https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophersalem (Christopher Salem) is an accomplished business and emotional intelligence strategist, world-class speaker, award-winning author, certified mindset expert, radio show host and media personality, and wellness advocate partnering with entrepreneurs, corporations, and small businesses with overcoming their limiting beliefs so his clients can then adopt the process to operate within the solution – and not manage the problem – for sustainable success. Chris has worked with organizations such as https://www.jpmorganchase.com/ (JP Morgan Chase), Ralph Lauren, https://www.microchip.com/ (Microchip Technology), Anthem, the https://www.census.gov/en.html (United States Census Bureau), https://www.hubbell.com/ (Hubbell), and the NYPD forensics department. He has also worked with tertiary institutions, such as the University of Hartford, Bay Path University, https://www.worcester.edu/ (Worcester State University), and spoken on overcoming limiting beliefs for peak performance at the Harvard Faculty Club.

Chris is the originator of the term, Prosperneur, which refers to an individual whose health and wealth are aligned in a way that leads to true prosperity. His book Master Your Inner Critic addresses this and in doing so hit the international best-seller list in 2016. He was also a co-author of a recent edition of Mastering the Art of Success with Jack Canfield. His weekly radio show Sustainable Success is broadcast on the VoiceAmerica Influencers Channel.

“I could have acted out, I could have started drinking … (and gone) back to the things I used to do when I was really young that would have taken me out. But … I made a conscious choice to be mature about this … there was nothing I could do except go forward, be present and … not allow this to sideline me for any other future decisions or risks that I would take, whether for starting a business or making an investment.” Christopher Salem

Worst investment ever

Venture begins in bullish mood of mid-2000s

Chris’ story is set in the boom time before the global financial crisis of 2008. House prices were skyrocketing alongside stock markets and people were doing very well. He had invested in start-up companies before, his first being back in 1993. So in around 2006 he met a couple of very smart founders of a media company who were going to revolutionize the video space on airplane seatbacks to engage business and first-class passengers with special offers. After some due diligence, he wanted to invest in what they were doing to take the company from the ground up to make it successful. With his background in media, it was also in an area he had interest in.

All pieces and people in place for air-travel-tech winner

And so he put a lot of time into preparation for this particular investment and when he went forward everything looked as if it were going to plan. It was a truly disruptive business idea that filled a niche and a need. That positivity was boosted by the presence of American Airlines former CEO Robert Crandall on the board of the company. Chris invested a considerable sum, not being exactly averse to some risk.

Early days show promise with ‘Six-Sigma-type guys’ at the helm

At first the company was showing a lot of promise with its special offers based on personalized information obtained through credit cards. If a VIP passenger’s lease on their Audi was finishing in a month, and they were going to be in Las Vegas, the company would put an offer up on the seatback monitor for the passengers to test drive a BMW when they arrive via sophisticated algorithms and processes. All of this was being run by people with excellent credentials in technology and business in general, “Six Sigma type guys”.

Global crisis plunges knife in investors’ backs

But then the financial crash hit. As a result, Chris and the team’s venture began to unravel. The progress of everything slowed down, and certain airlines...