A Figure of Speech

Troy Dunn—a self-made millionaire in a succession of businesses—has no idea why he’s been such a lucky fella.

Cofounder of the Fort Myers-based investigation and research company, International Locator Inc., Dunn helped turn it into a thriving, worldwide business. For years he hosted his own nationally syndicated radio show for entrepreneurs, The Dunn Deal Show. A corporate speaker on leadership and business success, he also has several books to his credit. His latest, Young Bucks: How to Raise a Future Millionaire, is being released this month by Thomas Nelson Publishing, the Nashville-based company that puts out faith-based tomes, including Bibles.

Yet ask the handsome, charismatic 40-year-old what makes him a success, and he’ll give you an aw-shucks expression and claim bafflement.

He’s not a smart man, he’ll tell you. He’s impatient. He has "the vocabulary of a sixth grader." He claims his memory is terrible, short- and long-term, and that he’s written (with a ghostwriter) more books than he’s ever read.

"I just try to spend my life finding people with all those skill sets, because I don’t have them," Dunn offers.

It’s a little hard to swallow the "Who, me?" deportment from a guy who’s been interviewed by Barbara Walters and appeared on news and talk shows from 60 Minutes to Live with Regis and Kelly.

Dunn’s stock in trade is his silver tongue. Spend five minutes listening to his tales about creating and producing the No. 1 TV show in its time slot in his Kansas hometown when he was only 20 years old, for example—despite his having no previous television experience—and it’s easy to buy right into the story. Only much later, when his charismatic spell has had time to wear off, do you realize that many of his stories are unverifiable.

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