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Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?: How Reginald Lewis Created a Billion-Dollar Business Empire
Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun? is the inspiring story of Reginald Lewis: lawyer, Wall Street wizard, philanthropist — and the wealthiest black man in American history.
When six-year-old Reginald Lewis overheard his grandparents discussing employment discrimination against African Americans, he asked, “Why should white guys have all the fun?" This self-assured child would grow up to become the CEO of Beatrice International and one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever. At the time of his death in 1993, his personal fortune was estimated in excess of $400 million and his vast commercial empire spanned four continents. Despite the notoriety surrounding Lewis's financial coups, little has been written about the life of this remarkable man. Based on Lewis's unfinished autobiography, as well as scores of interviews with family, friends, and colleagues, the book cuts through the myth and media hype to reveal the man behind the legend. What emerges is a vivid portrait of a proud, fiercely determined individual with a razor-sharp tongue — and an intellect to match — who would settle for nothing less than excellence from himself and others.
When six-year-old Reginald Lewis overheard his grandparents discussing employment discrimination against African Americans, he asked, “Why should white guys have all the fun?" This self-assured child would grow up to become the CEO of Beatrice International and one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever. At the time of his death in 1993, his personal fortune was estimated in excess of $400 million and his vast commercial empire spanned four continents. Despite the notoriety surrounding Lewis's financial coups, little has been written about the life of this remarkable man. Based on Lewis's unfinished autobiography, as well as scores of interviews with family, friends, and colleagues, the book cuts through the myth and media hype to reveal the man behind the legend. What emerges is a vivid portrait of a proud, fiercely determined individual with a razor-sharp tongue — and an intellect to match — who would settle for nothing less than excellence from himself and others.
318 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 1994
310 people are currently reading
1542 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
May 18, 2013
I finally read Reginald Lewis biography after I met his biographer a few weeks ago. As a black woman who did her undergraduate work at an HBCU, I am disappointed that his story and accomplishments were not part of the curriculum. Now for the review: the book is well-written, thoroughly researched, and balanced in the treatment of Mr. Lewis' favorable and unfavorable attributes. That is what I like to see in biography (which incidentally is my favorite genre) - a complete picture of a flawed yet remarkable person. Mr. Walker accomplishes that with this work. As far as the subject, Mr. Lewis, is concerned, there is so much to admire and respect. He had the courage to go after what he wanted. True courageousness, not just reflexes that arise in a crisis, but the deliberate audacity to want big things, to plan how to obtain them and then to execute on his plans. I also admire the way he understood that formal education is just the beginning. School taught him how to think and how to research, but most of the knowledge he used to build his empire was self taught. He knew where the answers were, accessed the information, learned how the game was being played on the highest levels and then courageously grabbed his piece of the pie. It is for this reason that his biography should be among the books that supplement the theory in college textbooks.
March 10, 2016
Pro-black (from a Pan-African standpoint, mind you) multi-millionaire is an oxymoron; it seems as though you can’t be one and the same. I’m slowly becoming disillusioned by this capitalistic structure that is being established around the globe. Reginald F. Lewis was a good business man and he had two great feats that led to his epic status. This is not to say that the two deals were overnight successes, because they weren’t. Lewis worked hard for his eventually high-dollar pay days. I felt he was often contradictory on the matter of race; I won’t explain why I feel that way because if you’re Pan-African and you read it you will know why. I do admire his work ethic and negotiation skills, even if he was a bit erratic and too high-tempered at times. It’s a good book for an aspiring business man to read.
March 29, 2008
While this book wasn't "a fun" read, it definitely CHANGED MY LIFE! Reginald Lewis was not raised with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he allowed his passion and hunger to succeed fuel his ascent to billionaire status. Along the way, there were certainly plenty of folks (especially his peers) who did not support him; but, he focused on his goals, and achieved them nonetheless. Although I never had the chance to meet him, Reginald Lewis is certainly one of my newfound mentors. I'm using his success as my roadmap to beat the odds and Achieve Beyond Expectations (Abex) in my daily life. Anyone who wants to achieve financial success should definitely read this book - it's a real life rags to riches story.
September 26, 2021
Book Review: "Why Should White Guys Have All The Fun?"
Most people don't know the Reginald Lewis Story. And those few that do usually focus on how rich he was. In 1992, a year before his death, he was the 246th richest person in America, according to Forbes Magazine. His real legacy, in my opinion, is that anything is possible if you put your mind to your goals and truly commit yourself to achieving them with action.
As you will see in the paragraphs ahead, he used creativity, moxie and grit to blow past all expectations considering where he started from. Personally, he is one of my all time favorite heroes. I've read 3 book on this man. And he was absolutely magnificent throughout his whole life.
There's a lot to cover. So let's get on with it.
Reginald Francis Lewis was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 7, 1942. When he was a child, his grandparents asked him if he was going to make something of himself when he grew up and he reportedly said, "Yeah, why should white guys have all the fun!" Indeed. He seemed to lived his life according to this creed from a young age. Only wearing khakis, dress shirts and penny loafers while other kids wore gym shoes. Childhood friends recall at first sight that they knew he was going places in life by his attire, serious demeanor and demon work ethic.
Reginald really became Reginald Lewis in high school. He was star quarterback of the school's football team with a winning record. When he graduated, he earned a football scholarship to Virginia State University, a historically black college in Richmond, Virginia. Where he continued his winning ways. But as fate would have it, he hurt his knee, permanently sidelining his career and ending his scholarship. Depressed, he sulked around for a while before rededicating himself to his studies. Eventually, he shot up to the top of his class academically.
Near the end of his senior year in college, his counselor informed him of a new 3 month program that Harvard University had for black students to take classes over the summer. The aim of this program was to help them gain experience at a ivy league school and use it to apply to graduate schools elsewhere. He readily accepted. And he and other top students from black colleges across the nation spent the summer as quasi students of Harvard University. Reginald loved everything about the most prestigious school in the world.
As the program was ending in late August, he confided to a few of his classmates that he was going to Harvard in the fall. They thought he was crazy. Somehow, someway he was determined to get into Harvard Law School. So as his fellow classmates were leaving, he stayed behind and sign up for law school classes along with the incoming regular students that fall.
Reginald was attending classes for a couple of months before Harvard Admissions Department finally caught up with him. A meeting was scheduled. He had a lot of explaining to do. "Why are you still here?" and "Why should we let you stay?" All involved said that he was well prepared for those questions. Opposition melted away as he gave very detailed reasons why he belonged at Harvard University. By the end of this meeting, he was invited to stay on by an all white admission committee.
As a result of Reginald’s actions in the fall of 1966, he is the ONLY student in Harvard Law School entire 200 year history, to be accepted into the college WITHOUT filling out an application or being required to pass the LSAT (law school entrance exam).
Where he was going, there was no roadmap, so he created his own - completely on the fly.
Decades later when he became a massive success in the business world, he donated $5 million dollars to this law school (the largest single donation at the time). After his death, they named the law school after him - The Reginald F. Lewis International Law Center. He also have a museum dedicated to his life and career at Virginia State University, which he gave a million dollars to.
After graduating, Reginald started working for a small boutique law firm, went on blind date with a visiting law school graduate touring the US, Loida Nicolas, from the Philippines. They later married, had two kids and settled into upper middle class life in New York City. But Reginald soon became bored working adminstratively on business deals for 15 years. He wanted in on the action.
Eventually, he found what he was looking for with McCall Pattern Company (early competitor to JoAnn Fabrics). A distress firm whose owners were desperately trying to sell this nationwide chain of fabric stores for $20 million dollars. Reginald had extensive knowledge on how to finance the purchase of this company. But there was only one problem. He needed put down a million dollars of his own money as collateral. Money he didn't have. So he borrowed anything he could get from friends and family, and borrowed the rest from silent investors.
Now he's the owner of a company that's quickly sliding into insolvency. The balance sheet was studied. His new company wasn't earning enough money relative to operating costs. He decided to immediately raise prices and convert its industrial sewing equipment to making greeting cards once primary company priorities were met. After a few years, the company stablize and even thrived. He didn't love this business and decided to sell once the company achieved profitability.
In total, he reaped a $90 million return on his original one million dollars investment. This was all done in the space of 4 years. But all this was small potatoes compared his next acquisition. The deal that made him one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time.
Shortly thereafter, he was on a call with his friend, Michael Milken, from his days working on Wall Street. Reginald gave him the details of how he sold McCall, achieving 90:1 return on investment. And Michael congratulated him on a job well done. But added, "It's time for you to stop playing around. Time to get you a bigger bat to swing with." Reginald later retold this story to his wife in complete astonishment.
Side Note: Michael Milken, the infamous Wall Street Trader, was making $500 million a year during this time. So yes, to him it was a small deal.
Michael heard of a company for sell that his friend might be interested in. Reginald told him he was tired, was taking his family on vacation, but he would take a look at it.
The next evening a company prospectus arrived at Reginald's home by special delivery. A prospectus is a document detailing all relevant information regarding a company for sell to potential buyers.
The company in question was Beatrice International Food Corporation. A food processing company. Headquartered in Chicago, but its operations (huge food processing plants) were based in 55 countries around the world. It had sales of $2.5 billion dollars and even had its own fleet of jets to shuttle its executives around the world. This company was 200 times bigger than the McCall Pattern Company Reginald just sold.
As Reginald was reading about this company, his first thought was, "forget this, life is too short!" But he kept reading, late into the night. Eventually, he made a shocking realization about this company:
"The sum of this company was worth more than the whole."
This meant that the breakup value or individual processing plants could be used to finance the entire company for a mere fraction of the total cost. The next morning, he decided to bid for this company for as much money as he could borrow - $985 million dollars.
Since this company was being sold in a blind auction, various global international investment banks and Reginald Lewis would have to submit a bid along with the their financing and the best all around bid wins the right to close their deal completing the purchase of Beatrice International Foods.
Days later, Reginald Lewis was informed by the investment bank conducting the sale of Beatrice that his bid had won. Now they expect him to meet the terms of his proposal and close the deal within the allotted time frame given. He later sold off 5-6 processing plants to finance nearly 2/3 of the total purchase price.
The next day, August 5, 1987, the business world went nuts. Camera crews from around the globe camped out on the grounds of Reginald's Long Island Mansion. The Wall Street Journal called him the “Jackie Robinson of the business world”. He made history on many fronts:
*It was the largest offshore acquisition in U.S corporate history (at that time).
*It was the largest offshore acquisition in U.S. corporate history performed by a single individual. (Record still stands). To this day, this feat hasn't been repeated.
*He was the first African American to own a global corporation with sales over a billion dollars.
*He was the first African American to appear on Forbes Magazine List of the 400 richest Americans.
Incredibly, he bought this global corporation with now $2 billion dollars in sales with $15 million dollars of his own money while only adding only $300 million in long term debt to the balance sheet.
Reginald ran this company for 5 years achieving record profitability in 1989 and 1990. In January 1993, after a short illness he died of a brain tumor at 50 years of age. He left behind a wife, two kids and a estate valued at over $400 million dollars.
Even in death, Reginald Lewis wasn't finished shocking the world. In 2013, 20 years after his death, his daughter, herself a Harvard graduate, gave in to the urgings of friends and family and decided to write a book about her dad. As part of the research, she went to Harvard Law School to pick up his University transcript. As she was leaving the building, she decided to take a peek at his grades. She stopped in her tracks. Her mouth dropped. All she saw was C's and D's.
Most people don't know the Reginald Lewis Story. And those few that do usually focus on how rich he was. In 1992, a year before his death, he was the 246th richest person in America, according to Forbes Magazine. His real legacy, in my opinion, is that anything is possible if you put your mind to your goals and truly commit yourself to achieving them with action.
As you will see in the paragraphs ahead, he used creativity, moxie and grit to blow past all expectations considering where he started from. Personally, he is one of my all time favorite heroes. I've read 3 book on this man. And he was absolutely magnificent throughout his whole life.
There's a lot to cover. So let's get on with it.
Reginald Francis Lewis was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 7, 1942. When he was a child, his grandparents asked him if he was going to make something of himself when he grew up and he reportedly said, "Yeah, why should white guys have all the fun!" Indeed. He seemed to lived his life according to this creed from a young age. Only wearing khakis, dress shirts and penny loafers while other kids wore gym shoes. Childhood friends recall at first sight that they knew he was going places in life by his attire, serious demeanor and demon work ethic.
Reginald really became Reginald Lewis in high school. He was star quarterback of the school's football team with a winning record. When he graduated, he earned a football scholarship to Virginia State University, a historically black college in Richmond, Virginia. Where he continued his winning ways. But as fate would have it, he hurt his knee, permanently sidelining his career and ending his scholarship. Depressed, he sulked around for a while before rededicating himself to his studies. Eventually, he shot up to the top of his class academically.
Near the end of his senior year in college, his counselor informed him of a new 3 month program that Harvard University had for black students to take classes over the summer. The aim of this program was to help them gain experience at a ivy league school and use it to apply to graduate schools elsewhere. He readily accepted. And he and other top students from black colleges across the nation spent the summer as quasi students of Harvard University. Reginald loved everything about the most prestigious school in the world.
As the program was ending in late August, he confided to a few of his classmates that he was going to Harvard in the fall. They thought he was crazy. Somehow, someway he was determined to get into Harvard Law School. So as his fellow classmates were leaving, he stayed behind and sign up for law school classes along with the incoming regular students that fall.
Reginald was attending classes for a couple of months before Harvard Admissions Department finally caught up with him. A meeting was scheduled. He had a lot of explaining to do. "Why are you still here?" and "Why should we let you stay?" All involved said that he was well prepared for those questions. Opposition melted away as he gave very detailed reasons why he belonged at Harvard University. By the end of this meeting, he was invited to stay on by an all white admission committee.
As a result of Reginald’s actions in the fall of 1966, he is the ONLY student in Harvard Law School entire 200 year history, to be accepted into the college WITHOUT filling out an application or being required to pass the LSAT (law school entrance exam).
Where he was going, there was no roadmap, so he created his own - completely on the fly.
Decades later when he became a massive success in the business world, he donated $5 million dollars to this law school (the largest single donation at the time). After his death, they named the law school after him - The Reginald F. Lewis International Law Center. He also have a museum dedicated to his life and career at Virginia State University, which he gave a million dollars to.
After graduating, Reginald started working for a small boutique law firm, went on blind date with a visiting law school graduate touring the US, Loida Nicolas, from the Philippines. They later married, had two kids and settled into upper middle class life in New York City. But Reginald soon became bored working adminstratively on business deals for 15 years. He wanted in on the action.
Eventually, he found what he was looking for with McCall Pattern Company (early competitor to JoAnn Fabrics). A distress firm whose owners were desperately trying to sell this nationwide chain of fabric stores for $20 million dollars. Reginald had extensive knowledge on how to finance the purchase of this company. But there was only one problem. He needed put down a million dollars of his own money as collateral. Money he didn't have. So he borrowed anything he could get from friends and family, and borrowed the rest from silent investors.
Now he's the owner of a company that's quickly sliding into insolvency. The balance sheet was studied. His new company wasn't earning enough money relative to operating costs. He decided to immediately raise prices and convert its industrial sewing equipment to making greeting cards once primary company priorities were met. After a few years, the company stablize and even thrived. He didn't love this business and decided to sell once the company achieved profitability.
In total, he reaped a $90 million return on his original one million dollars investment. This was all done in the space of 4 years. But all this was small potatoes compared his next acquisition. The deal that made him one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time.
Shortly thereafter, he was on a call with his friend, Michael Milken, from his days working on Wall Street. Reginald gave him the details of how he sold McCall, achieving 90:1 return on investment. And Michael congratulated him on a job well done. But added, "It's time for you to stop playing around. Time to get you a bigger bat to swing with." Reginald later retold this story to his wife in complete astonishment.
Side Note: Michael Milken, the infamous Wall Street Trader, was making $500 million a year during this time. So yes, to him it was a small deal.
Michael heard of a company for sell that his friend might be interested in. Reginald told him he was tired, was taking his family on vacation, but he would take a look at it.
The next evening a company prospectus arrived at Reginald's home by special delivery. A prospectus is a document detailing all relevant information regarding a company for sell to potential buyers.
The company in question was Beatrice International Food Corporation. A food processing company. Headquartered in Chicago, but its operations (huge food processing plants) were based in 55 countries around the world. It had sales of $2.5 billion dollars and even had its own fleet of jets to shuttle its executives around the world. This company was 200 times bigger than the McCall Pattern Company Reginald just sold.
As Reginald was reading about this company, his first thought was, "forget this, life is too short!" But he kept reading, late into the night. Eventually, he made a shocking realization about this company:
"The sum of this company was worth more than the whole."
This meant that the breakup value or individual processing plants could be used to finance the entire company for a mere fraction of the total cost. The next morning, he decided to bid for this company for as much money as he could borrow - $985 million dollars.
Since this company was being sold in a blind auction, various global international investment banks and Reginald Lewis would have to submit a bid along with the their financing and the best all around bid wins the right to close their deal completing the purchase of Beatrice International Foods.
Days later, Reginald Lewis was informed by the investment bank conducting the sale of Beatrice that his bid had won. Now they expect him to meet the terms of his proposal and close the deal within the allotted time frame given. He later sold off 5-6 processing plants to finance nearly 2/3 of the total purchase price.
The next day, August 5, 1987, the business world went nuts. Camera crews from around the globe camped out on the grounds of Reginald's Long Island Mansion. The Wall Street Journal called him the “Jackie Robinson of the business world”. He made history on many fronts:
*It was the largest offshore acquisition in U.S corporate history (at that time).
*It was the largest offshore acquisition in U.S. corporate history performed by a single individual. (Record still stands). To this day, this feat hasn't been repeated.
*He was the first African American to own a global corporation with sales over a billion dollars.
*He was the first African American to appear on Forbes Magazine List of the 400 richest Americans.
Incredibly, he bought this global corporation with now $2 billion dollars in sales with $15 million dollars of his own money while only adding only $300 million in long term debt to the balance sheet.
Reginald ran this company for 5 years achieving record profitability in 1989 and 1990. In January 1993, after a short illness he died of a brain tumor at 50 years of age. He left behind a wife, two kids and a estate valued at over $400 million dollars.
Even in death, Reginald Lewis wasn't finished shocking the world. In 2013, 20 years after his death, his daughter, herself a Harvard graduate, gave in to the urgings of friends and family and decided to write a book about her dad. As part of the research, she went to Harvard Law School to pick up his University transcript. As she was leaving the building, she decided to take a peek at his grades. She stopped in her tracks. Her mouth dropped. All she saw was C's and D's.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2021
I cried at the end. A lot. I'm sure that this book is 90% fluff, that it doesn't really capture who this man was as a person in the depth and complexity of his person, especially given how apparently secretive he was. and how much he kept close tot he vest.
In any event, I had to ask myself why I had never in my life heard of this man when I was done reading. He pulled off business history, owned an international megacorp in an age where very few people did that, let alone some black guy from Baltimore, talked his way into Harvard and rubbed shoulders with famous celebrities, presidents, business magnates, etc. The only answer I could come up with was the one that Mr. Lewis himself gave. The media plays favorites with which black people it wants to show and how it wants to portray us in a very obvious way.
I recommend this book for anyone interested in abolition in America, if only so that they understand his position that his skin color isn't something meant to hold him back (even while keeping in mind the safety considerations of being black and free in America [or abroad]).
In any event, I had to ask myself why I had never in my life heard of this man when I was done reading. He pulled off business history, owned an international megacorp in an age where very few people did that, let alone some black guy from Baltimore, talked his way into Harvard and rubbed shoulders with famous celebrities, presidents, business magnates, etc. The only answer I could come up with was the one that Mr. Lewis himself gave. The media plays favorites with which black people it wants to show and how it wants to portray us in a very obvious way.
I recommend this book for anyone interested in abolition in America, if only so that they understand his position that his skin color isn't something meant to hold him back (even while keeping in mind the safety considerations of being black and free in America [or abroad]).
September 14, 2024
This was an audiobook listen for me. I enjoyed the forward by his daughter on how this book has become a cult classic to it's audience.
“There’s a story about the rock band, the velvet underground, that their debut album didn’t sell that many copies, but everyone who bought one, went out and started their own band. Decades after the Velvet Underground broke up their impact is still felt…this book is like that” —Christina Lewis
This book is a no doubt a memoir, but as I listened, I noticed that it shifts between talking in first preson and third person. This initialy takes some adjustment and impedes the flow of the story a bit because you have to figure out if it is Lewis talking about himself, or if it is someone else offering their perspective about him. I later realized that I was listening to a commemorative edition, portions of which were written posthumously after his death, so it sort of reads like a documentary with commentary from various people who knew him throughout his life. Ultimately, these varying perspectives do add to the story.
Describing Reginald Lewis as driven is an understatement. He was a highly self-motivated man and had positive self-image. He also had a brashness about himself that sometimes rubbed others the wrong way and caused friction in his relationships with friends and family, but it doesn’t seem like they took these clashes to heart or held grudges. They understood that he was just being himself. They describe him, by saying for example, “he would do and say things in a way that would make you not like him” “He was very particular” “He liked things a certain way.” In some respects, these insights about his personality make Lewis a bit relatable, as it is clear that he is not perfect by any means. These insights also give the memoir a bit more authenticity, as it is not so much place Lewis, a legend in his own right on a pedastal, but offering a well-rounded honest depiction of his character from even those who did not agree with him at times. They are allowed to tell what seems to be unfiltered truth about who he was, how he treated them, how he made them feel, even when it was negative, how he treated women, how he could insensitive.
One of the standouts in this one is the beautiful love story that brewed between Lewis and his wife Loida and how they came to meet and fall in love. Loida, a Filipino, who at first, Lewis’s family seemed skeptical of quickly won them over with her no nonsense, genuine personality. Loida also would become pivotal in carrying on Lewis's legacy later on even stepping in to help run the family business after his death. Loida's character offers a steady, and strong foil to Lewis.
There are a few chapters that focus on his business dealings and cover the many times that Lewis failed, before he was ultimately successful in obtaining an acquisition. These failures and how they went down, make Lewis’s journey all the more extraordinary, especially when you consider that most of them occurred because of personal reasons—the individuals implicitly didn’t want to sell to or work for a Black man. If you don’t like hearing about the drama and courtship involved in brokering huge business deals, you may find these chapters a bit dry.
Lewis was definitely the real deal and had much business acumen and was a strategic thinker. After learning his journey and background and the failures he endured before finally "making it big" it is frustrating to find that most media outlets who wanted to talk to him after his major accomplishment only wanted to focus on the fact that he was a Black man. This is something that frustrated Lewis greatly. He loved Black people and was a great philanthropists, but he felt that all the focus was taken off of the hard work and his strategy and skill. It was offensive to only focus on his race. His accomplishments were not "impressive for a Black man," but impressive for any man period.
Lewis lived a short life of only fifty years, and the onset of his sudden illness and relatively quick death afterwards is truly heartbreaking. Before this however, the book turns to focus on his life and relationships as a family man, how he and his wife raised their daughters and the mock trials and trivia nights they would have for fun over dinner. How he wanted more kids but did not want to risk the health of his wife. Lewis was genuinely a loving husband and it and protective father of his two daughters. He was also a philanthropist, and gave quietly because he genuinely wanted to give to help causes, not for attention.
The writing itself in the book is not what make it great. With this one, the story does the telling, and not the words. It's his journey and the things that people had to say about him. This book takes readers through an emotional journey as well in terms of how you may feel about Lewis, from his arrogance, and how he would treat women in his younger days, and how tough he was with his high expectations. Then there is a moment somewhere in the middle of the book, where Lewis is about to start his first law firm job at Paul, Weiss. He heads to New York with his father, seeming with the world as his oyster at only twenty-five years of age, ambitiously prepping for his next chapter in life. Then the narrator poignantly remarks that "he didn't know that his life was already half over."
I recommend this one to anyone who likes entrepreneurial journeys and how tenacious one has to be despite the odds. If you like reading books on business deals, this is a great one, but the jargon can be a bit dry so be forewarned. If you're into business law and financing and banking, this book intertwines a lot of those topics with the story of his life as he was a successful lawyer also. What a life! And gone far too soon.
“No skill or vocation is the white man’s exclusive province”
“There’s a story about the rock band, the velvet underground, that their debut album didn’t sell that many copies, but everyone who bought one, went out and started their own band. Decades after the Velvet Underground broke up their impact is still felt…this book is like that” —Christina Lewis
This book is a no doubt a memoir, but as I listened, I noticed that it shifts between talking in first preson and third person. This initialy takes some adjustment and impedes the flow of the story a bit because you have to figure out if it is Lewis talking about himself, or if it is someone else offering their perspective about him. I later realized that I was listening to a commemorative edition, portions of which were written posthumously after his death, so it sort of reads like a documentary with commentary from various people who knew him throughout his life. Ultimately, these varying perspectives do add to the story.
Describing Reginald Lewis as driven is an understatement. He was a highly self-motivated man and had positive self-image. He also had a brashness about himself that sometimes rubbed others the wrong way and caused friction in his relationships with friends and family, but it doesn’t seem like they took these clashes to heart or held grudges. They understood that he was just being himself. They describe him, by saying for example, “he would do and say things in a way that would make you not like him” “He was very particular” “He liked things a certain way.” In some respects, these insights about his personality make Lewis a bit relatable, as it is clear that he is not perfect by any means. These insights also give the memoir a bit more authenticity, as it is not so much place Lewis, a legend in his own right on a pedastal, but offering a well-rounded honest depiction of his character from even those who did not agree with him at times. They are allowed to tell what seems to be unfiltered truth about who he was, how he treated them, how he made them feel, even when it was negative, how he treated women, how he could insensitive.
One of the standouts in this one is the beautiful love story that brewed between Lewis and his wife Loida and how they came to meet and fall in love. Loida, a Filipino, who at first, Lewis’s family seemed skeptical of quickly won them over with her no nonsense, genuine personality. Loida also would become pivotal in carrying on Lewis's legacy later on even stepping in to help run the family business after his death. Loida's character offers a steady, and strong foil to Lewis.
There are a few chapters that focus on his business dealings and cover the many times that Lewis failed, before he was ultimately successful in obtaining an acquisition. These failures and how they went down, make Lewis’s journey all the more extraordinary, especially when you consider that most of them occurred because of personal reasons—the individuals implicitly didn’t want to sell to or work for a Black man. If you don’t like hearing about the drama and courtship involved in brokering huge business deals, you may find these chapters a bit dry.
Lewis was definitely the real deal and had much business acumen and was a strategic thinker. After learning his journey and background and the failures he endured before finally "making it big" it is frustrating to find that most media outlets who wanted to talk to him after his major accomplishment only wanted to focus on the fact that he was a Black man. This is something that frustrated Lewis greatly. He loved Black people and was a great philanthropists, but he felt that all the focus was taken off of the hard work and his strategy and skill. It was offensive to only focus on his race. His accomplishments were not "impressive for a Black man," but impressive for any man period.
Lewis lived a short life of only fifty years, and the onset of his sudden illness and relatively quick death afterwards is truly heartbreaking. Before this however, the book turns to focus on his life and relationships as a family man, how he and his wife raised their daughters and the mock trials and trivia nights they would have for fun over dinner. How he wanted more kids but did not want to risk the health of his wife. Lewis was genuinely a loving husband and it and protective father of his two daughters. He was also a philanthropist, and gave quietly because he genuinely wanted to give to help causes, not for attention.
The writing itself in the book is not what make it great. With this one, the story does the telling, and not the words. It's his journey and the things that people had to say about him. This book takes readers through an emotional journey as well in terms of how you may feel about Lewis, from his arrogance, and how he would treat women in his younger days, and how tough he was with his high expectations. Then there is a moment somewhere in the middle of the book, where Lewis is about to start his first law firm job at Paul, Weiss. He heads to New York with his father, seeming with the world as his oyster at only twenty-five years of age, ambitiously prepping for his next chapter in life. Then the narrator poignantly remarks that "he didn't know that his life was already half over."
I recommend this one to anyone who likes entrepreneurial journeys and how tenacious one has to be despite the odds. If you like reading books on business deals, this is a great one, but the jargon can be a bit dry so be forewarned. If you're into business law and financing and banking, this book intertwines a lot of those topics with the story of his life as he was a successful lawyer also. What a life! And gone far too soon.
“No skill or vocation is the white man’s exclusive province”
December 27, 2019
First black man to own a billion dollar company. Biographical story about how he overcame the odds while displaying a tenacious work ethic.
April 23, 2014
Before there was Oprah there was Reginald F. Lewis. So who is Reginald F. Lewis? Wall Street lawyer and financier who in 1987, achieved what many thought was an impossible feat. At that time, "the billion-dollar LBO (leveraged buyout) of Beatrice International Foods was the largest offshore leveraged buyout ever pulled off." Retold in a semi-autobiographical format, Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun? - How Reginald Lewis Created a Billion-Dollar Business Empire by Reginald F. Lewis and Blair S. Walker.
Born and raised in East Baltimore, Maryland, the seeds of success were planted at an early age. Educated in the Baltimore public school system, he was a bright student, star quarterback in high school, and football scholarship recipient to Virginia State University in Richmond, Virginia. "He always had an agenda, a sense of purpose and direction," which served him well in both the legal and business worlds.
In his junior year of college he was chosen to participate in a new summer program at Harvard University that was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation to "acquaint black college students with legal study." As a result of his experience he ended up being "the only person in the [148 year] history of Harvard Law School who was admitted before he applied." Reginald F. Lewis eventually started his own law practice Lewis & Clarkson and specialized in venture capital interests. This provided the foundation for TLC (The Lewis Company) acquisition of McCall Pattern Company; which resulted in a 90-1 gain and doubled McCall's income for the next two years and earned 12 and 14 million respectively. This set the stage for the billion-dollar Beatrice acquisition. This book lays out in detail the what, when, where, how, and why, it is essentially a manual for others to follow.
THOUGHTS for your SOUL:
•"In 1965, the highest ranking black faculty member at Harvard University was the assistant reference librarian."
•"Colors and labels have a way categorizing people and creating artificial constraints around people and the way they think about themselves."
•"Take a global perspective, don't neglect international studies, train your students to learn about international law, international business and tax."
This is not a story about an African-American man, but rather a story about a man who against all odds lived the adage "luck happens when preparation meets opportunity."- Seneca. Most people want to leave a legacy of some sort, something that said "I was here." Mr. Lewis died from a massive cerebral hemorrhage brought on by the cancerous tumor on his brain at the age of 50 in 1993. Here are a some of his legacies:
•The Chairman and CEO of TLC Beatrice Corporation.
•The Lewis International Law Center on the grounds of Harvard University.
•The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African-American History and Culture in Baltimore, Maryland.
•The Reginald F. Lewis High School of Business Law in Baltimore, Maryland.
His accomplishments are an example of a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Driven by desire and determination, he wanted to compete and win, irrespective of race. He loved the game, did the work, took the risks and eventually won! Reginald F. Lewis exceeded everyone's expectations except his own.
Born and raised in East Baltimore, Maryland, the seeds of success were planted at an early age. Educated in the Baltimore public school system, he was a bright student, star quarterback in high school, and football scholarship recipient to Virginia State University in Richmond, Virginia. "He always had an agenda, a sense of purpose and direction," which served him well in both the legal and business worlds.
In his junior year of college he was chosen to participate in a new summer program at Harvard University that was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation to "acquaint black college students with legal study." As a result of his experience he ended up being "the only person in the [148 year] history of Harvard Law School who was admitted before he applied." Reginald F. Lewis eventually started his own law practice Lewis & Clarkson and specialized in venture capital interests. This provided the foundation for TLC (The Lewis Company) acquisition of McCall Pattern Company; which resulted in a 90-1 gain and doubled McCall's income for the next two years and earned 12 and 14 million respectively. This set the stage for the billion-dollar Beatrice acquisition. This book lays out in detail the what, when, where, how, and why, it is essentially a manual for others to follow.
THOUGHTS for your SOUL:
•"In 1965, the highest ranking black faculty member at Harvard University was the assistant reference librarian."
•"Colors and labels have a way categorizing people and creating artificial constraints around people and the way they think about themselves."
•"Take a global perspective, don't neglect international studies, train your students to learn about international law, international business and tax."
This is not a story about an African-American man, but rather a story about a man who against all odds lived the adage "luck happens when preparation meets opportunity."- Seneca. Most people want to leave a legacy of some sort, something that said "I was here." Mr. Lewis died from a massive cerebral hemorrhage brought on by the cancerous tumor on his brain at the age of 50 in 1993. Here are a some of his legacies:
•The Chairman and CEO of TLC Beatrice Corporation.
•The Lewis International Law Center on the grounds of Harvard University.
•The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African-American History and Culture in Baltimore, Maryland.
•The Reginald F. Lewis High School of Business Law in Baltimore, Maryland.
His accomplishments are an example of a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Driven by desire and determination, he wanted to compete and win, irrespective of race. He loved the game, did the work, took the risks and eventually won! Reginald F. Lewis exceeded everyone's expectations except his own.
January 18, 2020
Face it, for years American business was dominated by one type of person. In the 80's, Reginald Lewis, with all of his unbridled ambition, had enough moxie to think he could play the game of business at the level of American titans too. He also had enough passion to win at it.
July 3, 2018
This book was recommended to me by my brother who is in law school. Prior to reading it, I never heard of Reginald Lewis, who was a success American business mogul (millionaire/billionaire) of the 80s. I really enjoyed reading the first half of the book about Reginald Lewis' upbringing in Baltimore, MD (close to where I live). Lewis was a peculiar child/teen and super serious adult so I found some of his habits, antics, and social bondings as described in the book comical. As the book delve into the stories of Lewis' business and acquisition strategies (most in first person narrative), which I thought ingenious, it was a slightly more difficult reading. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes/loves unique biographies, business deals, business law and/or just interested in stories about people who pursued a dream, overcame limitations, and achieved success.
March 11, 2023
When Reginald Lewis hit the scene back in the 1980s, I was a kid.
My family was very involved in the political and business arenas when it involved Black people.
My Dad had the opportunity to know Reginald Lewis professionally before he became well known in the media.
When Reginald Lewis made these incredible business deals, I was aware of them as a teen. My parents kept me updated for they were teaching me early about how to run a business and the strategies involved to grow your wealth.
My father had Reginald Lewis' book in his library forever. I don't know why it took me so long to finally read it and be in awe of his brilliance!!
Fortunately, I did know a little bit about his journey. But reading his book gave me a better understanding of how he operated.
This is a must read book for anyone wanting to know how Reginald Lewis became the powerhouse that he did!
My family was very involved in the political and business arenas when it involved Black people.
My Dad had the opportunity to know Reginald Lewis professionally before he became well known in the media.
When Reginald Lewis made these incredible business deals, I was aware of them as a teen. My parents kept me updated for they were teaching me early about how to run a business and the strategies involved to grow your wealth.
My father had Reginald Lewis' book in his library forever. I don't know why it took me so long to finally read it and be in awe of his brilliance!!
Fortunately, I did know a little bit about his journey. But reading his book gave me a better understanding of how he operated.
This is a must read book for anyone wanting to know how Reginald Lewis became the powerhouse that he did!
January 20, 2022
Excellent book about a business icon. Highly recommend.
Have a schedule every day and don’t deviate from it
Kids grades did you do your best? If yes then thats it closed.
Be persistent. Be strategic. Leave it all on the line especially when you don’t have anything to lose. Make an argument for yourself
Work smart and hard
Use allies to help you teachers for recommendation letters
Mean what you say and say what you do
Sense of urgency
Uncompromising with fees
Studied public offering prospectuses of successful corporate takeovers
Spent time with interns
Problem with African American entrepreneurs pursuing starting new businesses than buying companies that are up and running.
Hard work
Discipline
Focus
Aligned skill with job
Have a schedule every day and don’t deviate from it
Kids grades did you do your best? If yes then thats it closed.
Be persistent. Be strategic. Leave it all on the line especially when you don’t have anything to lose. Make an argument for yourself
Work smart and hard
Use allies to help you teachers for recommendation letters
Mean what you say and say what you do
Sense of urgency
Uncompromising with fees
Studied public offering prospectuses of successful corporate takeovers
Spent time with interns
Problem with African American entrepreneurs pursuing starting new businesses than buying companies that are up and running.
Hard work
Discipline
Focus
Aligned skill with job
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2010
Inspiring doesn't even begin to describe this book. However, I am so struck by his life story I can hardly say more than that. You've got to read it for yourself. I read a copy belonging to a friend and I really need to purchase my own, for re-reading and for posterity sake. Here is a man who was accepted to Harvard University without ever having completed an admittance application. Now he has a building there named after him; The Reginald F. Lewis International Law Center. The books title is designed to catch you off guard, but the man is serious.
August 10, 2019
Reginald Lewis - Awesome Strategies to Become a Great CEO
This book was an amazing read about the life of Reginald Lewis. It not only focused on his good, but his struggles as a man trying to fix the system. You got a glimpse into his personality and his toughness. This book helped me understand the role of a CEO. This book is for anyone wanting to understand deals and negotiations and what it takes to be a CEO.
This book was an amazing read about the life of Reginald Lewis. It not only focused on his good, but his struggles as a man trying to fix the system. You got a glimpse into his personality and his toughness. This book helped me understand the role of a CEO. This book is for anyone wanting to understand deals and negotiations and what it takes to be a CEO.
August 25, 2021
This is an awesome book. The title definitely threw me off, but it is a great attention-getter. As for Reg Lewis he is a complete package of inspiration and worthy of admiration. From hysterical laughter to tears this book is a HIT! Any young AA should read. Reg went from small means to a Billion-Dollar Empire during Jim Crow and racial segregation. Remember! Anything is Possible if you can See it and Believe it!
March 2, 2010
I couldn't rate this book without considering the writing (not great), clinical approach, and apparent bias. HOWEVER, the subject of the book was no doubt an extraordinary force and businessman. He truly understood his own power and how to focus it. Reading this book definitely makes it a bit harder to come up with excuses.
June 22, 2012
I thought that this was a good book. As you read this book, you understand Mr. Lewis and how he had built a billion dollar empire. I don't want to give away the entire book. You must read it for yourself.
February 2, 2022
Still Inspiring
A great viewpoint into a wildly driven and successful life. There are a lot of applicable lessons, not least of which, to know and love thyself. Play to your strengths and demand excellence in those areas.
A great viewpoint into a wildly driven and successful life. There are a lot of applicable lessons, not least of which, to know and love thyself. Play to your strengths and demand excellence in those areas.
February 1, 2023
This was a very good book about a man from humble beginnings in Baltimore who, by sheer will, became a business icon in the 1980’s and early 1990’s until his untimely death due to brain cancer. Inspirational and provocative, a must read especially for youth from similar backgrounds.
August 17, 2007
"nothing is impossible with a determined mind"
September 17, 2010
AWESOME, one of my favorite all time reads
August 8, 2015
One of the best books I've ever read.
January 24, 2016
Great man Great book
This is a testament of the African American Dream. I now have a new role model after reading this book....
This is a testament of the African American Dream. I now have a new role model after reading this book....
May 21, 2019
Extraordinary book
I love this book.It is a great story.Extraordinary brilliant magnificent
Reginald is my hero and will continue to live!!!! I love making big deals
I love this book.It is a great story.Extraordinary brilliant magnificent
Reginald is my hero and will continue to live!!!! I love making big deals
October 20, 2019
Still an amazing read.
March 10, 2020
One of my personal favorites because Reginald Lewis was the GOAT on Wall Street. This inspired me to focus on transactional law.
July 18, 2020
Recommend read
Great book, the guy is just inspirational. Book is too hidden , I'm lucky I stumbled upon it, lucky I tell you (what's with word count Amazon? : )
Great book, the guy is just inspirational. Book is too hidden , I'm lucky I stumbled upon it, lucky I tell you (what's with word count Amazon? : )
Read
March 12, 2022Ruth is a walking clearinghouse when it comes to suggestions and ideas for sharpening prose.
In the last five years of his life, Lewis gave away more money than most people dream of earning in several lifetimes, and he generally did so without fanfare.
“Regardless of race, color, or creed, we are all dealt a hand to play in this game of life,” Cosby wrote. “And believe me, Reg Lewis played the hell out of his hand!”
seemingly perpetual scowl, and megawatt intensity
1022 North Dallas Street, the heart of the ghetto of East Baltimore, is the street where all my dreams got started.
held several jobs as well. At one point, he was a waiter at one of Baltimore’s fanciest hotels, the Belvedere. At the same time, he waited on tables at the Suburban Club, a Jewish country club in suburban Baltimore, while also working private parties at posh homes.
Both had PhDs in common sense.
had a wonderful facility for programming young people. And being able to convince you that you were someone special, that you had something to bring or something to contribute, too.
game of oneupmanship
Demon Work Ethic
sentimental
He was always on time, he was always doing something to improve himself in whatever he did.
“Reggie, you know your skin is dark, so you have to work harder.
He really was one of the consummate goal setters,” Goodman recalls.
He had a sense of remembering their names—if somebody would pass by, invariably he knew their name and always addressed people by their names.”
He possessed piercing black eyes and an attractive smile that he rarely displayed, perhaps because he was self-conscious about the gap between his front teeth, a lifelong concern.
as effective as a Ferrari when it came to attracting women.
In the last five years of his life, Lewis gave away more money than most people dream of earning in several lifetimes, and he generally did so without fanfare.
“Regardless of race, color, or creed, we are all dealt a hand to play in this game of life,” Cosby wrote. “And believe me, Reg Lewis played the hell out of his hand!”
seemingly perpetual scowl, and megawatt intensity
1022 North Dallas Street, the heart of the ghetto of East Baltimore, is the street where all my dreams got started.
held several jobs as well. At one point, he was a waiter at one of Baltimore’s fanciest hotels, the Belvedere. At the same time, he waited on tables at the Suburban Club, a Jewish country club in suburban Baltimore, while also working private parties at posh homes.
Both had PhDs in common sense.
had a wonderful facility for programming young people. And being able to convince you that you were someone special, that you had something to bring or something to contribute, too.
game of oneupmanship
Demon Work Ethic
sentimental
He was always on time, he was always doing something to improve himself in whatever he did.
“Reggie, you know your skin is dark, so you have to work harder.
He really was one of the consummate goal setters,” Goodman recalls.
He had a sense of remembering their names—if somebody would pass by, invariably he knew their name and always addressed people by their names.”
He possessed piercing black eyes and an attractive smile that he rarely displayed, perhaps because he was self-conscious about the gap between his front teeth, a lifelong concern.
as effective as a Ferrari when it came to attracting women.
October 22, 2016
I don’t think I aspire to be exactly like Reg Lewis, as he comes across as more mercurial and demanding of his subordinates than I’d like to be. I am though very happy he existed and enjoyed the fruits of his immense labors. His focus and fearlessness in life and commitment to social justice and racial equality were admirable as was his tenacity and willingness to be himself. He did his best to break racist stereotypes of what it takes and means to be successful and black not only in America but also in Western Europe, and for that I’m grateful to have heard his story and proud he lived it. He makes me want to be as successful in my own way, which I think he would’ve applauded.
“Charming, irascible, and prone to mood swings, Lewis was as quirky an amalgam of pride, ego, and towering ambition as ever sauntered into a boardroom.” - Prologue
“Always remember, your skill is what’s important. Get that and build on it and sooner or later you’ll have a big payday— count on it.” - Reginald Lewis, p. 22
“After lunch, Lewis left the restaurant, disappointed at not having gotten an affirmative response on the spot. He loved to win, but could cope with his plans going awry— as long as he’d expended maximum effort.” - p. 53
“Lewis worked long hours all his life and set the pace for his employees, who both admired his stamina and resented the fact that they were expected to keep up with him. Robert Suggs practiced law with Lewis for half a year in 1976. “Most people give you a timetable to do something that has slippage in it. If you came back to Lewis in six months, there would be no slippage in his timetable,” says Suggs. “He was very focused and if he had 12 things to do to get to the next point, he’d do them in sequence. A lot of people bullshit and are vague and their story changes every time they tell it. He wasn’t bullshitting.” - p. 79
“When confronted with racism, Lewis’s response was to meet it head on. If he felt a maitre d’ placed him too close to the kitchen, or that a waiter delivered indifferent service, Lewis would buttonhole the manager and bring it to his or her attention.” - p. 88
“Most people would have found the prospectuses incredibly tedious reading, but not Lewis. He read them closely, dreaming a little and learning a lot. Each prospectus was like a little history book that told Lewis about the officers of a company, their salaries, their strategic thinking— even about lawsuits filed against a company. Lewis ate all of this up and he liked nothing better than to take a set of prospectuses home to read.” - p. 127
“The fact is, however, I never focused on earnings. Others like to hear it so I repeated it, but I kept my eyes glued on cash flow. When I worked through the numbers, over a 2 ½-year period NSI had pulled about $18 million in cash out of McCall. That, then, was my price— $ 18 million. In my heart I was ready to go higher.” - Reginald Lewis, p. 136
“Instead of presenting himself as the person looking to buy the company, Lewis claimed to represent a consortium of investors. He knew everyone on the other side of the table would automatically assume the members of the investor group were white. Because Lewis did not hold himself out as the potential acquirer of the McCall Pattern Co., he could at least rest assured that race was not a factor if he failed this time.” - p. 137
“An obsession of his was to “get behind the numbers” generated by a business. In the course of reading prospectuses, he would grab Kevin Wright or Charles Clarkson and say, “Here’s a figure on the page. I want to understand why that number is there, what are the components that go into making up that number. What individual had to do A, B, C, and D to make it what it is? And why isn’t it better?” - p. 138
“My philosophy is, first, if you’re using a lot of leverage, bring the capitalization into more normalized means before you start talking about another serious strategic play. In other words, digest a little bit of what you have and confirm your own judgment about the earning power of the assets before you start going off strategically.” - p. 168
“I was glad I never went to business school, because it’s one thing to be able to do a good quantitative analysis, which is important, but it’s better to have a burning desire to get behind the numbers— what is driving this a particular way? And that’s part financial but it’s also understanding a culture of people. Ultimately, you will really generate significantly greater returns if you understand that.” - p. 169
“Come on, for Christ’s sake!” Lewis bellowed. “Just to make them respect you, you demand SOMETHING. You don’t just roll over.” - p. 174
“Reg enjoyed the competition, he enjoyed the struggle,” former Beatrice executive Everett Grant says. “Since his enjoyment came from competition, and he was able to compete so much and so successfully, I think he did enjoy himself quite a bit, more than most people can conceive.” - p. 201
“Reg, I know what I think— I don’t give a fuck what you think!” The anger drifted from Lewis’s eyes when he heard Christophe’s words. “You don’t give a fuck what I think,” he said, repeating the words slowly. With that, Lewis started smiling broadly and thrust his hand across the seat and grabbed Christophe’s. “I love it,” he said. “You have the makings of an entrepreneur yet.” - p. 243
“It is a fact that a mediocre white kid has a lot better shot than a mediocre black kid. And there’s this hypocrisy within our culture that somehow African-Americans have not achieved as much because somehow it’s our own fault. I mean, it’s such a vicious lie.” - Reginald Lewis, p. 254
“Again, it bears repeating that Lewis had an extraordinary ability to set priorities and not waver from them one iota.” - p. 263
“It’s fair to say he was reasonably autocratic and had a fairly clear sense of what he wanted to accomplish and how, and really did view his employees as extensions of himself,” Davenport recalls of Lewis. “I think he was interested in the input, but he was also very interested in making sure that whatever the ultimate strategy or tactic or end product of a given process was that it would have his initials firmly embossed in the middle and on the sides.” - p. 272
“Black men who are prepared or confident or willing to act aggressively are viewed as undesirables who are arrogant, uppity, and too big for their britches, Lewis would tell Gumbel.” - p. 276
“My father never stopped moving forward, no matter what fate threw in his way. Whether racial stereo-types that would hamper him in his business, racial bias and prejudice, no matter what the world threw him, he didn’t let it stop him.” - p. 309
“Charming, irascible, and prone to mood swings, Lewis was as quirky an amalgam of pride, ego, and towering ambition as ever sauntered into a boardroom.” - Prologue
“Always remember, your skill is what’s important. Get that and build on it and sooner or later you’ll have a big payday— count on it.” - Reginald Lewis, p. 22
“After lunch, Lewis left the restaurant, disappointed at not having gotten an affirmative response on the spot. He loved to win, but could cope with his plans going awry— as long as he’d expended maximum effort.” - p. 53
“Lewis worked long hours all his life and set the pace for his employees, who both admired his stamina and resented the fact that they were expected to keep up with him. Robert Suggs practiced law with Lewis for half a year in 1976. “Most people give you a timetable to do something that has slippage in it. If you came back to Lewis in six months, there would be no slippage in his timetable,” says Suggs. “He was very focused and if he had 12 things to do to get to the next point, he’d do them in sequence. A lot of people bullshit and are vague and their story changes every time they tell it. He wasn’t bullshitting.” - p. 79
“When confronted with racism, Lewis’s response was to meet it head on. If he felt a maitre d’ placed him too close to the kitchen, or that a waiter delivered indifferent service, Lewis would buttonhole the manager and bring it to his or her attention.” - p. 88
“Most people would have found the prospectuses incredibly tedious reading, but not Lewis. He read them closely, dreaming a little and learning a lot. Each prospectus was like a little history book that told Lewis about the officers of a company, their salaries, their strategic thinking— even about lawsuits filed against a company. Lewis ate all of this up and he liked nothing better than to take a set of prospectuses home to read.” - p. 127
“The fact is, however, I never focused on earnings. Others like to hear it so I repeated it, but I kept my eyes glued on cash flow. When I worked through the numbers, over a 2 ½-year period NSI had pulled about $18 million in cash out of McCall. That, then, was my price— $ 18 million. In my heart I was ready to go higher.” - Reginald Lewis, p. 136
“Instead of presenting himself as the person looking to buy the company, Lewis claimed to represent a consortium of investors. He knew everyone on the other side of the table would automatically assume the members of the investor group were white. Because Lewis did not hold himself out as the potential acquirer of the McCall Pattern Co., he could at least rest assured that race was not a factor if he failed this time.” - p. 137
“An obsession of his was to “get behind the numbers” generated by a business. In the course of reading prospectuses, he would grab Kevin Wright or Charles Clarkson and say, “Here’s a figure on the page. I want to understand why that number is there, what are the components that go into making up that number. What individual had to do A, B, C, and D to make it what it is? And why isn’t it better?” - p. 138
“My philosophy is, first, if you’re using a lot of leverage, bring the capitalization into more normalized means before you start talking about another serious strategic play. In other words, digest a little bit of what you have and confirm your own judgment about the earning power of the assets before you start going off strategically.” - p. 168
“I was glad I never went to business school, because it’s one thing to be able to do a good quantitative analysis, which is important, but it’s better to have a burning desire to get behind the numbers— what is driving this a particular way? And that’s part financial but it’s also understanding a culture of people. Ultimately, you will really generate significantly greater returns if you understand that.” - p. 169
“Come on, for Christ’s sake!” Lewis bellowed. “Just to make them respect you, you demand SOMETHING. You don’t just roll over.” - p. 174
“Reg enjoyed the competition, he enjoyed the struggle,” former Beatrice executive Everett Grant says. “Since his enjoyment came from competition, and he was able to compete so much and so successfully, I think he did enjoy himself quite a bit, more than most people can conceive.” - p. 201
“Reg, I know what I think— I don’t give a fuck what you think!” The anger drifted from Lewis’s eyes when he heard Christophe’s words. “You don’t give a fuck what I think,” he said, repeating the words slowly. With that, Lewis started smiling broadly and thrust his hand across the seat and grabbed Christophe’s. “I love it,” he said. “You have the makings of an entrepreneur yet.” - p. 243
“It is a fact that a mediocre white kid has a lot better shot than a mediocre black kid. And there’s this hypocrisy within our culture that somehow African-Americans have not achieved as much because somehow it’s our own fault. I mean, it’s such a vicious lie.” - Reginald Lewis, p. 254
“Again, it bears repeating that Lewis had an extraordinary ability to set priorities and not waver from them one iota.” - p. 263
“It’s fair to say he was reasonably autocratic and had a fairly clear sense of what he wanted to accomplish and how, and really did view his employees as extensions of himself,” Davenport recalls of Lewis. “I think he was interested in the input, but he was also very interested in making sure that whatever the ultimate strategy or tactic or end product of a given process was that it would have his initials firmly embossed in the middle and on the sides.” - p. 272
“Black men who are prepared or confident or willing to act aggressively are viewed as undesirables who are arrogant, uppity, and too big for their britches, Lewis would tell Gumbel.” - p. 276
“My father never stopped moving forward, no matter what fate threw in his way. Whether racial stereo-types that would hamper him in his business, racial bias and prejudice, no matter what the world threw him, he didn’t let it stop him.” - p. 309
November 13, 2025
Very interesting memoir and insight into R. Lewis’ life. One notable point is that the memoir, in my view, doesn’t capture the full day-to-day doubts, efforts, and reflections that pushed him through many challenges. It’s not easy to be a person of color in the U.S. of the 1980s, and yet, despite this, he managed to work at Paul, Weiss, later founded his own law firm in the heart of New York, and then, finally, transitioning altogether into dealmaking.
I also strongly agree that we end up knowing Reginald Lewis largely because of him getting into Harvard; however, the way in which he approached that opportunity is probably what differentiates winners from the rest. Winners exploit an opportunity to the maximum—sometimes by thinking beyond the limits of the box—and because Reginald Lewis did exactly this with that summer tour[1], we get to hear the story of Reginald Lewis.
For a young professional this book is also a great insight into how dealmaking works from the bidder lens.
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[1] If that wasn't persuasive enough about how luck can't explain his success, he also raised above his peers employed at law firms, and then also above Partners of said law firms. It's hard to call that luck.
I also strongly agree that we end up knowing Reginald Lewis largely because of him getting into Harvard; however, the way in which he approached that opportunity is probably what differentiates winners from the rest. Winners exploit an opportunity to the maximum—sometimes by thinking beyond the limits of the box—and because Reginald Lewis did exactly this with that summer tour[1], we get to hear the story of Reginald Lewis.
For a young professional this book is also a great insight into how dealmaking works from the bidder lens.
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[1] If that wasn't persuasive enough about how luck can't explain his success, he also raised above his peers employed at law firms, and then also above Partners of said law firms. It's hard to call that luck.
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