Reginald Lewis & The Billion-Dollar Deal That Shook History: Lessons for Africa’s Boldest Entrepreneurs

Digital Doctors

Sun, 08 Jun 2025

For the Global Youth, Especially Africa’s Bold Dreamers

Once upon a time—not in a Disney fairytale, but in the rugged, real world of 1940s Baltimore—a young Black boy named Reginald F. Lewis was born into a world that politely, or sometimes violently, reminded him he didn’t belong in the corridors of wealth or power. America, deep in segregation, had no intentions of offering him front-row seats to capitalism’s finest shows. Yet this same boy would grow up to pull off a billion-dollar deal that not only shook Wall Street but also rewrote the rulebook on Black ambition and entrepreneurial power.

Yes, a billion—with a B. Before Jay-Z was shouting it in songs, Reginald Lewis was quietly living it.

His life reads like a plot twist even Hollywood wouldn't believe. Yet in Africa—where youth make up over 60% of the population, and entrepreneurship is seen as both a calling and a necessity—Lewis’ legacy remains criminally underrated. Let’s fix that.

Born to a modest, middle-class family in East Baltimore, Lewis had that fire that no textbook can teach. By age ten, he was already running a newspaper delivery business—and not just delivering papers, but managing other boys to do the same while he took a cut. That, my friend, is what we in Africa call “eating with the brain, not with the hands.”

While many dream of Harvard, Lewis never even applied. He was invited in. Let that sink in. After attending Virginia State on a football scholarship and smashing expectations like chapati on a roadside grill, Lewis was offered a spot at Harvard Law after impressing faculty during a summer program. He went on to become the first African American partner at a major New York law firm in just two years. For comparison, some people stay in law firms long enough to retire without ever smelling the title “partner.”

But Lewis didn’t want just titles. He wanted ownership. He wasn’t in it to be the token Black genius in the room. No, Lewis had a plan—and it had international scale.

Enter the deal that broke history: In 1987, Lewis orchestrated the $985 million leveraged buyout of Beatrice International Foods, a conglomerate operating in over 30 countries. Let’s break that down for the uninitiated:

He used mostly borrowed money (a method called a leveraged buyout, or LBO), turned around the business, and generated profits that would make even seasoned private equity folks weep into their spreadsheets. And the best part? He did it at a time when most Black people were still being denied loans for homes, let alone international business deals.

In Africa, we might say: “The chicken that knows how to dance doesn’t wait for the drumbeat.” Reginald Lewis danced his way into billion-dollar boardrooms and set the tempo himself.

What made him so different? Mindset. The man had the kind of mental discipline that could turn a stubborn goat into a ballet dancer. He was obsessed with numbers, strategy, and precision. In meetings, he would quote company figures from memory—down to the decimal point. He was so sharp, it was said that even calculators felt underqualified around him.

But it wasn’t just intellect—it was intention. Lewis believed that Black people—and by extension, all people from underserved backgrounds—deserved to OWN, not just participate. Too many people chase paychecks. Lewis chased equity. Ownership. Legacy. He once said, “Business is war. I go into battle every day.”

Let’s pause and imagine this: A Black man from Baltimore, walking into European boardrooms, buying up companies with calm precision, while executives whisper, “Who is this guy?” Meanwhile, he’s already calculating which markets to enter next.

He didn’t stop at just building a business. He built TLC Beatrice International, the first Black-owned company to generate over $1 billion in annual revenue. Imagine Dangote meets private equity. That was Lewis. And he did it without posting a single motivational quote on Instagram. What a concept.

Still, it wasn’t all roses and caviar. The pressure was immense. The racism was real. The scrutiny was constant. Yet Lewis never played the victim. He wasn’t interested in being pitied or pedestalized. He wanted results.

His attitude was African in every sense—“When the hyena wants to eat, it doesn’t ask the lion for permission.” Lewis understood power, and he wasn’t afraid to use it. He backed civil rights movements. He donated quietly to causes that mattered. He mentored those who came behind him.

And yes, he wrote his own story—literally. His autobiography, “Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?”, is part memoir, part masterclass, part manifesto. The title alone punches centuries of oppression right in the jaw. If you’re young, hungry, and African, this book isn’t optional reading—it’s required spiritual armor.

Today, Africa is teeming with brilliant minds. A young woman in Nairobi building fintech tools for the unbanked. A developer in Kigali training AI models on recycled laptops. A group of friends in Accra launching a logistics startup with more courage than capital.

To all of you: Reginald Lewis did it so you could do it too. Not because it’s easy. But because it’s possible. He proved that the world doesn’t reward your pain—it rewards your product. And if you want to change your life and your continent, you’ve got to learn how the game is played—and then break it like he did.

Let’s stop sugarcoating it: Entrepreneurship is hard. Especially in Africa, where you might need to solve power outages, find funding, and convince your auntie that your business is real—all before breakfast. But Lewis teaches us that “if the path is blocked, don’t cry—build your own road and start charging toll.”

✊???? Resources for the Next Reginald Lewis

If you're serious about following in his footsteps (or even outdoing him), here's your survival kit:

Read This

• Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun? – Reginald Lewis & Blair S. Walker
  https://www.amazon.com/dp/0887307493

• Black Titan: A.G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire
  https://www.amazon.com/dp/0345453482

Watch This

• Bloomberg Originals: Pioneers – Reginald F. Lewis
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcXbAxW3Nyk

• Reginald F. Lewis Museum Virtual Experience
  https://lewismuseum.org

Learn This

• HarvardX: Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies
  https://online-learning.harvard.edu/course/entrepreneurship-emerging-economies

• Google Hustle Academy (Africa-focused)
  https://hustleacademy.withgoogle.com

• Y Combinator Startup School
  https://www.startupschool.org

• Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme
  https://www.tonyelumelufoundation.org

• VC4A – Venture Capital for Africa
  https://vc4a.com

• Anzisha Prize – For Entrepreneurs Under 25
  https://anzishaprize.org

In Conclusion:
Reginald Lewis didn’t ask for permission to succeed. He just did. And his life screams a truth we all need to hear:

“If you’re not at the table, you’re probably on the menu.”

So pull up your chair. Or build your own table. Or buy the whole damn restaurant.

The next billion-dollar deal could very well come out of Africa. And when it does, may it be led by someone who read about Lewis, saw themselves in him, and decided the only history worth reading is the one they wrote themselves.

Now, go build something historic. And remember: “Even the elephant was once a baby.”