1902– September 3, 2002) was a businessman, philanthropist and New Thought self-help book author. W. Clement Stone's father died when he was 3, leaving the family impoverished because of his gambling losses. At the age of 6, Stone began hawking newspapers on Chicago's South Side, while his mother worked as a dressmaker. At 13, he owned his own newsstand. At the age of 16, Stone went to Detroit to help his mother in the insurance agency she had opened there. He went from office to office, making cold calls (he called them gold calls) to sell casualty insurance, and he was soon making $100 a week. One of his favorite expressions when describing his cold calling and sales abilities was that he "...Mowed them...