Why Every Entrepreneur Should Read The Late Reginald Lewis’ ‘Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun’ Right Now

Decades after his passing in 1993, Reginald F. Lewis’s blueprint for Black corporate power remains unmatched. The Wall Street pioneer made history in 1987 with the first billion-dollar Black-owned business empire—and years later, his landmark memoir, Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun? continues to land on book list including Forbes’ recent list of “50 Most Influential Books.” Here are the timeless masterclass lessons on negotiation, deal-making, and high-stakes strategy that every entrepreneur needs to know today.

The Importance of Doing Your Best

In 1993, Forbes listed him among the 400 richest Americans with a net worth estimated at $400 million—so he knew a thing or two about success, trial and error, and picking yourself up after mishaps.

“He loved to win, but could cope with his plans going awry—as long as he’d expended maximum effort. He maintained this attitude throughout his life. In later years, when one of Lewis’s two daughters would bring home an average grade from school, Lewis would simply ask, ‘Did you do your best?’ If the answer was yes, the issue was closed as far as he was concerned,” page 53 read. “Up to a point, the former quarterback really did believe that winning or losing was secondary to how one played the game.”

Faith in God

Beyond his Virginia State University education and being the only person in the 148-year history of Harvard Law School to be accepted before even applying, Lewis knew that while his hands built the empire, his unshakeable faith in God was the ultimate force driving it all home.

“Perhaps sensing the inevitable, Lewis—who believed in God, but was not a devout Catholic—had begun telling his wife, ‘Death does not frighten me—I’m not afraid of death,” page 303 read. “I surrender myself to Christ.’”

Enjoying the Journey

The Baltimore native bought Beatrice International Foods for $985 million in 1987, renaming it TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc., the New York Times reported at the time. The snack food, beverage, and grocery store conglomerate became the first Black-owned company to have more than $1 billion in annual sales.

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Despite his massive success, Lewis famously despised the “overnight success” myth, knowing it was anything but. “When he was the subject of glowing news stories after acquiring Beatrice International in 1987, Reginald Lewis would complain about how some of the media made it look as if he’d achieved his success quickly and effortlessly,” page 110 read. ‘That’s not true. […] It took 25 years of hard work to get to where I am. That’s what everyone has missed,’ he would tell people.”

Unstoppable Ambition

Searching for the wellspring of Lewis’s relentless drive? Look past the green lights and straight into the closed doors and the word “no.”

“Basically, every time he faced a snub he knew was based on race, it added another log to the flames of his fierce ambition. Every unanswered phone call, every naysayer, every pundit questioning whether Lewis was really just a front for a white man motivated him even more,” page 215 read. “Although Lewis was far too complex to ascribe his powerful drive just to one factor, his reaction to racism was unquestionably a major component in his incredible journey to the boardroom of Beatrice.”

Celebrity Endorsements

Comedian Cedric the Entertainer recalled how Lewis’ book motivated him to “dream big,” Forbes reported. “But even more so, it showed me I deserved to make them come true. [It showed me] that big business and a big life was attainable.”

Robert Johnson, the founder of BET, also praised the memoir to Black Enterprise in 2012. “Reggie was not afraid of going beyond what Black business was, which was privately owned companies run by family members to be passed on to family members,” Johnson said. “He took it to the global institutional market.”