Wally Amos

Wally Amos, one of today's best motivational speakers, and founder of Famous Amos Cookies, is credited with being the father of the gourmet cookie industry. He opened his first Famous Amos store on Sunset Boulevard in 1975. By 1985, sales had grown to more than $10 million.

Due to adverse financial results, Amos was forced to relinquish ownership of his namesake company. Turning adversity into opportunity, Amos launched a new cookie venture, The Uncle Noname' Cookie Company. In 1994, he co-founded the Uncle Wally’s Muffin Company. Wally’s most recent venture is Chip & Cookie, featuring cookies, dolls, gifts and apparel.

As founder of Famous Amos Cookies in 1975 and father of the gourmet chocolate chip cookie industry, he has used his fame to support educational causes. Wally and his wife, Christine founded the Read it LOUD! Foundation in 2005 urging parents and caregivers to read aloud to children daily. Wally was a National Spokesman for Literacy Volunteers of America from 1979 until 2002, and is a former Board Member of the National Center for Family Literacy and Communities in Schools.  He has been inducted into the Babson College Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs, and he received the Horatio Alger Award, The President’s Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, and The National Literacy Honors Award.

Wally is also an author who has written eight books; his autobiography, The Famous Amos Story: The Face That Launched A Thousand Chips, The Power In You: Ten Secret Ingredients To Inner Strength, Man With No Name: Turn Lemons Into Lemonade, Watermelon Magic: Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life, The Cookie Never Crumbles: Inspirational Recipes for Every Day Living, Be Positive, The Power In Self-Esteem: How To Discover And Fulfill Your Life Dreams, Live An Inspiring Life: Ten Secret Ingredients for Inner Strength and The Path To Success is Paved with Positive Thinking.

An inspiring public speaker, Amos shares his insights on managing change and overcoming adversity. He also addresses audiences on the topics of adult illiteracy and school dropout prevention. Amos has become one of America's most popular speakers, addressing hundreds of associations, companies, and colleges across the nation.

• Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life

  Hawaii's beloved "Cookie Man" focuses on helping people to shed the cultural stereotypes and myths that often cloud their decisions and misdirect their actions. Emphasis is placed on getting in touch with the truth of who we are now versus what we've been in the past. Participants will realize that each of us creates our own belief system and will learn how to transform the negative beliefs they may have into positive ones while simultaneously unlocking their inner power.

• A Recipe for a Successful Life

  What are the ingredients that have made Mr. Amos a success? ---Focus, Teamwork, Follow Through, Balance. An enlightening experience where the audience will explore their own belief system and evaluate their own values. A super charged speech for anyone or any company ready to turn their lives/career/corporation around. By the way, you have to book Wally to get the rest of the recipe.

• Relationships Are Partnerships

  Drawing from his own relationships, both personal and business, Wally shares how organizations can achieve clearer communications, harmony and a sense of belonging for all employees. Because of his years of varied experiences and careers, plus his warm, personal and sincere delivery, he is qualified to show the advantages of teamwork. Wally shares his successes and his failures which can act as a mirror to benefit your organization. When you strengthen your relationships and partnerships, you strengthen your organization.

• The Power In You

  The Power In You is designed to demonstrate that life is an inside job. Using his personal experiences, Wally explores the power in words, faith, enthusiasm, giving, attitude, love and other positive aspects of life to help the audience connect with their inner power. throughout the years that he has been speaking, The Power In You has proven to be an excellent vehicle for building self-esteem and confidence.

• The Cookie Never Crumbles

  Wally Amos is a man of wisdom, a man of humor, and a man of joy. And he has learned the greatest secret in life: You can be happy no matter what. Wally will share his inspiring collection of "recipes," and tell you how adversarial situations are often blessings in disguise, and how the lessons we learn in life sometimes come from the most unexpected places. The Cookie Never Crumbles is Wally's philosophy, and during his lecture he will tell you, through touching, hilarious, thought provoking stories, how you can adopt this philosophy for you.
  From Wally's childhood, up through his days in the entertainment business, to the creation and loss of "Famous Amos" cookies, and to his current way of life, Wally Amos struggled, adapted, and finally triumphed. His inspirational advice will make you laugh, make you dream and make you think. This is a message built on faith!

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  April 2008

  The Path to Success is Paved with Positive Thinking: How to Live a Joy-filled Life and Make Your Dreams Come True

   

  In this book, award-winning entrepreneur and bestselling author Wally Amos shares his insights into the transformative power of positive thinking and how to use it to create a life full of success, inner strength, and lasting joy.

  
  
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  October 2006

  The Power of Self-Esteem

  If you know anything about Wally Amos, apart from the fact that he loves chocolate-chip cookies, it’s that he’s an enthusiastic believer in self-esteem. But he didn’t always feel this way. From the time he was a small boy growing up in Tallahassee, Florida to even after he was making $5 million a year with his gourmet cookie business, his belief system was evolving. He’s sharing his personal story and inspiring insights so that others can increase their confidence levels and be the best they can be, too. Once you read this book, you will never again utter the words "I can’t" or "I won’t."

  
  
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  October 2006

  Live an Inspiring Life

  Perhaps best known as the founder of "Famous Amos Cookies," Wally Amos has experienced both life's highs and lows. From them, he's discovered one of life's greatest truths: it's not your circumstances that determine your happiness, but how you view those circumstances.

  
  
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  October 2002

  The Cookie Never Crumbles: Inspirational Recipes for Everyday Living

  Inspiring stories show readers how adversarial situations are often blessings in disguise. Wally Amos made his name creating Famous Amos cookies, learning many business and life lessons along the way, like expect lumps and use lots of nuts. Neale Donald Walsch, in his foreword, says, This book... lifts my soul and lightens my burden. Humourous, charming, and practical, this book is for anyone who wants to find wisdom in the ordinary things in life.

  
  
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  April 1994

  Man With No Name: Turn Lemons into Lemonade

  The story of how the founder of the Famous Amos Cookie Company lost everything, including his name----and turned adversity into opportunity. This revealing book chronicles Wally's loss of the cookie empire that he had built, to the opening of The Uncle Noname Cookie Company, and his journey towards learning how to turn lemons into lemonade. Wally imparts his belief that crises can turn out to be glorious benefits if we draw on universal wisdom to handle them -- that challenges are simply part of every human being's journey; they are valuable catalysts for our personal growth.

  
  
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  September 1988

  The Power in You

  Wally Amos, who rose from relative poverty to fame and fortune as "Famous Amos" details the components for a successful personal, financial and spiritual life using his ten secret ingredients for inner strength. He discusses his struggle to overcome personal and professional problems to find genuine love and inner peace. This is an inspiring testimony to the power of life, love and inner strength.