# The Lessons for Success We Can Learn from American Gangster

- Link: https://exclusiveaccess.net/the-lessons-for-success-we-can-learn-from-american-gangster/
- Published: 2013-03-08T13:16:30-05:00
- Author: EAN

 

**“American Gangster” is one of the best gangster movies of our time. Sure it can’t
really compete with “Godfather” or “Scarface,” but that’s for a different generation
altogether. And it’s entirely because of Denzel Washington’s performance in playing
the controversial character of Frank Lucas.**

 

Frank Lucas was a badass gangster who managed to take over the northeast drug trade
in the 60s and 70s. His reign began with Harlem and he proceeded to spread and distribute
his power all across the northeast region of the country. Frank Lucas was a genius
and a master of his craft — no one could play him better than the legend Denzel.

 

The man managed to cut out all of the middlemen, importing his dope directly from
the jungle, having it touch as few hands as possible. By flying out to the Golden
Triangle of southeast Asia, he managed to build a vast network directly at the source
of the trade so that he didn’t need to depend on someone in the states to get it
to him. His drug of choice was opium because it had the highest potency among all
other drugs, which he then went on to nickname “Blue Magic.”

 

Devising a brilliant plan to smuggle the drugs back to the US in coffins of dead
American soldiers, he brought over massive shipments without anyone even noticing.
Through his elaborate ministrations, he became a very wealthy and powerful man…but
of course all good things came to an end.

 

It was either greedy crooked cops or rival drug dealers that were trying to take
his number one spot. Nonetheless the movie provided us value lessons for success
that we as a young ambitious people can learn from. At the end of the day business
is business, just like a spade is a spade.

 

![](http://cdn2.elitedaily.com/elite/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/hf7y9005_american_gangster_blu-
ray.jpg "ed")

 

**Always Let Them Underestimate You**

 

People make the mistake of letting foolish pride and egos get in the way of what
the true goals and ambitions are. Getting to the top is about being the underdog
and rising out of nowhere, throwing everyone off guard. It was extremely rare for
someone from Harlem to be such a powerhouse of the drug trade, especially when the
business was generally controlled by the mobs — most of which were white.

 

Frank Lucas was the underdog in every sense of the word, being a black man who took
over the entire New York heroin trade. When they underestimate you, you can bite
the hardest as you come for their spot out of nowhere. No one is safe at the top
and there is an underdog always waiting for you to fall off.

 

![](http://cdn2.elitedaily.com/elite/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/url-22.jpeg "ed")

 

**Stay Off The Radar**

 

As the great Biggie once said, “real gangsters move in silence.” It’s about flying
under the radar and keeping your mouth shut. When you bring attention to yourself,
you run the risk of the baker’s secrets getting out. Frank Lucas understood this
and had one of the most memorable lines of the film: “The loudest one in the room
is the weakest one in the room.”

 

He stressed this to his younger brother who was a lot flashier than he was. This
is the code that he lives by; when he did things he only surrounded himself with
his own people and managed to keep the least bit of attention on them. No gold chains
or fancy cars.

 

Unfortunately the same advice he gave to his younger brother came back to bite him
in the ass when he decided to wear a bright white fur jacket to a boxing match in
which he sat in the front row. That’s when the Feds spotted him and started wondering
what the hell he actually does. This led to his demise.

 

![](http://cdn2.elitedaily.com/elite/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/url-31.jpeg "ed")

 

**Cut Out The Middleman**

 

Many of the lessons from this movie can be applied to any entrepreneur and any basic
capitalist venture. Frank always had a problem with the American world of commerce
and didn’t like how the mobs were in control and, forcibly, the middlemen for the
dope coming in. He wanted the pride of ownership and he didn’t want to depend on
others to get what he needed.

 

He made a bold move — to take on the mafia was dangerous, but to fly to the jungle
and deal with the direct source was even more dangerous. Between risking his life
to form his own cartel and his own means of smuggling the dope to this country, 
this man fit the mold of the ideal entrepreneur, always finding a way to get things
done on his own without depending on someone else.

 

Middlemen can kill your business: essentially they own you because they own your
product. They control the prices and are too much of a wild card, which is why you
need to establish your own route directly to the source so you don’t have to depend
on anyone else.

 

![](http://cdn2.elitedaily.com/elite/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/url-41.jpeg "ed")

 

**Brand Your Product**

 

Frank Lucas always stressed the importance of being a brand, having a recognized
product and creating something that people love and always remember. He referred
to his product as the “Pepsi of smack” or “blue magic.” It soon became so widely
coveted that he would make $1 million per day on drug sales alone because of how
successful “blue magic” had become.

 

He was selling better dope than everyone else, directly from the source, at competitive
prices and was putting it in blue bags rather than the traditional white. This gave
his product an image and something that a consumer can identify right away, just
like we can identify an Apple product just looking at it. It’s consistency, it’s
quality and it’s building the reputation of your brand so that everyone can associate
with it. That is good business, ladies and gentlemen.

 

![](http://cdn1.elitedaily.com/elite/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/url2-485x293.png"
ed")

 

**Share The Wealth**

 

Anyone who runs a business knows that this is one of the most important aspects 
of it. No one is superman and can do everything themselves, which is why they have
a team, essentially their backbone and their reason for success. Frank Lucas hired
his family members because they were loyal and willing to work hard. He spread the
wealth amongst them and gave them just enough to keep them happy and motivated, 
but not too much to where they wouldn’t need him anymore.

 

He was also seen as a man of the people, as each year he would hand out turkeys 
on Thanksgiving. He employed hundreds in his drug refineries and made sure to always
give the impression that, despite peddling drugs on a massive scale, he is actually
good for the community.

 

![](http://cdn2.elitedaily.com/elite/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/url18-485x323.jpg"
ed")

 

**Success Brings Enemies**

 

Many people warned Frank Lucas about the enemies that success brings. His mentors
even explained to him that if you want to be unsuccessful, then go have friends,
but if you want to be successful, be ready to feel lonely at the top.

 

The more success you gain, the more enemies you will attract — the more competition
and the more people you will have looking to take you down. What goes up will eventually
come down, but Frank was too stubborn to listen to that and didn’t walk away when
he was on top. Frank Lucas defined his career as never-ending power and wealth.

 

![](http://cdn1.elitedaily.com/elite/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/American-Gangster-
485x272.jpg "American Gangster")

 

By the time his supply-chain operations were crumbling due to the impending American
pullout from Vietnam, Frank was a powerful and wealthy man. He was winning at the
business game he defined. But winning wasn’t enough for him, he wanted to continue
growing his “Blue Heroin” business by any means necessary.

 

Frank made a final visit to his heroin supplier in Vietnam. A rogue General in the
Chinese Kuomintang army presided over the poppy farm where Frank purchased his heroin.
Like Frank, this General was a wealthy and powerful man. Unlike Frank, this General
understood business as a means to an end…and an end is inevitable.

 

During their last visit together, the General gave Frank Lucas brilliant business
advice…”quitting while you are ahead is not the same as quitting.” We see it all
the time when great athletes walk out on top and we wonder why, but it’s because
they know it’s their time rather than to stretch it out beyond that. Know the lifespan
of your business and how long you can essentially stay in it.

 

_Preston Waters | Elite.