From Refugee to Multi-Millionaire: The Story of Sam Bakhtiar

On the Inner Edison Podcast, we sat down with Sam Bakhtiar to talk about his origins as an immigrant from Iran to his success as an entrepreneur.

Sam is an influential entrepreneur who changed the trajectory of his life and became a social media influencer and multi-millionaire by the time he was forty years old.

Stick around. You don’t want to miss this inspiring story of determination, sacrifice, and perseverance. We present the story of Sam Bakhtiar.

Early Years

At the age of 11, Bakhtiar escaped war-torn Iran as a refugee, searching for a better life in America with his mother. He describes the shift of going from Iran to the small town of Sharon, Pennsylvania, as an enormous culture shock.

He grew up in a town where he was an outsider, and he felt that. Not knowing the English language, he had to assimilate quickly to survive.

Some of his biggest struggles in the early years was coming to terms with several important distinctions:

He could never go back to Iran. Essentially being a refugee is a term known as “burning the boats,” meaning you can’t go back.
He would have to find new dreams in America that were different from his dreams in Iran (becoming a professional soccer player).
Finding a new path in America and figuring out what he wanted.

A defining moment for him was when he tried out for the school basketball team. Out of 23 kids who tried out, 22 made the team. One did not. Care to guess who it was?

Devastated, he leaned on his mother for support, and he learned the most valuable lesson of his life.

Success Starts with a Plan

His mom sat him down and asked him if basketball was really what he wanted. Together, they sat down and made a plan to achieve his goal. The act of mapping out his goals is something he still uses to this day.

While practicing three hours a day to make the basketball team, he stumbled upon a group of older gentlemen working out in the weight room next to the court, and it forever changed his life.

Unlike kids at school who bullied him for being different, he was instantly accepted by a group of weightlifters who taught him the basics of weightlifting and how to eat.

Little did he know, that moment would forever shape his life. Without the plan to go to the courts, he may have never stumbled upon his life’s direction.

With the knowledge he gained, in 2005, he became the first bodybuilder in history to place first in every weight class division.

Following his mother’s wishes, he graduating from Penn State, then attended Los Angeles College of Chiropractic to receive his doctorate in chiropractic; however, this wasn’t his passion.

A New Direction as an Entrepreneur

In 2000, Bakhtiar started his first business, a personal training facility in Chino, California, called The Camp Transformational Centers. Today, it has grown into a franchise with over 100 locations across the United States and Mexico.

That’s not all! He’s also become a highly coveted speaker. His popularity on social media has also pushed him into other avenues of entrepreneurship.

Today, Dr. Sam Bakhtiar also engages customers through:

VIP Coaching
Subscription programs like One Percent Life

Engaging followers through social media and his One Percenter Podcast

A Truly Inspiring Story

Dr.Sam Bakhtiar’s story is the American Dream personified.

He went from being a refugee from war-torn Iran at the 11 to a successful bodybuilding champion, multi-millionaire entrepreneur, speaker, coach, and social media influencer over the course of 25 years.

He is proof that anything is indeed possible given the right mindset.

For more inspiring stories like this, please follow the Inner Edison Podcast, where we provide weekly content to inspire the inner Thomas Edison in you.