Well, once you go on Oprah, it's a wrap! [laughing] People across the globe know you now. As a public figure, how hard is it to maintain a private life?

Very hard. If you make too many things too public, then you end up living your life before the court of public opinion. I try to keep those things private. Just this year, my mother came to a speaking engagement of mine for the first time. She had never heard me speak.

Well, you have certainly made her proud.

It was such a special moment. I take her on tour with me now after losing my sister, then losing my brother.

If you had to pick a turning point that led you from failure toward success, what would it be?

I will never forget it. I was about seven. My teacher asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up: A teacher, doctor, attorney…?" I said, "Well, I'm going to be a millionaire entrepreneur one day." She looked at me and chuckled. "No, you're not," she said. "You're poor and your family's poor. You better go find somebody to work for." I was just shocked. I remember I tried to get her fired.

I went home to my grandma and said, "Grandma, am I really not smart enough and good enough to be an entrepreneur?" I had already launched a campaign for my company. I was selling door-to-door. My grandma is a very sweet lady, but she has a quick right hand and a temper, so I learned that the hard way a couple of times. She said, "Listen, I want to tell you something. I do not want to hear you say that again, ever. Do not let anyone tell you what you can be. Do not let anyone tell you that you are not good enough or smart enough. Remember that nobody is better than you. Everybody puts on their pants one leg at a time. I want you to wake up every morning and say, "Why not me?"

I've lived that attitude ever since. If you see somebody else that has something, why not you? If you want millions, if you want a mansion, if you want to put an end to homelessness, why not you?